Ubuntu users directed to 1.3.4 beta

[wellij81]

Hello,

As a very new Ubuntu 8.04 user, I wanted to download the stable version (1.2.6), as 1.3.4 beta is said to be for advanced users only. So why do the download links for 1.2.6 eventually end up at 1.3.4 beta for Ubuntu users? The Package Manager (Synaptic) also only directs you to 1.3.4 beta. I did find 1.2.6, but after downloading and installing it, an update was flagged and I have 1.3.4 beta! I take it that 1.3.4 beta is what I should have and it is misleading on the initial download page to warn that it is for advanced users only?

Thanks,

Jonathan

[steve]

Audacity 1.3.x is still being developed, but is now relatively stable. The next official "stable" version will be 1.4 which has not yet been released.

The version of Audacity that is installed through Synaptic has been built from the source code by the Ubuntu team and is considered sufficiently stable for general release on Ubuntu. Audacity 1.3 has many extra features and improvements over Audacity 1.2.6.

The 3 most common problems for Ubuntu users are:
(1) Configuring their mixer application (ALSA mixer, or whatever sound system mixer application you have installed) so as to select the correct input (capture) source,
(2) Avoid running other audio applications at the same time as this frequently causes instability.
(3) "Change Tempo" effect is not available.

Other than those issues, Audacity 1.3.4 works great.

The Ubuntu team are working hard to get Audacity working properly with JACK, (also beta software), but they are not quite there yet, hence the stability problems with other audio application.

[wellij81]

Thank you very much for the reply, very informative about the issues.
One other problem, that has been mentioned by others, is that the links to the help file don't work, which is initially disconcerting for a new user!

Thanks again,

Jonathan

[Gale Andrews]

The point about our download page is that we don't supply pre-compiled binaries for Linux, so can only point to package search pages and leave the user to obtain what version they choose. Many Linux users are "savvy" enough to cope fine with 1.3.x, but one point about the Beta series (noted on our Beta dowloads page) is that Help is incomplete, and not built-in.

There is a draft, incomplete manual online:
http://www.audacityteam.org/manual/inde ... =Main_Page

For distributions that have 1.3.5 available (this applies to Windows and Mac too), you can obtain a one page version of the manual, and view it in the 1.3.5 help browser. Or there is a fully functional but much more out-of-date help file which will also display in Audacity 1.3.5: this file includes most of the features that 1.3.2 had when it was current. Instructions on obtaining/installing these files are at:
http://www.audacityteam.org/manual/inde ... ual_Export

Of course if you are stuck with 1.3.4, both the one page manual and the 1.3.2 help file can be viewed offline in a standard web browser.

Gale