Comments on: Acer Aspire 5613ZNWLMI. Optimizing it for linux. http://www.ivangarcia.org/blog/?p=13 Analysis of how the open source community is growing in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, etc Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:12:54 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: David http://www.ivangarcia.org/blog/?p=13#comment-54 David Tue, 24 Jul 2007 18:47:00 +0000 http://ivangarcia.org/blog/?p=13#comment-54 Can you use the 3D effects and, inside the 3D-accelerated environment, reproduce a video? In my case, the player fails because the card (similar to yours) gets out of video RAM: http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=425882 (if you give a reply, maybe you can Cc to my email because I may forget to check this website). By the way, how did you manage to buy an Acer laptop without windows? Thank you. Can you use the 3D effects and, inside the 3D-accelerated environment, reproduce a video? In my case, the player fails because the card (similar to yours) gets out of video RAM:

http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=425882

(if you give a reply, maybe you can Cc to my email because I may forget to check this website).

By the way, how did you manage to buy an Acer laptop without windows?

Thank you.

]]> By: IceWeasel http://www.ivangarcia.org/blog/?p=13#comment-21 IceWeasel Wed, 11 Jul 2007 07:09:56 +0000 http://ivangarcia.org/blog/?p=13#comment-21 Aye, i was hoping to avoid installing Windows - but Linux-fan or not - Windows just has the better hardware recognition/driver model - the one thing i will never understand about Linux. The average end-user doesn't care about Open-Source or Closed-Source, he/she just wants to use the hardware he/she bought. Why there is still no interface in the kernel, that "officially allows" closed-source drivers just puzzles me... Anyway... I didn't try out the card-reader yet, but i certainly will do so in the near future. If i succeed i will let you know. All Multimedia Keys (incl. Mail-LED) work just fine with a little work, the only thing left to do is getting a bit more into "Xmodmap" and "setkeycodes" as i don't really understand the concept fully. The "eXXX"-codes are always the same, but my setkeycodes-mappings seem to have a life of their own with Fn-F3 ;-) The way i did it was compiling and installing the module "acerhk" (32-bit only!) with the "force_series" switch. Just pick a series that enables the "Dritek EC controller" (e.g. 2020 i think). Then install "hotkeys" (i also tried keytouch, but keytouch wasn't able to control the volume properly) and choose maximum logging. From there on, you will receive key/scancodes and there you go... The only thing left with "hotkeys" is Brightness, which are hardware switches and work, but ACPI apparently doesn't detect it and can't control it (kpowersave for instance reports no hardware support). But i can live with manually adjusting Brightness. The module "acerhk" also provides an interface to brightness, but i can't figure out how to tell kpowersave that there is a /proc interface to use (if this is supported anyway). The other thing with "acerhk" is that this module lets me toggle the mail-LED via a /proc-interface. Aye, i was hoping to avoid installing Windows - but Linux-fan or not - Windows just has the better hardware recognition/driver model - the one thing i will never understand about Linux. The average end-user doesn’t care about Open-Source or Closed-Source, he/she just wants to use the hardware he/she bought. Why there is still no interface in the kernel, that “officially allows” closed-source drivers just puzzles me…

Anyway…

I didn’t try out the card-reader yet, but i certainly will do so in the near future. If i succeed i will let you know.

All Multimedia Keys (incl. Mail-LED) work just fine with a little work, the only thing left to do is getting a bit more into “Xmodmap” and “setkeycodes” as i don’t really understand the concept fully.
The “eXXX”-codes are always the same, but my setkeycodes-mappings seem to have a life of their own with Fn-F3 ;-)

The way i did it was compiling and installing the module “acerhk” (32-bit only!) with the “force_series” switch. Just pick a series that enables the “Dritek EC controller” (e.g. 2020 i think). Then install “hotkeys” (i also tried keytouch, but keytouch wasn’t able to control the volume properly) and choose maximum logging. From there on, you will receive key/scancodes and there you go…
The only thing left with “hotkeys” is Brightness, which are hardware switches and work, but ACPI apparently doesn’t detect it and can’t control it (kpowersave for instance reports no hardware support). But i can live with manually adjusting Brightness.
The module “acerhk” also provides an interface to brightness, but i can’t figure out how to tell kpowersave that there is a /proc interface to use (if this is supported anyway).
The other thing with “acerhk” is that this module lets me toggle the mail-LED via a /proc-interface.

