On Tue, 28 Jul 2026 21:14:49 +0200 Edmund Lodewijks <[email protected]> wrote: > I found this bug under Debian Release Critical Bugs relevant for testing. > > > Modern Linux audio stacks such as PulseAudio and PipeWire are designed > around per-user audio sessions rather than system-wide sound services. > As a result, running TiMidity++ as a system-wide daemon (whether via > SysV init or a system service) is no longer the recommended approach and > may not work correctly when the audio device is managed by the user's > audio session. > > If required, users can start a TiMidity++ daemon manually with: > > $ timidity -iA > > For a more permanent setup, TiMidity++ can be started automatically at > login using a desktop autostart entry or a systemd --user service. > > This is also the approach taken by other distributions. The OpenSUSE > README states: > > When using pulseaudio the use of timidity as a system wide daemon is > discouraged, > because both pulseaudio and timidity need the same device > exclusively. However > timidity can be started as a daemon for the user to provide the MIDI > ports he/she > needs [...] > > and recommends: > > $ timidity -iAq -Oe -s 44100 > > Similarly, the Arch Linux wiki notes: > > If you are using PulseAudio, that may also cause the service to fail. > You may want to > add the following command as an autostart program in your desktop > environment. > > $ timidity -iA > > Given the move towards per-user audio services, I don't believe > replacing the existing SysV init script with a system-wide systemd unit > would be an improvement. A systemd --user service would be more > appropriate for users who require a persistent TiMidity++ daemon. Such a > service file is, I believe, not commonly provided by Debian. > > I hope this helps!
Yes. That was helpful. I applied the attached two patches to the package in Ubuntu. They should be useful for Debian as well. -- Benjamin Drung Debian & Ubuntu Developer
From 9ed1f33a0bf7cb1bd0d87cdefcb291352c3bc447 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Benjamin Drung <[email protected]> Date: Thu, 24 Sep 2026 18:51:08 +0200 Subject: [PATCH 1/2] Add timidity systemd user service Add a timidity systemd user service but do not enable it by default. Closes: 1039396 LP: #2153928 --- debian/rules | 3 +++ debian/timidity.user.service | 9 +++++++++ 2 files changed, 12 insertions(+) create mode 100644 debian/timidity.user.service diff --git a/debian/rules b/debian/rules index d35b686..308fa17 100755 --- a/debian/rules +++ b/debian/rules @@ -48,3 +48,6 @@ override_dh_fixperms-arch: override_dh_installinit: dh_installinit -ptimidity-daemon --name=timidity + +override_dh_installsystemduser: + dh_installsystemduser --no-enable diff --git a/debian/timidity.user.service b/debian/timidity.user.service new file mode 100644 index 0000000..4d6ceea --- /dev/null +++ b/debian/timidity.user.service @@ -0,0 +1,9 @@ +[Unit] +Description=TiMidity++ Daemon +After=sound.target + +[Service] +ExecStart=/usr/bin/timidity -iA + +[Install] +WantedBy=multi-user.target -- 2.53.0
From 8a354d8c798986b8113548e53d91865a9022b5c9 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Benjamin Drung <[email protected]> Date: Thu, 24 Sep 2026 18:55:04 +0200 Subject: [PATCH 2/2] Drop timidity-daemon package and system service Use the systemd user service instead. --- debian/control | 22 ----- debian/rules | 3 - debian/timidity-daemon.postinst | 68 ---------------- debian/timidity-daemon.timidity.default | 22 ----- debian/timidity-daemon.timidity.init | 104 ------------------------ 5 files changed, 219 deletions(-) delete mode 100644 debian/timidity-daemon.postinst delete mode 100644 debian/timidity-daemon.timidity.default delete mode 100644 