Hi!

I'm new in linux and I've got a big problem using skype for linux.
Skype connects correctly and I can call my contacts. But there is no sound. :-(
In one of the topics in this forum I've read about /dev/dep. But there is no /dev/dsp on my computer. There's only /dev/snd.

I'm using Debian Sarge with the OSS with "Threads" and it works fine under KDE.
Where is my mistake?

Thanks a lot for your help (if posslible in german)
Nils

Skype is specifically looking for /dev/dsp. So you can just make a symlink to /dev/snd?

Hi terminus!

O.k.. There are now /dev/dsp, /dev/dsp0, /dev/dsp1, /dsp2 and /dsp3. But there is no sound at all. I can call my contacts but I can't hear them and they can't hear me.

What else am I doing wrong?

By the way: Do you speak german???

Try to call "echo123". If still no sound, review your sound settings - take a look at the FAQ ond other posts in this forum, a lot of people have found help this way.

Sorry, I don't speak much German.

If you are running KDE, you probably use Arts... in that case check the KDE Settings for Arts (Arts should use Alsa, and be set to fullduplex in Control Center)

To start skype, run the following command line:

In German:
Wenn du KDE benutzst, dann hast du sicher auch ARTSd laufen. In dem Fall überprüfe dein einstellungen für artsd im KDE Control Center. "Full Duplex" sollte eingeschaltet sein, und artsd sollte mit Alsa arbeiten.
Dann kannst du Skype mit folgender Commandozeiel starten:
Werfe aber einen blick auf die Linux Sound FAQ, dort ist dies im detail erklärt und mit einigen screen-shots!

When I try to use ALSA my Debian-system freeze without any errorcode.
Full duplex is enabled.

If I try to start skype using "artsdsp -m skype" I get the errorcode "/usr/bin/artsdsp: line 108: exec: skype: not found". Even if I run this command within the directory where skype is ectracted to.

The command "echo123" doesn't work.
I get the message: "bash: echo123: command not found"

I can't find something like "echo123" in the "packet-installation-tool" (Synaptic).

By the way: How do I install skype? Maybe I've done somthing wrong during installation.
I've used the file "skype_ver-0_92_0_2-staticQT.tar.bz2" from www.skype.com.

When installing skype you need to extract all files.

All *.qm files go into /usr/share/skype/lang/

All *.wav files go into /usr/share/skype/

The *.desktop files should go into /usr/share/applications/

The *.png files should go into somewhere in /usr/share/icons (but you should choose where your system can find them)

The skype bin shall go into /usr/bin/
Don't forget to give skype execution right!

About sound matters, does aplay work? Could you provide more details about you sound setup?

I just heard about skype and installed it on my KNOPPIX Linux box. I have the same problem! I can connect to contacts and they can connect to me. The test user echo123 works. Even the instant messaging works. The problem is my mic, noone can hear me!

EDIT: I enabled fullduplex in the controlcenter and in kmix my mic was off, so I turned it on. The only problem now is that I can hear myself talking over my speakers when I'm talking to someone else!

TIA,
AJG

This can be for two reasons...
Either you are getting echo from the other side... (improbable)
Or your mic is unmuted.

Normally you mic should be muted, volume set more or less high and in capture mode. A common source of trouble is the "capture" channel. Some cards allow muting it, some don't, on some cards it must be set in capture mode IN ADDITION to mic, in others it doesn't need to... but volums shold be set to 0 for this channel to avoid distortions. (maybe setting some value can amplify your input if it's too low)

If this doesn't help, could you show your mixer settings (best with alsamixer...)

Don't ask me what I have done. Now I can hear the person I'm calling but I can't talk to my contacts.

The mic is enabled in KMix. And capturing is enabled for the mic.
I can't hear myself if I speak into the mic.

What is the setting for "capture" channel?

How can I find out, what the setting is?
In KMix under "Input" there are one green an one red "LED" which are "on". And the volume of the mic is set to high.

The best is to use alsamixer from console... there you are sure you know about every channel! (Especially if Arts is only using oss emulation layer!)

If I run alsamixer I get the following error message:
"alsamixer: function snd_ctl_open failed for default: No such device".

But I can play .mp3-files or any other sound on my system.

What am I still doing wrong?

This means that you are not running alsa... then you are probably running OSS drivers... As far as I heard, most of them are NOT full duplex, so you will have problems (possibly not solvable...)

If you can, try using alsa, more flexible than kernel-provided oss (freeoss) If oss is built right into your kernel, you might be able to disable it with boot-parameters, but best is to recompile your kernel with modules (standard debian/knoppix kernel should be module-based!), and also compile alsa-drivers.

Yes, I'm running OSS with "Threads".

As mentioned above: If I activate ALSA in the control center, my debian freezes whithout any message.

Because I'm now to linux, I don't know how to recompile the kernel with other drivers.

Don't know what you have installed on your Debian/Linux, but take a look at the files in /lib/modules/<kernel-version>/ and search for snd* files.
Also take a look at the file /etc/modules.conf (2.4.* kernel) or /etc/modprobe.conf (2.6.* kernel), maybe your oss modules are loaded on boot, and only need to be replaced by alsa. (if you edit, don't forget to maintain a backup copy, just for the case you make errors)

In the file /etc/modules.conf I can find the following lines.

"### update-modules: start processing /etc/modutils/alsa-base
above snd-pcm snd-pcm-oss
above snd-mixer snd-mixer-oss
above snd-seq snd-seq-oss

### update-modules: end processing /etc/modutils/alsa-base"

And how do I replace these modules by alsa?
I'll try to install alsa an uninstalling oss using the "paket-verwaltung."
By the way, bonbons, do you have icq?

Try a different Kernel Version I've come accross some Kernels that just don't enable the Mic!!!

In the meantime and with the help from bonbons my skype works now.
But I have a really bad delay.

Until now, bonbons and I didn't have any reason for that.

With the help from bonbons I've installed the ALSA-Drivers.
And when I start skype with "artsdsp -m skype", it works fine exept of the delay.
We think, that this is because of the lunux-version. Im running skype under windows on the same machine and there I have no delay...