Bug 379295

Summary: System error bell should be wired up to a more pleasant sound by default
Product: [Applications] systemsettings Reporter: Nate Graham <nate>
Component: kcm_accessibilityAssignee: Gunnar Schmidt <gunnar>
Status: RESOLVED DUPLICATE    
Severity: normal CC: nate
Priority: NOR    
Version: unspecified   
Target Milestone: ---   
Platform: openSUSE   
OS: Linux   
Latest Commit: Version Fixed In:
Attachments: Screenshot showing Accessibility: system bell is on, but not changed to a nice sound

Description Nate Graham 2017-04-27 20:24:43 UTC 
Linux distro: openSUSE Tumbleweed
Plasma version: 5.9.4


Summary:
KDE Plasma doesn't use a pleasant sound for the system error bell.


Steps to reproduce
1. Install KDE Plasma on openSUSE, Arch, Manjaro, or probably any other distro
2. Open a GTK program that has single-line text fields (pidgin, lollypop, etc)
3. Click in the text field
4. Hit the backspace key


Expected result:
Silence, or a KDE-provided alert/notification sound


Actual result:
A horrible jarring beep


Regression:
Only happens with KDE Plasma, irrespective of distro
Does not happen with most GNOME-based DEs, irrespective of distro


Explanation:
According to GTK/GNOME developer Matthias Clasen (https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=781727), most GNOME-based DEs automatically wire the system error bell up to a more pleasant sound, like their standard system alert/notification sound.

KDE Plasma does not, by default. There is an option to do so in Accessibility, but by default, it's not used. As a result, programs that generate an error bell will cause the system to produce a horribly jarring sound instead of a much more pleasant notification (e.g. KDE-Sys-App-Message.ogg, or some other KDE-provided sound).

This is reproducible across many Linux distros that ship KDE Plasma.


I've attached a screenshot of the default state of the Accessibility control panel, showing how it has the system error bell active by default, but does not connect it to a more pleasant sound.
Comment 1 Nate Graham 2017-04-27 20:42:23 UTC 
Created attachment 105228 [details]
Screenshot showing Accessibility: system bell is on, but not changed to a nice sound
Comment 2 Nate Graham 2017-06-21 02:47:11 UTC 
FYI this doesn't happen in Kubuntu, so I'm thinking maybe they twiddle with this?

Definitely saw the behavior in openSUSE Tumbleweed and Manjaro.
Comment 3 Nate Graham 2017-07-01 22:06:41 UTC 
Yup, Ubuntu turns this off--appropriately so, IMHO.

$ grep -B 2 pcspkr /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf
# ugly and loud noise, getting on everyone's nerves; this should be done by a
# nice pulseaudio bing (Ubuntu: #77010)
blacklist pcspkr

However, after some testing, the setting I'm talking about here doesn't do what I think it does: it doesn't redirect the system bell systemwide, just for KDE programs. Looks like this is just something that distros have to fix until the GTK folks decide to stop making their UI widgets play the system bell.
Comment 4 Nate Graham 2017-07-01 22:51:22 UTC 
After some more spelunking, it seems like this should be handled by the window manager--as it is in GNOME. Filed a bug for KWin: https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=381887

*** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of bug 381887 ***