]]> By: admin http://www.ivangarcia.org/blog/?p=13#comment-20 admin Tue, 10 Jul 2007 16:58:42 +0000 http://ivangarcia.org/blog/?p=13#comment-20 I checked this website for ur model and they say it has bluetooth. http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/notebooks/0,39050490,40578820p-0,00.htm I think the "easy" way to try it is to run windows on it and install the bluetooth drivers, do have it?, if you don't want (I understand) then you must try harder. What about the multimedia hotkeys and the Card Readers? Are you aible to make them work?? I checked this website for ur model and they say it has bluetooth.
http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/notebooks/0,39050490,40578820p-0,00.htm

I think the “easy” way to try it is to run windows on it and install the bluetooth drivers, do have it?, if you don’t want (I understand) then you must try harder.

What about the multimedia hotkeys and the Card Readers? Are you aible to make them work??

]]> By: IceWeasel http://www.ivangarcia.org/blog/?p=13#comment-19 IceWeasel Tue, 10 Jul 2007 12:35:53 +0000 http://ivangarcia.org/blog/?p=13#comment-19 I have exactly the same 'dmesg' output, but as far as i understand it this just states what drivers are loaded and not that there is actually hardware initialized or that the hardware is (should be) functional. Regarding the laptop brand: No, not exactly. the "N" is missing in my Laptop, but as it's the same series (5610Z) i hoped that there is the same/similar hardware in it. I have exactly the same ‘dmesg’ output, but as far as i understand it this just states what drivers are loaded and not that there is actually hardware initialized or that the hardware is (should be) functional.
Regarding the laptop brand: No, not exactly. the “N” is missing in my Laptop, but as it’s the same series (5610Z) i hoped that there is the same/similar hardware in it.

]]> By: admin http://www.ivangarcia.org/blog/?p=13#comment-15 admin Sun, 08 Jul 2007 16:52:56 +0000 http://ivangarcia.org/blog/?p=13#comment-15 This is my DMESG output about Bluetooth dmesg |grep Bluetooth [ 38.140000] Bluetooth: Core ver 2.11 [ 38.140000] Bluetooth: HCI device and connection manager initialized [ 38.140000] Bluetooth: HCI socket layer initialized [ 38.180000] Bluetooth: L2CAP ver 2.8 [ 38.180000] Bluetooth: L2CAP socket layer initialized [ 38.268000] Bluetooth: RFCOMM socket layer initialized [ 38.268000] Bluetooth: RFCOMM TTY layer initialized [ 38.268000] Bluetooth: RFCOMM ver 1.8 Are you sure that you have exactly the same version than me of laptop? This is my DMESG output about Bluetooth

dmesg |grep Bluetooth
[ 38.140000] Bluetooth: Core ver 2.11
[ 38.140000] Bluetooth: HCI device and connection manager initialized
[ 38.140000] Bluetooth: HCI socket layer initialized
[ 38.180000] Bluetooth: L2CAP ver 2.8
[ 38.180000] Bluetooth: L2CAP socket layer initialized
[ 38.268000] Bluetooth: RFCOMM socket layer initialized
[ 38.268000] Bluetooth: RFCOMM TTY layer initialized
[ 38.268000] Bluetooth: RFCOMM ver 1.8

Are you sure that you have exactly the same version than me of laptop?

]]> By: IceWeasel http://www.ivangarcia.org/blog/?p=13#comment-14 IceWeasel Sun, 08 Jul 2007 16:07:42 +0000 http://ivangarcia.org/blog/?p=13#comment-14 Well, i have Debian (unstable) installed. I also tried Kubuntu 7.04 LiveCD, and one from the Gentoo project. No success unfortunately. In any case all relevant bluetooth modules and user-space tools are loaded, but the LED isn't even flickering. After 1 month of working on this matter i'm not so sure anymore if this switch is even real and there is bluetooth hardware in it (despite the hardware manual, the vendor's promise and the labelled switch of course) :-) As of now i'm searching the internet for hints on *how* to get relevant hardware information, as "lspci" and similar tools don't really give me the information i really need to know what kind of bt-hardware is in there (brand, manufacturer, etc.), just to be one step further and set a few limits to this matter... Well, i have Debian (unstable) installed. I also tried Kubuntu 7.04 LiveCD, and one from the Gentoo project. No success unfortunately.
In any case all relevant bluetooth modules and user-space tools are loaded, but the LED isn’t even flickering.
After 1 month of working on this matter i’m not so sure anymore if this switch is even real and there is bluetooth hardware in it (despite the hardware manual, the vendor’s promise and the labelled switch of course) :-)
As of now i’m searching the internet for hints on *how* to get relevant hardware information, as “lspci” and similar tools don’t really give me the information i really need to know what kind of bt-hardware is in there (brand, manufacturer, etc.), just to be one step further and set a few limits to this matter…

