fsca16xx project timeline

Finally, I am about to finish my BSc in CS.

This gave me the opportunity to make a list of the changes I would like to make to the fsca16xx project.

The changes can be viewed at the project's wiki: http://code.google.com/p/fscamiloa16xx/wiki/ProjectTimeline

acerhk compile fixed!

Finally I have solved the compile issues of acerhk.

Solution - Makefile changes:
1) turn 'CFLAGS=' to 'EXTRA_CFLAGS='
2) add 'V ?= 0'
3) add the following to the acerhk.ko compile line:
M=$(CURDIR) V=$(V)

That means that for the latest version of fsca16xx.sh, when pressing the wireless button, the Activate/De-Activate notifications work again (been broken for a little less then a year).

I also published it on launchpad: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/53953/comments/25

acer_acpi fork state

The acer_acpi fork I made which has the framework for key pulling through ACPI, have worked on Gutsy but stopped working in Hardy. I am in the midst of my investigation.

Hopefully I will find out why soon.

Hardy & ATI

I finally achieved 3D with the open-source radeon driver on my Amilo (which have the Xpress 200M). I've been using it for the last two weeks with full compiz and by now only came upon several minor issues:
1) After resume from hibernation, the window shadows become garbled with green and red lines.
2) When starting Firefox, it will start full screened. Pressing F11 twice while in the address bar return Firefox to it's normal size.
3) Flash is slow. Solved by installing the Flash 10 beta, still consumes a lot of cpu, but works better.

I've used Ubuntu Hardy with the following repositories:
1) 'deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/tormodvolden/ubuntu hardy main' - supplied the git ATI driver.
2) 'deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/xorg-edgers/ubuntu hardy main' - supplied the git libdrm2. don't use the mesa from there as it does not works with compiz (white screen).
3) 'deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/stikonas/ubuntu hardy main' - supplied the git mesa.

Beside the packages I added to the device section in xorg.conf:

Option "EnablePageFlip" "1"
Option "ColorTiling" "1"
Option "AccelMethod" "EXA"
Option "DynamicClocks" "on"
Option "EXANoOffscreenPixmaps" "true"


Hardy Beta is now supported - fsca16xx

Last night I've pushed Ubuntu Hardy beta support to the installation script.

For those of you that use hibernation -

Currently, the wireless will not resume correctly, so after resuming, you should run the following lines to make it work:

sudo rmmod ath_pci ath_rate_sample ath_hal
sudo modprobe ath_pci


In the following weeks I'll make the script do that automagically on resume.

some updates for the fujitsu script

I've just made some updates to the fujitsu auto installation script. Its not "the" update I wanted to do, just some fixes.

Changes:

* use of newest atheros instead of ndiswrapper (should support AR5007).


I did not had time to get into the "add the missing bits to acerhk so that it will properly read the wireless led state".

On the tip of a plastic spring

First, let me say BAHHHH!!!!

Now, my Amilo's touchpad left button has stopped working - it even sounds physically broken... Anyway, the technicians at store of which I bought this laptop from said:"This was caused by improper use so warranty is the null and void".

Unhappy, I've decided to take it to my own hands. In order to check it out I had to almost strip the laptop entirely. I mean, the only 2 thing that were left complete were the motherboard to the bottom panel and the screen which was just seperated as is from the rest of the machine.

I was amazed to find out that I had 3 broken plastic springs which are suppose to place both of the buttons in place: 2 broken on the left button an 1 on the right button. More then that, I found out that a plastic spring was completely missing as if it was never there. Some further investigation showed me that it was truly never there and the lack of it was the reason that it broke in the first place! It was designed to take the pressure but in order to lower the manufacturing costs this stabilizer spring has just been left out + reassuring the purchase of a newer model when the old has supposedly become cripple.

BAHHHHH!!!!! When I'll have some free time (probably in 4 months from now), I'll install some real springs below the buttons - that should be suffice to make it last for at least 2 more years.