In Firefox release 52, Mozilla disabled ALSA support by default and made Firefox default to Pulseaudio. If I understand Gentoo packaging correctly, this should probably be fixed in the mozconfig eclass. eg.: mozconfig_annotate 'Mozilla disabled ALSA by default in Firefox 52' --enable-alsa There is already a pulseaudio USE flag that works by: mozconfig_use_enable pulseaudio
Note that to my knowledge Firefox alsa cubeb backend is effectively unmaintained upstream and does not have features like full duplex (important for WebRTC), 5.1 sound and whatever else got or gets added to all the other backends, but not ALSA as it's not really cared for. It doesn't mean a pure alsa-lib backend couldn't do them, but just no-one has, and existing upstream manpower doesn't seem to plan to.
Just for the record: Even latest [~] media-sound/apulse-0.1.9:0 did _not_ succeed as a workaround for me. https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1247056 https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1345661 In https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/52.0/releasenotes/ , this major breakage was not even mentionend! NOTABENE: Even current Firefox ESR is pointing to "firefox-52.0.1esr.tar.bz2". Compile with "--disable-pulseaudio --enable-alsa" will not be supported by Mozilla from -52 onwards: " ... The discussion happened on the public forum here https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/mozilla.dev.platform/jRAqSTri66I ... Making trade offs is a necessary part of making a good product. ... (In reply to Miguel Hernandez from comment #100) > We're obviously requesting a very simple thing: release a 52.0.1 build with > ALSA support restored, and never again take it away. Please. That isn't going to happen. Sorry. <----- ! ... " [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1345661#c122]
(In reply to Manfred Knick from comment #2) > Just for the record: > Even latest [~] media-sound/apulse-0.1.9:0 > did _not_ succeed as a workaround for me. This is interesting. apulse-0.1.9 was released specifically for the sake of firefox. What exactly did not succeed for you? For firefox compilation you need PA headers, they can be extracted from apulse src tarball. At runtime you must run: apulse firefox just installing firefox is not enough. This way it works for me.
(In reply to Andrew Savchenko from comment #3) > just installing firefox is not enough. s/firefox/apulse/
Followed https://github.com/i-rinat/apulse. Will have another try and report.
# cd /etc/portage/package.accept_keywords # grep firefox system_apps =media-sound/apulse-0.1.9:0 ~amd64 # for firefox >= 52 www-client/firefox:0 # >=52 : pulseaudio <-- apulse # grep firefox ../package.use media-plugins/alsa-plugins pulseaudio # req. by firefox >= 52 # emerge -pv www-client/firefox [ebuild R ~] www-client/firefox-52.0.1::gentoo USE="gmp-autoupdate jemalloc -bindist -custom-cflags -custom-optimization -dbus -debug -gtk2 -hardened -hwaccel -jack (-neon) -nsplugin -pgo -pulseaudio (-rust) (-selinux) -startup-notification (-system-cairo) -system-harfbuzz -system-icu -system-jpeg -system-libevent -system-libvpx -system-sqlite {-test} -wifi" L10N="de -ach -af -an -ar -as -ast -az -bg -bn-BD -bn-IN -br -bs -ca -cak -cs -cy -da -dsb -el -en-GB -en-ZA -eo -es-AR -es-CL -es-ES -es-MX -et -eu -fa -ff -fi -fr -fy -ga -gd -gl -gn -gu -he -hi -hr -hsb -hu -hy -id -is -it -ja -ka -kab -kk -km -kn -ko -lij -lt -lv -mai -mk -ml -mr -ms -nb -nl -nn -or -pa -pl -pt-BR -pt-PT -rm -ro -ru -si -sk -sl -son -sq -sr -sv -ta -te -th -tr -uk -uz -vi -xh -zh-CN -zh-TW" 0 KiB # emerge -pv apulse [ebuild R ~] media-sound/apulse-0.1.9::gentoo ABI_X86="(64) -32 (-x32)" 0 KiB _RESULT_ of "apulse firefox" is very strange: A) able to sound a news live stream like http://www.tagesschau.de/multimedia/livestreams/livestream3/index.html B) _not_ able to sound entries in Mediathek like http://www.tagesschau.de/multimedia/sendung/ts-18877.html C) _not_ able to sound entries in YouTube like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMpwRzX4JpI
# equery list media-*/alsa* [IP-] [ ] media-libs/alsa-lib-1.1.3:0 [IP-] [ ] media-sound/alsa-utils-1.1.3:0.9
Created attachment 467790 [details] emerge --info firefox > /emerge-info-firefox.txt
