Modifying package-installed files is not ideal. They are installed, upgraded, and removed by dpkg, and manipulating them behind dpkg’s back is a good way to run into problems. For starters, any time the ubuntu-sound package gets upgraded, your shiny new ogg file will be overwritten. Tools like debsums that attempt to validate the integrity of installed files will start reporting errors, etc.

Instead, try to work with the distribution, not against it. For replacing files locally, you should use use a diversion to move the old file out of the way. This tells dpkg that the file is being moved, and subsequent upgrades and debsums checks will work with the moved file, ensuring that you always have a correct and up-to-date backup of the original sound, should you ever want it:

sudo dpkg-divert –local –rename –divert /usr/share/sounds/ubuntu/stereo/desktop-login.ogg.original –add /usr/share/sounds/ubuntu/stereo/desktop-login.ogg
sudo cp ~/desktop-login.ogg /usr/share/sounds/ubuntu/stero/desktop-login.ogg

To revert back to the original:

sudo rm /usr/share/sounds/ubuntu/stero/desktop-login.ogg
sudo dpkg-divert –local –rename –remove /usr/share/sounds/ubuntu/stereo/desktop-login.ogg

Effectively working with a distribution requires that you learn to work with it, not against it.

Better again. Thanks

@Jim

dpkg-divert? Never heard of.

“We offer you no clear way to do this thing, yet, if you do it by a way you’re familiar with, you’re working against the distribution.”

Or…

“If you’re not expert with Ubuntu, you’re most likely gona break it, if you’re not happy with how it is.”

Good lord… Slowly, but surely, I’m starting to hate Ubuntu even more.

This is not a rant against you, Jim. This is a vent out about Ubuntu. And how it should have a manual that covers the whole OS, but making such a manual would be very… futile? Just because Ubuntu is in constant change.

Ubuntu is on version 11.10, yet some very basic stuff is still behind command line.

I’ve been considering changing my default web-browser, because Firefox went to this insane version-number-run.

So what’s the problem with the version number run with Ubuntu? That’s the problem, that when I upgrade my Ubuntu, I’d be very, very suprised, if there wouldn’t appear ANY setbacks. And then there’s that change of appearance. I’ve got used to how Ubuntu 10.4 works. Now, after upgrading Ubuntu, I wouldn’t just need to fix the problems that come from upgrading, I’d need to learn this new appearance. Or get myself a handful of new problems by/after changing the appearance back.

Why upgrade, if 10.4 works just fine? Well, there’s that back-limit for security updates. Understandable, if the time is long enough. But wait, then there’s that fancy thing called “bug reports”, and how it’s useless when you’re not using newest Ubuntu, because you’re told to upgrade or go f* yourself. And how about apps that have updates only for newer Ubuntu? Well, that’s app-developers’ choice, but the freaking hasty cycle of Ubuntu’s version is force-feeding that on the end-user!

If I do only mail, browsing, and some other little things on Ubuntu, I’ll be just fine. Just fine…

But if I try something other, something maybe new, I’m doomed to fail. If it’s not about too old Ubu, it’s about too new Ubu. Or it’s about how that library is too old/too new/missing. But something is always messed up, if I don’t go with the default, or if the app developer is not doing very good job (regular updates) or isn’t flexible with Ubu versions. Fancy though, sometimes while the app is/could be backwards compatible, library that the app relies on, is not.

By these days, my answer to question “what OS I should get to myself” is something like this:
You got money? If yes, get mac for anything else than for gaming, and Windows for gaming only. If not, then replace mac with linux.

Thanks for all, JIM, was very useful.
I liked this command.

Hugs, and keep it up!!!