]]> By: Ivan Garcia http://www.ivangarcia.org/blog/?p=13#comment-11 Ivan Garcia Sat, 07 Jul 2007 15:16:16 +0000 http://ivangarcia.org/blog/?p=13#comment-11 I installed Kubuntu 7.04 and the bluetooth worked out of the box. But your led should be turned on (blue color). Try some Live CD to see if that's the distribution. Which one are u using?? Make sure that when you do "modprobe -l |grep blue" , you have the bluetooth module loaded. /kernel/net/bluetooth/bluetooth.ko Also maybe you need to install 'bluez', or kbluetooth I installed Kubuntu 7.04 and the bluetooth worked out of the box. But your led should be turned on (blue color). Try some Live CD to see if that’s the distribution. Which one are u using??

Make sure that when you do “modprobe -l |grep blue” , you have the bluetooth module loaded.
/kernel/net/bluetooth/bluetooth.ko

Also maybe you need to install ‘bluez’, or kbluetooth

]]> By: IceWeasel http://www.ivangarcia.org/blog/?p=13#comment-10 IceWeasel Sat, 07 Jul 2007 12:23:59 +0000 http://ivangarcia.org/blog/?p=13#comment-10 I own an Acer Acpire 5613ZWLMI, but can't get BlueTooth to work. Did you do anything special, or did it work right out of the box? I have the same dmesg output, but there is no active blue LED and the switch doesn't seem to be a hard-wired one as it is the case with the wireless switch. I own an Acer Acpire 5613ZWLMI, but can’t get BlueTooth to work.
Did you do anything special, or did it work right out of the box?
I have the same dmesg output, but there is no active blue LED and the switch doesn’t seem to be a hard-wired one as it is the case with the wireless switch.

]]> By: admin http://www.ivangarcia.org/blog/?p=13#comment-9 admin Wed, 04 Jul 2007 04:49:52 +0000 http://ivangarcia.org/blog/?p=13#comment-9 Yeah, it's a really big mistake installing non-graphical linux versions because will show definitely to the people what they don't want to see, A TERMINAL. It should be very easy for Acer to create different OEM linux distributions for their laptops all preconfigured to make work all their drivers etc. I will send them an email also. Thanks to this guys the efforts needed for us to convince people that linux is easy to use is becoming harder, people will remember linux like that OS that they had to remove to make their new laptops "work". Yeah, it’s a really big mistake installing non-graphical linux versions because will show definitely to the people what they don’t want to see, A TERMINAL.
It should be very easy for Acer to create different OEM linux distributions for their laptops all preconfigured to make work all their drivers etc.
I will send them an email also. Thanks to this guys the efforts needed for us to convince people that linux is easy to use is becoming harder, people will remember linux like that OS that they had to remove to make their new laptops “work”.

]]> By: David Tremblay http://www.ivangarcia.org/blog/?p=13#comment-8 David Tremblay Wed, 04 Jul 2007 03:37:44 +0000 http://ivangarcia.org/blog/?p=13#comment-8 This Linpus distribution is quite stupid, since ACER is the number 1 in vietnam ($$$) the cheapest laptop always come with Linpus. Linpus will never install with X. I already wrote to ACER about that. Why on earth would they sell an unusable linux distribution. I recommend you write to. Maybe if more people complain they will do something... This Linpus distribution is quite stupid, since ACER is the number 1 in vietnam ($$$) the cheapest laptop always come with Linpus. Linpus will never install with X. I already wrote to ACER about that. Why on earth would they sell an unusable linux distribution. I recommend you write to. Maybe if more people complain they will do something…

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