Asus Eee PC Laptop
Forum: Laptops
Topic: Asus Eee PC Laptop
started by: faroutscience
Posted by faroutscience on Nov. 04 2007,22:18
Asus Eee PC LaptopThe new solid state Asus Laptop looks perfect for DSL. It is $300 for a 4 mb and $400 for an 8 mb model. It is very small and portable.
It comes pre-loaded with Xandros. It would be incredible with DSL.
Has anyone seen one of these in person?
Jeff
Posted by dreamcarrior on Nov. 05 2007,00:04
I am thinking about buying one. Someone tested it and compared its performance with IBM ThinkPad X31(http://yurinfore.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2007-01-01T00%3A00%3A00%2B08%3A00&updated-max=2008-01-01T00%3A00%3A00%2B08%3A00&max-results=50). Although the EeePC is a little bit slower than IBM ThinkPad X31 in terms of memory and hard drive speed. It is really comparable.
Posted by faroutscience on Nov. 05 2007,02:35
Here is a link at Newegg:< http://www.newegg.com/Product....PC#spec >
More advanced versions are planned with greater memory and larger screen.
I wonder how reliable the flash memory hard drive is and how long its life expectancy?
Jeff
Posted by roberts on Nov. 14 2007,14:31
I finally saw one. I plugged in my DSL pendrive into one of its USB2.0 ports. During boot, press Esc. You get a boot menu. The USB-HDD DSL 4.1 pendrive was displayed. It booted into DSL and recognized its built-in wired ethernet. I couldn't do much more. Dang sales people don't like it when you do this sort of thing. At least I can say I saw it boot DSL. Oh, the screen filled full size but its non-standard resolution produced slightly squashed letters.
Posted by clivesay on Nov. 14 2007,16:55
There is a guy in the Sidux community that has one and is running Sidux on USB stick. He says it's great.Chris
Posted by 9a6or on Nov. 17 2007,16:10
The eee boots DSL 4.0 from a USB stick into RAM nicely but the wifi card is not recognised 
. Drivers for Windows are available and so ndiswrapper could be used but the first hurdle is to get the card recognised.Can anyone help please.
Posted by curaga on Nov. 17 2007,16:57
Try lspci
Posted by roberts on Nov. 17 2007,17:25
On DSL look atPossible irq conflict with usb and wireless?
dmesg | grep -i irq
cat /proc/interrupts
lsmod | grep ath
lsmod | grep wlan
Then compare to that on eee
When eee boots up to easymode, press Ctrl-Alt-t
That should open a terminal, then sudo su
Type same commands and compare, maybe a different address is used or irq
Posted by 9a6or on Nov. 18 2007,10:25
lspci in DSL gives:| Code Sample |
| 0000:00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corp.: Unknown device 2590 (rev 04) 0000:00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corp.: Unknown device 2592 (rev 04) 0000:00:02.1 Display controller: Intel Corp.: Unknown device 2792 (rev 04) 0000:00:1b.0 0403: Intel Corp. I/O Controller Hub Audio (rev 04) 0000:00:1c.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corp. I/O Controller Hub PCI Express Port 0 (rev 04) 0000:00:1c.1 PCI bridge: Intel Corp. I/O Controller Hub PCI Express Port 1 (rev 04) 0000:00:1c.2 PCI bridge: Intel Corp. I/O Controller Hub PCI Express Port 2 (rev 04) 0000:00:1d.0 USB Controller: Intel Corp. I/O Controller Hub USB (rev 04) 0000:00:1d.1 USB Controller: Intel Corp. I/O Controller Hub USB (rev 04) 0000:00:1d.2 USB Controller: Intel Corp. I/O Controller Hub USB (rev 04) 0000:00:1d.3 USB Controller: Intel Corp. I/O Controller Hub USB (rev 04) 0000:00:1d.7 USB Controller: Intel Corp. I/O Controller Hub USB2 (rev 04) 0000:00:1e.