Idea #2148: Volume control (for muting sounds) in GDM

439

Written by mateusza the 1 Mar 08 at 12:36. Category: System.
Related to: Nothing/Others. Status: New

Description

Having login sound is nice, but sometimes we boot our laptop during the lecture or a meeting and we want it to be absolutely quiet.

There should be a volume control or just a "mute" button in GDM Login window.

Tags: authentication gdm login volume

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Duplicates

Idea #2685: Sound mute/reduction during start-up (123 votes)

Idea #10280: Allow adjusting volume and brightness from login screen (113 votes)

Idea #4739: Include a mute button on the Log-in screeen (81 votes)

Idea #3928: Ability to turn down volume before the post-login sound. (45 votes)

Idea #4740: Silent Boot mode (26 votes)

[Report a duplicate and merge its votes to this idea]

Comments

Eldmannen wrote on the 1 Mar 08 at 12:46

Then press the volume button on the laptop instead.

cheesehead wrote on the 1 Mar 08 at 14:35

Or buy a laptop with a volume knob.

Or boot it before the lecture.

Or simply use System -> Preferences -> Sound ahead of time.

Don't clutter my GDM login with a billion options I'll never use. I just want to log in.

mateusza wrote on the 1 Mar 08 at 15:35

Eldmannen:

This won't work because it needs to be handled by software. GNOME handles this but not GDM.

cheesehead:

1. Today most laptops have no analog volume control device, only up/down buttons.

2. I wrote "sometimes we boot our laptop during the lecture"

3. I wrote "Having login sound is nice"

Don't give me so stupid advices, just teach yourself to understand what you read.

GDM has an options menu (press F10). I don't think it's a problem to put something extra there.

jrusinek wrote on the 1 Mar 08 at 19:56

It's impossible, since most ALSA uses per-user volume settings, if I remember good.

And other question - do you REALLY need to have clutter possible in GDM?

How do you imagine this in reality? Post some mockup...

Blackdrive wrote on the 10 Mar 08 at 09:20

I think Mateusza wants the same thing I want.
I want to be able to use the volume function keys on my laptop while I'm on the login screen.

mateusza wrote on the 11 Mar 08 at 07:56

I want to have ability to mute the sound somehow, before I log in.

sf_007 wrote on the 16 Mar 08 at 02:01

that would be very useful...

K-Man wrote on the 16 Mar 08 at 03:36

Simple workaround: Just plugin an earphone or headset 8-)
It's 99cents if u don't have one. Actually you can even use just the jack (cut it off) of a broken one.

John Karahalis wrote on the 19 Mar 08 at 04:14

Absolutely. The Dell E1505n has volume controls on the front of machine. They are accessible when the screen lid is closed.

I often listen to music with the notebook's lid closed. My screensaver activates when I close the lid, and so the volume controls no longer work.

amiga_os wrote on the 1 Apr 08 at 13:47

Comments like this one are unnecessary and unhelpful, and don't engage properly with a very good idea. Some good points, maybe, but not put in a constructive way:

> Or buy a laptop with a volume knob.

Not being able to control the sound in GDM login is a minor thing that can be a big irritation. Suggesting a major hardware change to fix a minor bug is an irritating response.

> Or boot it before the lecture.

What if the sound was set high on last shutdown, and you forgot, or didn't know about it until you got into the lecture? Again, minor software issue forces me to change my behaviour with my machine - that's not good software.

> Or simply use System -> Preferences -> Sound ahead of time.

I already try to... but I can't be prepared for every situation we're I'm going to boot my laptop up. Again, am I designed for Ubuntu, or is Ubuntu designed for me?

> Don't clutter my GDM login with a billion options I'll never use. I just want to log in

How is a volume control clutter? There's already a settings tab - stick a volume control in there surely? You won't see it on your login screen.

Here's a suggestion to try and deal with some of the issues people have raised: how about a right click menu on the new gdm face browser (when it's finally standard), that allows you to set key login variables before you login?

That would solve this problem, and deal with some of the problems raised in the comments.

zoubidoo wrote on the 13 May 08 at 20:58

I have this problem too and would like a better solution than some of the unhelpful suggestions above.

Some laptops don't have a volume control dial but the keyboard has volume-related symbols. On the Acer laptop in front of me they are:
FN + F8 mute
FN + cursor up louder
FN + cursor down quieter

Shouldn't these keys bindings be handled in the BIOS?

Is it possible that the kernel is overriding the normal BIOS volume control?

This topic is also discussed here:
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=318864
There they specifically mention the AC'97 integrated soundcard. Perhaps it's an AC'97-specific issue?

Can anyone confirm / refute that?

everweb wrote on the 11 Jul 08 at 17:16

[Menu]System/Administation/Login Window
[Tab]Accessibility
[Section]Sounds
All of these should be turned off by default IMHO

[Menu]System/Preferences/Sound
[Tab]Sounds
These can be on by default

This shows how to turn it off but I think the point here is that it would be nice to be able to temporarily disable sounds for a particalar session from the login window before any sound is issued.

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