Headphones or external speakers not working in Ubuntu

I ran into a nagging issue yesterday when I was trying to use my external speakers with my Ubuntu 8.10 Operating System. The audio for any application just wouldn't play from the external speakers as it would only use the internal laptop speakers to do that. This morning, I tried using my headphones and I faced the same issue. The audio doesn't work for the headphones, it only rendered the audio from the laptop speakers. So I researched a little on the Ubuntu forums and found the solution. So here it is and I hope it helps out anyone else facing a similar problem.

1. Open up the Terminal in Ubuntu under Applications>Accessories>Terminal.

2. Type in the command gnome-volume-control.

3. Click on the Switches tab and check the headphones option.

4. In case you don't see the Headphones option, just click on the preferences button and look for the headphones checkbox, check it and now it should appear in the switches tab.

Now your external speakers or headphones connected with the headphone Jack should start working. =)

Pirate Bay Convicted

In an unexpected turn of events, Pirate Bay were found guilty by a Swedish court today. I was really hoping that they would win, but things had to go in another direction I guess.

The four men connected with The Pirate Bay were found guilty of being accessories to copyright infringement by a Swedish court on Friday, delivering a symbolic victory in the entertainment industry’s efforts to put a stop to the sharing of copyrighted material on the internet.

Source: thelocal