Seems that in Linux (well, in my Linux box) no more than ONE application can use the soundcard at the same time.

Example: if I'm running XMMS and I launch a game, the game sound (something the game at all) doesn't work and give error: sound device is busy (or something like this..........)

I tryed some Mandrake releases and Slackware too, but always Linux give me this problem.

So, if for example I want listen my favourite mp3s with my player, and want play with a game and listen the game sound effect, this don't seems possible right now for me with linux.

But with the same hardware is simple (like drink a glass of water) in Windows.
I launch winamp and after I launch my game. No problem

IMPORTANT, I don't want begin a war "Windows is better than Linux".
I really want to put Windows in the trash and use Linux for all my activities with a pc, but for this I must can do the same things I can do with Windows (and better I hope)

I think it's strange there is not a solution to my problem, We are in the 2005 year, so I think it's all about proper configuration.

someone can help me?

Make sure the ARTS demon (artsd) is started (preferably started at boot ).

hi,
u r probably using oss which is selected by default. U se arts instead if u use KDE.

I'm using alsa for most application and oss for someone.

Should I use arts for "all" applications to avoid conflicts, blocks and other problems?

What you need is a sound mixind daemon, like arts or esound. Those one applications are taking direct hardware control of the soundcard and won't share until they are finished. A sound daemon takes control of the card, and lets everyone share it.

can you help me to use correctly these mixing daemons?

for example, if XMMS use arts, and I starts XMMS and after (for example) a game, the game won't starts because the sound card is busy.

So I cannot use both.

How should I configure my system and my applications to avoid this problem?

ok, I got it

now I tell the really simple method for who don't know it

(it's really simple, but like a lot of things in the world, seems the hardest thing if you don't know how do it)

Using KDE, you are using ARTS by default.
So if you want use more applications and want them share the soundcard:
1) configure all applications from their settings, choosing ARTS for sound output
or if your application doesn't have this setting
2) if for example your application command is myapp launch it using this sintax
artsdsp myapp

all applications configured / launched that use ARTS will works sharing the soundcard, so you will listen both its sound output.

The only problem is if your application is not compatible with arts. If these methods don't work probably your application is not compatible with ARTS, you may try esound , another linux sound mixer, search with google

Thanks a lot for your help LQ members, maybe this time I'm helping someone with the same problem I had.