Created attachment 467792 [details] emerge --info apulse > /emerge-info-apulse.txt
For comparison: # emerge -pv =www-client/firefox-45.8.0:0 [ebuild UD ] www-client/firefox-45.8.0::gentoo [52.0.1::gentoo] USE="gmp-autoupdate gstreamer%* jemalloc3%* jit%* -bindist -custom-cflags -custom-optimization -dbus -debug -ffmpeg% -hardened -hwaccel (-neon) (-pgo) -pulseaudio (-selinux) -startup-notification (-system-cairo) -system-harfbuzz -system-icu -system-jpeg -system-libevent -system-libvpx -system-sqlite {-test} -wifi (-gtk2%) (-jack%) (-jemalloc%*) (-nsplugin%) (-rust%)" L10N="de -ach -af -an -ar -as -ast -az -be% -bg -bn-BD -bn-IN -br -bs -ca -cs -cy -da -el -en-GB -en-ZA -eo -es-AR -es-CL -es-ES -es-MX -et -eu -fa -fi -fr -fy -ga -gd -gl -gu -he -hi -hr -hsb -hu -hy -id -is -it -ja -kk -km -kn -ko -lt -lv -mai -mk -ml -mr -ms -nb -nl -nn -or -pa -pl -pt-BR -pt-PT -rm -ro -ru -si -sk -sl -son -sq -sr -sv -ta -te -th -tr -uk -uz -vi -xh -zh-CN -zh-TW (-cak%) (-dsb%) (-ff%) (-gn%) (-ka%) (-kab%) (-lij%)" 181.345 KiB
(In reply to Manfred Knick from comment #6) > _RESULT_ of "apulse firefox" is very strange: > > A) able to sound a news live stream like > http://www.tagesschau.de/multimedia/livestreams/livestream3/index.html > > B) _not_ able to sound entries in Mediathek like > http://www.tagesschau.de/multimedia/sendung/ts-18877.html > > C) _not_ able to sound entries in YouTube like > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMpwRzX4JpI Apulse is not perfect, better contact upstream with these problems.
The pulseaudio / apulse method is going to need to be the way to go in future versions, as with the alsa code branch being no longer maintained it will break eventually. It does look, however, like we will be able to maintain it through the 52.x series, and so I've enabled the alsa code branch at compile time if USE=pulseaudio is disabled. Please test. commit 85a94da47e6ee84ff343d728a854d17b7d0bc0f3 Author: Ian Stakenvicius <axs@gentoo.org> Date: Tue Mar 21 08:48:48 2017 -0400 www-client/firefox-52: revbump to enable alsa support when USE=-pulseaudio This change occured in the eclass rather than in the ebuild, but the end-result is changes-on-disk in firefox and so the ebuild was revbumped. Package-Manager: portage-2.3.3
I suggest using media-video/mpv for playing music/video sites. It has covered all the sound uses of a browser for me.
CONFIRMATION: # emerge -pv firefox [ebuild R ~] www-client/firefox-52.0.1-r1::gentoo USE="gmp-autoupdate jemalloc -bindist -custom-cflags -custom-optimization -dbus -debug -gtk2 -hardened -hwaccel -jack (-neon) -nsplugin -pgo -pulseaudio (-rust) (-selinux) -startup-notification (-system-cairo) -system-harfbuzz -system-icu -system-jpeg -system-libevent -system-libvpx -system-sqlite {-test} -wifi" L10N="de -ach -af -an -ar -as -ast -az -bg -bn-BD -bn-IN -br -bs -ca -cak -cs -cy -da -dsb -el -en-GB -en-ZA -eo -es-AR -es-CL -es-ES -es-MX -et -eu -fa -ff -fi -fr -fy -ga -gd -gl -gn -gu -he -hi -hr -hsb -hu -hy -id -is -it -ja -ka -kab -kk -km -kn -ko -lij -lt -lv -mai -mk -ml -mr -ms -nb -nl -nn -or -pa -pl -pt-BR -pt-PT -rm -ro -ru -si -sk -sl -son -sq -sr -sv -ta -te -th -tr -uk -uz -vi -xh -zh-CN -zh-TW" 0 KiB - works (without apulse in front of it) - in all cases mentioned above (and more) # grep -i alsa ./system_apps =media-libs/alsa-lib-1.1.3:0 ~amd64 =media-sound/alsa-utils-1.1.3:0.9 ~amd64 Thanks a lot!