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corp. 82801BAM/CAM PCI Bridge (rev d4) 0000:00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corp. I/O Controller Hub LPC (rev 04) 0000:00:1f.2 IDE interface: Intel Corp.: Unknown device 2653 (rev 04) 0000:00:1f.3 SMBus: Intel Corp. I/O Controller Hub SMBus (rev 04) 0000:01:00.0 Ethernet controller: Atheros Communications, Inc.: Unknown device 001c (rev 01) 0000:03:00.0 Ethernet controller: Unknown device 1969:2048 (rev a0) |
lspci in Xandros gives:
| Quote |
00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation Mobile 915GM/PM/GMS/910GML Express Processor to DRAM Controller (rev 04) 00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Mobile 915GM/GMS/910GML Express Graphics Controller (rev 04) 00:02.1 Display controller: Intel Corporation Mobile 915GM/GMS/910GML Express Graphics Controller (rev 04) 00:1b.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation 82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW (ICH6 Family) High Definition Audio Controller (rev 04) 00:1c.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW (ICH6 Family) PCI Express Port 1 (rev 04) 00:1c.1 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW (ICH6 Family) PCI Express Port 2 (rev 04) 00:1c.2 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW (ICH6 Family) PCI Express Port 3 (rev 04) 00:1d.0 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW (ICH6 Family) USB UHCI #1 (rev 04) 00:1d.1 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW (ICH6 Family) USB UHCI #2 (rev 04) 00:1d.2 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW (ICH6 Family) USB UHCI #3 (rev 04) 00:1d.3 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW (ICH6 Family) USB UHCI #4 (rev 04) 00:1d.7 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW (ICH6 Family) USB2 EHCI Controller (rev 04) 00:1e.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801 Mobile PCI Bridge (rev d4) 00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation 82801FBM (ICH6M) LPC Interface Bridge (rev 04) 00:1f.2 IDE interface: Intel Corporation 82801FBM (ICH6M) SATA Controller (rev 04) 00:1f.3 SMBus: Intel Corporation 82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW (ICH6 Family) SMBus Controller (rev 04) 01:00.0 Ethernet controller: Atheros Communications, Inc. AR5007EG 802.11 b/g Wireless PCI Express Adapter (rev 01) 03:00.0 Ethernet controller: Atheros Technology Corp. L2 100 Mbit Ethernet Adapter (rev a0) |
How do you read this?
Posted by curaga on Nov. 18 2007,14:29
That the wireless is an Atheros AR5007EG. Now check the modules, like Robert said
Posted by 9a6or on Nov. 18 2007,19:43
eee running DSL:dmesg | grep -i irq
| Code Sample |
| <6>ACPI: IOAPIC (id[0x01] address[0xfec00000] global_irq_base[0x0]) <4>IOAPIC[0]: apic_id 1, version 32, address 0xfec00000, IRQ 0-23 <6>ACPI: INT_SRC_OVR (bus 0 bus_irq 0 global_irq 2 dfl dfl) <6>ACPI: INT_SRC_OVR (bus 0 bus_irq 9 global_irq 9 high level) <6>ACPI: INT_SRC_OVR (bus 0 bus_irq 0 global_irq 2 dfl dfl) <6>ACPI: INT_SRC_OVR (bus 0 bus_irq 9 global_irq 9 high level) <4>ENABLING IO-APIC IRQs <7>init IO_APIC IRQs <4>ACPI: PCI Interrupt Link [LNKA] (IRQs 3 4 *5 6 7 10 11 12 14 15) <4>ACPI: PCI Interrupt Link [LNKB] (IRQs 3 4 5 6 7 10 *11 12 14 