Comment 35 for bug 77010

Please see comment 26 on bug 301174, "Use proper sound event instead of system beep".

I don't think the issue here is the fact that users can't or don't readily know how to address the loud system beep that plays, I think the issue is that audio works for the user in other applications, but that the default alert sound selected in gnome-control-panel isn't played, with no reason given to the user, or any indication given to them that something is awry. Blacklisting the pc speaker module or adjusting the volume of the speaker sounds in your mixer are just work arounds, not fixes, and as far as
blacklist.conf: Blacklist pcspkr. It produces an ugly and loud noise,
    getting on everyone's nerves. If still needed at all, this should be done
    by a nice pulseaudio bing. (LP: #77010)
goes, if we can play a nice pulse audio bing, why can't we play the default alert sound selected by the user? To me this sounds like an issue with something underlying in the wm or audio subsystem, considering it appears in both compiz and metacity, in multiple applications (like firefox, gnome-terminal, and even the gtk+ demo application).
I'd love to hear from a developer (you know, then they get to it, not to sound antsy or anything :) ) about what causes the system beep to play instead of the selected alert sound, why the user isn't notified that the system couldn't play the selected alert sound, or even just that this is a fallback behavior from any number of issues that couldn't possibly all be resolved in one bug report. That way the individuals having this issue could give feedback and logs to the developers, and we could squash the or all of the bugs that are causing this to happen in the first place. I guess I just don't see 'make the pc speaker stop making noise' as a resolution for 'when I choose an alert sound in gnome-control-panel, a beep plays instead,' because it sounds like a workaround to me. I'm not complaining! work arounds are good, but in all the bug reports mentioning the system beep playiing instead of the alert sound, not one I've seen has addressed /why/ this is happening or how to get alert sounds to play. I'm also just another human like you, so if I've missed such an explanation or resolution, feel free to point it out to me and ill try to say thank you around the foot in my mouth :)