debian/timidity-daemon.timidity.init diff --git a/debian/control b/debian/control index b096555..de99294 100644 --- a/debian/control +++ b/debian/control @@ -31,7 +31,6 @@ Vcs-Browser: https://salsa.debian.org/debian/timidity Package: timidity Architecture: any Depends: - lsb-base, ${misc:Depends}, ${shlibs:Depends}, Recommends: @@ -40,8 +39,6 @@ Suggests: fluid-soundfont-gs, freepats, pmidi, - timidity-daemon (>= 2.14.0-1), -Breaks: timidity-daemon (<< 2.14.0-1~), Description: Software sound renderer (MIDI sequencer, MOD player) TiMidity++ is a very high quality software-only MIDI sequencer and MOD player. It uses sound fonts (GUS-compatible or SF2-compatible) to render MIDI files, @@ -88,22 +85,3 @@ Description: Emacs front end to Timidity++ The timidity.el Emacs-Lisp program is a front-end to the TiMidity++ software- only MIDI sequencer and MOD player. You can play MIDI amd MOD files directly from Emacs with this package. - -Package: timidity-daemon -Architecture: all -Depends: - adduser, - lsb-base, - timidity (>= ${source:Version}), - ${misc:Depends}, -Replaces: timidity (<< 2.14.0-1~) -Breaks: timidity (<< 2.14.0-1~) -Description: runs TiMidity++ as a system-wide MIDI sequencer - TiMidity++ is a very high quality software-only MIDI sequencer and MOD - player. - . - This package is not needed for a desktop install and output by default - using the ALSA driver. - . - This package provides TiMidity++ as a system-wide MIDI sequencer. - diff --git a/debian/rules b/debian/rules index 308fa17..8845188 100755 --- a/debian/rules +++ b/debian/rules @@ -46,8 +46,5 @@ override_dh_fixperms-arch: chmod a+x debian/timidity-interfaces-extra/usr/lib/timidity/tk*.tcl dh_fixperms -a -override_dh_installinit: - dh_installinit -ptimidity-daemon --name=timidity - override_dh_installsystemduser: dh_installsystemduser --no-enable diff --git a/debian/timidity-daemon.postinst b/debian/timidity-daemon.postinst deleted file mode 100644 index 48e725c..0000000 --- a/debian/timidity-daemon.postinst +++ /dev/null @@ -1,68 +0,0 @@ -#!/bin/sh -set -e - -case "$1" in -configure) - -[ -f "/etc/default/timidity" ] && . /etc/default/timidity - -# Sane defaults, needed for when the user has messed with /etc/default/timidity: - -[ -z "$SERVER_HOME" ] && SERVER_HOME=/etc/timidity -[ -z "$SERVER_USER" ] && SERVER_USER=timidity -[ -z "$SERVER_NAME" ] && SERVER_NAME="TiMidity++ MIDI sequencer service" -[ -z "$SERVER_GROUP" ] && SERVER_GROUP=timidity - -# Groups that the user will be added to, if undefined, then none. -[ -z "$ADDGROUP" ] && ADDGROUP=audio - -# create user to avoid running server as root -# 1. create group if not existing -if ! getent group | grep -q "^$SERVER_GROUP:" ; then -echo -n "Adding group $SERVER_GROUP.." -addgroup --quiet --system $SERVER_GROUP 2>/dev/null ||true -echo "..done" -fi -# 2. create user if not existing -if ! getent passwd | grep -q "^$SERVER_USER:"; then -echo -n "Adding system user $SERVER_USER.." -adduser --quiet \ - --system \ - --ingroup $SERVER_GROUP \ - --no-create-home \ - --home $SERVER_HOME \ - --disabled-password \ - $SERVER_USER 2>/dev/null || true -echo "..done" -fi -# 3. adjust passwd entry -usermod -c "$SERVER_NAME" \ - -d $SERVER_HOME \ - -g $SERVER_GROUP \ - $SERVER_USER 2> /dev/null || true -# 4. Add the user to the ADDGROUP group -if test -n $ADDGROUP - then - if ! groups $SERVER_USER | cut -d: -f2 | \ - grep -qw $ADDGROUP; then - adduser $SERVER_USER $ADDGROUP - fi -fi -;; -esac - -rm -f /etc/timidity/timidity.daemon - -# make sure we really stop, because packaging system doesn't -# understand what we're trying to do with migration to timidity-daemon -[ -f "/etc/init.d/timidity" ] && if which invoke-rc.d >/dev/null 2>&1; then - update-rc.d timidity defaults >/dev/null - invoke-rc.d timidity stop -else - /etc/init.d/timidity stop -fi - -#DEBHELPER# - -exit 0 - diff --git a/debian/timidity-daemon.timidity.default b/debian/timidity-daemon.timidity.default deleted file mode 100644 index 0db83c5..0000000 --- a/debian/timidity-daemon.timidity.default +++ /dev/null @@ -1,22 +0,0 @@ -# Defaults for TiMidity++ scripts -# sourced by /etc/init.d/timidity -# installed at /etc/default/timidity by the maintainer scripts -# $Id: timidity.default,v 1.3 2004/08/07 14:33:26 hmh Exp $ - -# -# This is a POSIX shell fragment -# - -SERVER_HOME=/etc/timidity -SERVER_USER=timidity -SERVER_NAME="TiMidity++ MIDI sequencer service" -SERVER_GROUP=timidity -ADDGROUP=audio - -# Enable MIDI sequencer (ALSA), if timidity-deamon is installed - -# uncomment to override enabling triggered by availability of timidity-deamon -# TIM_ALSASEQ=false - -# Setting overrides (of /etc/timidity.conf) for the ALSA sequencer daemon -TIM_ALSASEQPARAMS="-Os" diff --git a/debian/timidity-daemon.timidity.init b/debian/timidity-daemon.timidity.init deleted file mode 100644 index 2acbc45..0000000 --- a/debian/timidity-daemon.timidity.init +++ /dev/null @@ -1,104 +0,0 @@ -#!/bin/sh -# -# TiMidity /etc/init.d/ initscript for TiMidity++ -# $Id: timidity.init,v 1.6 2004/09/30 01:04:04 hmh Exp $ -# -# Copyright (c) 2004 by Henrique M. Holschuh <[email protected]> -# Copyright (c) 2007-2009 Joost Yervante Damad <[email protected]> -# -# Distributed under the GPL version 2 -# - -### BEGIN INIT INFO -# Provides: timidity -# Required-Start: $remote_fs -# Required-Stop: $remote_fs -# Default-Start: 2 3 4 5 -# Default-Stop: 0 1 6 -# Short-Description: start and stop timidity -# Description: TiMidity++ is a very high quality software-only MIDI sequencer -# and MOD player. -### END INIT INFO - -. /lib/lsb/init-functions - -NAME="timidity" -PATH=/sbin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin -DAEMON=/usr/bin/${NAME} -DESC="TiMidity++ ALSA midi emulation" -PIDFILE=/var/run/timidity/${NAME}.pid - -set -e - -test -x ${DAEMON} || exit 0 - -TIM_ALSASEQ=true -TIM_ALSASEQPARAMS="-B2,8" -[ -r /etc/default/timidity ] && . /etc/default/timidity -if [ "${TIM_ALSASEQ}" != "true" ]; then - log_daemon_msg "Starting" "${NAME}" - log_daemon_msg " (to get timidity as an ALSA Sequencer enable this by editing the file /etc/default/timidity)" - log_end_msg 0 - exit 0 -fi - -[ -z "$SERVER_USER" ] && SERVER_USER=timidity -[ -z "$SERVER_GROUP" ] && SERVER_GROUP=timidity - -if ! getent passwd | grep -q "^${SERVER_USER}:"; then -log_daemon_msg "Server user does not exist. Aborting" -log_end_msg 0 -exit 1 -fi -if ! getent group | grep -q "^${SERVER_GROUP}:" ; then -log_daemon_msg "Server group does not exist. Aborting" -log_end_msg = -exit 1 -fi - -PARAMS="${TIM_ALSASEQPARAMS} -iAD" - - -START="--start --chuid ${SERVER_USER} --quiet --exec ${DAEMON} --pidfile ${PIDFILE} -- ${PARAMS}" - -case "$1" in - start) - #log_daemon_msg "Starting" "${NAME}" - [ -d /proc/asound ] && [ -d /dev/snd/ ] || { - log_end_msg 1 || echo -n - log_warning_msg "ALSA is not active, cannot start $DESC" - exit 0 - } - log_daemon_msg "Starting $DESC" "$NAME" - mkdir -p /var/run/timidity - chown timidity /var/run/timidity - if start-stop-daemon ${START} < /dev/null >/dev/null 2>&1; then - log_end_msg 0 - else - log_end_msg 1 - exit 1 - fi - ;; - stop) - log_daemon_msg "Stopping $DESC" "$NAME" - if start-stop-daemon --quiet --stop --oknodo --pidfile ${PIDFILE} \ - --name ${NAME} --retry 10 ; then - log_end_msg 0 - else - log_end_msg 1 - exit 1 - fi - ;; - restart|force-reload) - $0 stop - exec $0 start - ;; - status) - status_of_proc $DAEMON $NAME - ;; - *) - echo "Usage: $0 {start|stop|restart|force-reload|status}" >&2 - exit 1 -esac - -exit 0 -- 2.53.0