15) <4>ACPI: PCI Interrupt Link [LNKC] (IRQs 3 4 5 6 7 *10 11 12 14 15) <4>ACPI: PCI Interrupt Link [LNKD] (IRQs 3 4 5 6 *7 10 11 12 14 15) <4>ACPI: PCI Interrupt Link [LNKE] (IRQs 3 4 5 6 7 10 11 12 14 15) *0, disabled. <4>ACPI: PCI Interrupt Link [LNKF] (IRQs 3 4 5 6 7 10 11 12 14 15) *0, disabled. <4>ACPI: PCI Interrupt Link [LNKG] (IRQs 3 4 5 6 7 10 11 12 14 15) *0, disabled. <4>ACPI: PCI Interrupt Link [LNKH] (IRQs *3 4 5 6 7 10 11 12 14 15) <7>00:00:02[B] -> 1-17 -> IRQ 17 level low <7>00:00:1c[A] -> 1-16 -> IRQ 16 level low <7>00:00:1c[C] -> 1-18 -> IRQ 18 level low <7>00:00:1c[D] -> 1-19 -> IRQ 19 level low <7>00:00:1e[B] -> 1-20 -> IRQ 20 level low <7>00:00:1d[A] -> 1-23 -> IRQ 23 level low <7>number of MP IRQ sources: 17. <7>.... IRQ redirection table: <7>IRQ to pin mappings: <7>IRQ0 -> 0:2 <7>IRQ1 -> 0:1 <7>IRQ3 -> 0:3 <7>IRQ4 -> 0:4 <7>IRQ5 -> 0:5 <7>IRQ6 -> 0:6 <7>IRQ7 -> 0:7 <7>IRQ8 -> 0:8 <7>IRQ9 -> 0:9 <7>IRQ10 -> 0:10 <7>IRQ11 -> 0:11 <7>IRQ12 -> 0:12 <7>IRQ13 -> 0:13 <7>IRQ14 -> 0:14 <7>IRQ15 -> 0:15 <7>IRQ16 -> 0:16 <7>IRQ17 -> 0:17 <7>IRQ18 -> 0:18 <7>IRQ19 -> 0:19 <7>IRQ20 -> 0:20 <7>IRQ23 -> 0:23 <6>PCI: Using ACPI for IRQ routing <4>ide1 at 0x170-0x177,0x376 on irq 15 <6>ehci_hcd 00:1d.7: irq 23, pci mem e0038c00 <6>usb-uhci.c: USB UHCI at I/O 0xe400, IRQ 23 <6>usb-uhci.c: USB UHCI at I/O 0xe480, IRQ 19 <6>usb-uhci.c: USB UHCI at I/O 0xe800, IRQ 18 <6>usb-uhci.c: USB UHCI at I/O 0xe880, IRQ 16 <6>Serial driver version 5.05c (2001-07-08) with MANY_PORTS SHARE_IRQ SERIAL_PCI ISAPNP enabled |
cat /proc/interrupts
| Code Sample |
| CPU0 0: 35854 IO-APIC-edge timer 1: 303 IO-APIC-edge keyboard 8: 0 IO-APIC-edge rtc 9: 61 IO-APIC-level acpi 12: 2975 IO-APIC-edge PS/2 Mouse 15: 2042 IO-APIC-edge ide1 16: 0 IO-APIC-level usb-uhci 18: 0 IO-APIC-level usb-uhci 19: 0 IO-APIC-level usb-uhci 23: 7319 IO-APIC-level ehci_hcd, usb-uhci NMI: 0 LOC: 4161 ERR: 0 MIS: 0 |
lsmod | grep ath
| Code Sample |
| ath_pci 67484 0 (unused) ath_rate_sample 9736 0 [ath_pci] wlan 138936 0 [ath_pci ath_rate_sample] ath_hal 174608 0 [ath_pci ath_rate_sample] |
lsmod | grep wlan
| Code Sample |
| wlan 138936 0 [ath_pci ath_rate_sample] |
--------------------------------------------------------------------
eee running its xandros:
dmesg | grep -i irq
| Code Sample |
| [ 8.445559] ACPI: PCI Interrupt Link [LNKB] enabled at IRQ 11 [ 8.445565] PCI: setting IRQ 11 as level-triggered [ 8.445573] ACPI: PCI Interrupt 0000:00:1c.1[B] -> Link [LNKB] -> GSI 11 (level, low) -> IRQ 11 [ 8.446305] ACPI: PCI Interrupt Link [LNKC] enabled at IRQ 10 [ 8.446311] PCI: setting IRQ 10 as level-triggered [ 8.446318] ACPI: PCI Interrupt 0000:00:1c.2[C] -> Link [LNKC] -> GSI 10 (level, low) -> IRQ 10 [ 8.801058] ACPI: PCI Interrupt 0000:00:02.0[A] -> Link [LNKA] -> GSI 5 (level, low) -> IRQ 5 [ 8.804068] ACPI: PCI Interrupt Link [LNKD] enabled at IRQ 7 [ 8.804076] PCI: setting IRQ 7 as level-triggered [ 8.804083] ACPI: PCI Interrupt 0000:00:1f.2[B] -> Link [LNKD] -> GSI 7 (level, low) -> IRQ 7 [ 8.804210] ata1: SATA max UDMA/133 cmd 0x000101f0 ctl 0x000103f6 bmdma 0x0001ffa0 irq 14 [ 8.804255] ata2: PATA max UDMA/100 cmd 0x00010170 ctl 0x00010376 bmdma 0x0001ffa8 irq 15 [ 9.173830] PNP: PS/2 Controller [PNP0303:PS2K,PNP0f13:PS2M] at 0x60,0x64 irq 1,12 [ 9.188903] serio: i8042 KBD port at 0x60,0x64 irq 1 [ 9.188913] serio: i8042 AUX port at 0x60,0x64 irq 12 [ 15.360144] ACPI: PCI Interrupt 