This revision bump works for the websites I visit (among youtube HTML5 videos). Thank you for this version ;)
thank you for the feedback!
*** Bug 613692 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
(In reply to Manfred Knick from comment #14) > CONFIRMATION: > > # emerge -pv firefox > > [ebuild R ~] www-client/firefox-52.0.1-r1::gentoo USE="gmp-autoupdate > jemalloc -bindist -custom-cflags -custom-optimization -dbus -debug -gtk2 > -hardened -hwaccel -jack (-neon) -nsplugin -pgo -pulseaudio (-rust) > (-selinux) -startup-notification (-system-cairo) -system-harfbuzz > -system-icu -system-jpeg -system-libevent -system-libvpx -system-sqlite > {-test} -wifi" L10N="de -ach -af -an -ar -as -ast -az -bg -bn-BD -bn-IN -br > -bs -ca -cak -cs -cy -da -dsb -el -en-GB -en-ZA -eo -es-AR -es-CL -es-ES > -es-MX -et -eu -fa -ff -fi -fr -fy -ga -gd -gl -gn -gu -he -hi -hr -hsb -hu > -hy -id -is -it -ja -ka -kab -kk -km -kn -ko -lij -lt -lv -mai -mk -ml -mr > -ms -nb -nl -nn -or -pa -pl -pt-BR -pt-PT -rm -ro -ru -si -sk -sl -son -sq > -sr -sv -ta -te -th -tr -uk -uz -vi -xh -zh-CN -zh-TW" 0 KiB > > - works (without apulse in front of it) > > - in all cases mentioned above (and more) > > # grep -i alsa ./system_apps > > =media-libs/alsa-lib-1.1.3:0 ~amd64 > =media-sound/alsa-utils-1.1.3:0.9 ~amd64 > > Thanks a lot! Did not work for me. USE="custom-optimization dbus hardened jemalloc nsplugin pgo system-icu system-jpeg system-libvpx system-sqlite -bindist -custom-cflags -debug -gmp-autoupdate -gtk2 -hwaccel -jack (-neon) -pulseaudio (-rust) (-selinux) -startup-notification (-system-cairo) -system-harfbuzz -system-libevent {-test} -wifi" L10N="en-GB ja ru zh-CN zh-TW -ach -af -an -ar -as -ast -az -bg -bn-BD -bn-IN -br -bs -ca -cak -cs -cy -da -de -dsb -el -en-ZA -eo -es-AR -es-CL -es-ES -es-MX -et -eu -fa -ff -fi -fr -fy -ga -gd -gl -gn -gu -he -hi -hr -hsb -hu -hy -id -is -it -ka -kab -kk -km -kn -ko -lij -lt -lv -mai -mk -ml -mr -ms -nb -nl -nn -or -pa -pl -pt-BR -pt-PT -rm -ro -si -sk -sl -son -sq -sr -sv -ta -te -th -tr -uk -uz -vi -xh" I had to make an ebuild with alsa USE flag to make sound work. See bug #613692. =media-libs/alsa-lib-1.1.2, =media-sound/alsa-utils-1.1.2:0.9. AMD64.
The Status says: RESOLVED FIXED I am not sure I understand the intricacies of the discussion above. Does it mean that sound is supposed to work in Firefox without Pulseaudio? Does the fix extend to www-client/firefox-bin? I have: www-client/firefox-bin Installed versions: 52.1.0-r2^ms(12:03:24 20/05/17)(ffmpeg startup-notification -pulseaudio -selinux but not sound.
Apparently, no, the fix does not extend to www-client/firefox-bin. We have to make a full compile of www-client/firefox. Having done so, sound works in firefox but not in firefox-bin. I'll continue documenting what I know on this topic in the following wiki pages: http://linux.overshoot.tv/wiki/firefox_alsa_and_pulseaudio http://linux.overshoot.tv/www-client/firefox
(In reply to augustin from comment #20) > Apparently, no, the fix does not extend to www-client/firefox-bin. > We have to make a full compile of www-client/firefox. Having done so, sound > works in firefox but not in firefox-bin. > > I'll continue documenting what I know on this topic in the following wiki > pages: > http://linux.overshoot.tv/wiki/firefox_alsa_and_pulseaudio > http://linux.overshoot.tv/www-client/firefox Correct, nothing can be done about firefox-bin, because there is no alsa support enabled in upstream's build system. For firefox-bin you need either pulseaudio or apulse for sound. Note that pulseaudio needs to be configured for use as the audio backend, it can't simply be installed.
*** Bug 621690 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
