I spent a lot of time of Fedora before going to Ubuntu in frustration - bad bugs on install.

It depends on which version of Ubuntu you use - the LST - Long Term Support version have 5 years of support - longer than any other distro. these usually have the .04 label - which means that they are released in April of each year.

I don't know HOW you installed the OS. If you did not select 'optional install', you probably won't have installed any manuals, especially for non-core apps such as this.

KDE is sometimes only desktop GUI that some apps are built for, but, funnily enough, you can run KDE apps on Gnome. I do it all the time.

To install an app, it is best to do this thru the 'install-package-handler', which ever one you use - I have a couple on this box, as I used to have hassles with Fedora breaking one of the handlers, and so I found it useful to have options. :-)

So (as the app install page says)

http://www.simon-listens.org/wiki/index.php/Installation

1)
For Ubuntu please use the provided ppa repository maintained by the simon listens team.

To add the repository to your system execute the following commands in a command line:

   1. sudo add-apt-repository ppa:grasch-simon-listens/simon
   2. sudo apt-get update

You can find more information about this process in the ubuntu documentation.

You can then install simon with your package manager. simon will be updated automatically when new versions are released through the systems update process.

2)
Manual

    * Download the current installation file from our Sourceforge page. Select the file matching your architecture (i386/amd64) and your system (.deb/.rpm/.sh).

    * Install simon using the just loaded installation file. If installation does not automatically start, you can use the following commands in a terminal:

cd

Debian based Systems: (min. Ubuntu Intrepid Ibex (8.10))
sudo dpkg -i simon--<...>.deb

RPM based Systems:
sudo rpm -i simon--<...>.rpm

Generic Systems:
./simon--<...>.sh
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ok, so I've been playing with UNIX for a while and those instructions actually make sense... ask if you don't understand... so the next bit is even harder, you need to actually 'make' (compile and link) the source code...

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3)
HTK installation

If you want to train your acoustic model you also need the HTK. If you only want to use a static base model you can safely skip this step.

simon uses a software called Hidden Markov Model Toolkit (HTK) to generate the speechmodel. This software is free of charge, but its licence prohibits its distribution with simon.

For Linux users HTK is only shipped as source code which means that you will have to compile HTK for yourself. Fourtunately, this is quite easy.

Before we can install HTK, we have to install its dependencies. Please install the following packages:

    * ALSA Development files
    * X11 Development files
    * Buildsystem with Compiler and Linker (mostly called "build-essential" or similar)

Debian based Systems:
sudo apt-get install build-essential libx11-dev libasound2-dev

    * Now please register at the HTK homepage (it's free). Shortly after you entered your account details you should receive an e-mail containing your personal HTK-password.

    * Download the most recent HTK sourcecode (HTK-.tar.gz). You will be asked your username and HTK-password.

    * To extract, configure, build and install the downloaded Tarball, execute the following commands in a terminal:

cd

tar xvf HTK-.tar.gz
cd htk/

64bit-Systems only!
Remove all appearances of -m32 in configure.ac and run autoconf!

./configure
make
sudo make install
~~~~~~~~

OK - clear as mud - but I understand...

Also, in order to compile and 'make' packages, you need to the the 'compile package' installed (the 3rd step above), and that is not always installed by default.

You haven't understood a word, have you guys... OK go back to Windows... :-)

Ask away...

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"two sources of sound at the same time"

If you thought the previous one one complicated, you ain't seen nothing yet!

I do not understand - in a way that I can explain in a non-hands on way in writing to someone who admits to knowing nothing about Linux the hang ups with Linux sound.

But, there are many optional ways of doing things. Unfortunately Flash is a propriety mess (nothing to do with Linux, who have to back engineer the arcane workings of Flash in a way that does not breach copyright - unlike MS, who bought a multi-million dollar licence) and the inner secret workings can bring the whole Linux system down.

"except for the ones which, when I try the solution, it doesn't work for me."

If you read a 'solution' for a version of Ubuntu (or worse, another distro!) that is different from yours, it will not work!

QUOTE
once you install it, you have to go online to update all the drivers
UNQUOTE

Windows may kludge along without updates, but Linux cannot! It's a 'feature' not a bug ...... :-)
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"Google to the rescue!"

No, no, no... Google will f*ck you up if you try to misuse it this way... it is not a 'knowledge base' but a blind search engine looking for terms (just words) without wisdom of the concepts involved.
~~~~~~
QUOTE
You ask a question. Some bright and helpful person gives the only answer they have. You try it and it doesn't work. Some second person gives their sole answer. You try it and it doesn't work. The thread then goes silent for eternity. These communities are littered with threads whose last post is from 2006 and consists of some variation on, "That didn't work. Help?"
UNQUOTE

Answers from 2006 will NOT WORK in 2011 - they are for obsolete versions, which have those inherent bugs fixed, so the suggested workaround CAN NOT WORK. Don't waste your time. Google IS NOT YOUR FRIEND HERE, as you probably stumbled over these threads via Google.

I repeat, diagnosing Linux sound hassles is beyond me, as they keep changing the game, and I am not up with it. I have my system working satisfactorily for what I use - even got 'mouse over midi' working... :-) but I don't know what is your bug/block.