0000:00:1b.0[A] -> Link [LNKA] -> GSI 5 (level, low) -> IRQ 5 [ 17.288935] ACPI: PCI Interrupt Link [LNKH] enabled at IRQ 3 [ 17.288943] PCI: setting IRQ 3 as level-triggered [ 17.288951] ACPI: PCI Interrupt 0000:00:1d.0[A] -> Link [LNKH] -> GSI 3 (level, low) -> IRQ 3 [ 17.289649] uhci_hcd 0000:00:1d.0: irq 3, io base 0x0000e400 [ 17.391286] ACPI: PCI Interrupt 0000:00:1d.1[B] -> Link [LNKD] -> GSI 7 (level, low) -> IRQ 7 [ 17.391410] uhci_hcd 0000:00:1d.1: irq 7, io base 0x0000e480 [ 17.501238] ACPI: PCI Interrupt 0000:00:1d.2[C] -> Link [LNKC] -> GSI 10 (level, low) -> IRQ 10 [ 17.501367] uhci_hcd 0000:00:1d.2: irq 10, io base 0x0000e800 [ 17.611331] ACPI: PCI Interrupt 0000:00:1d.3[D] -> Link [LNKA] -> GSI 5 (level, low) -> IRQ 5 [ 17.611453] uhci_hcd 0000:00:1d.3: irq 5, io base 0x0000e880 [ 17.733157] ACPI: PCI Interrupt 0000:00:1d.7[A] -> Link [LNKH] -> GSI 3 (level, low) -> IRQ 3 [ 17.733337] ehci_hcd 0000:00:1d.7: irq 3, io mem 0xf7eb7c00 [ 17.933496] ACPI: PCI Interrupt 0000:03:00.0[A] -> Link [LNKB] -> GSI 11 (level, low) -> IRQ 11 [ 18.651596] ACPI: PCI Interrupt 0000:01:00.0[A] -> Link [LNKC] -> GSI 10 (level, low) -> IRQ 10 [ 19.249755] wifi0: Atheros 5212: mem=0xfbef0000, irq=10 |
cat /proc/interrupts
| Code Sample |
| CPU0 0: 50368 XT-PIC-XT timer 1: 1068 XT-PIC-XT i8042 2: 0 XT-PIC-XT cascade 3: 10007 XT-PIC-XT uhci_hcd:usb1, ehci_hcd:usb5 5: 133 XT-PIC-XT HDA Intel, uhci_hcd:usb4, pciehp, i915@pci:0000:00:02.0 7: 2 XT-PIC-XT uhci_hcd:usb2 9: 1240 XT-PIC-XT acpi 10: 27967 XT-PIC-XT uhci_hcd:usb3, pciehp, wifi0 11: 1 XT-PIC-XT pciehp, eth0 12: 37030 XT-PIC-XT i8042 14: 0 XT-PIC-XT libata 15: 4803 XT-PIC-XT libata NMI: 0 ERR: 0 |
lsmod | grep ath
| Code Sample |
| ath_pci 74084 0 ath_rate_atheros 24768 1 ath_pci wlan 144280 5 wlan_wep,wlan_scan_sta,ath_pci,ath_rate_atheros ath_dfs 25476 1 ath_pci ath_hal 139968 3 ath_pci,ath_rate_atheros |
lsmod | grep wlan
| Code Sample |
| wlan_wep 4864 1 wlan_scan_sta 9728 1 wlan 144280 5 wlan_wep,wlan_scan_sta,ath_pci,ath_rate_atheros |
Posted by 9a6or on Nov. 18 2007,22:01
Another line from dmesg:<3>wifi%d: unable to attach hardware: 'Hardware revision not supported' (HAL status 13)
Posted by roberts on Nov. 18 2007,22:31
Hmmm, more kernel 2.6 based hardware? Not a good sign.How about the ndiswrapper route? Of course you would have to rmmod the existing wifi modules before you attempt ndiswrapper.
Posted by 9a6or on Nov. 18 2007,23:01
Yes, blacklisting the existing modules and then ndiswrapper is the way ahead. Puppy Linux 3.01 has a GUI for blacklisting modules and in fact I write this from Puppy running on the EEE. How do I do it in DSL?
Posted by roberts on Nov. 18 2007,23:50
In /opt/bootlocal.shrmmod ath_pci ath_rate_sample wlan ath_hal
I would imagine that eee would run with any 2.6 kernel based system. But saying that does not help with the issue at hand, does it.
Posted by roberts on Nov. 19 2007,00:41
Very interesting to visit eeeuser.com that many including Puppy are using ndiswrapper.
Posted by 9a6or on Nov. 19 2007,23:35
I've blacklisted the drivers as per Roberts' instructions, rebooted and then used ndiswrapper with the Win drivers for the eee: ndiswrapper says: Connection failed.iwconfig says: no wireless connections
Other issues:
no sound
battery: AC (even though it is on battery)
screen is not 800x480 but 640x480 stretched
Posted by roberts on Nov. 20 2007,03:50
I am not at all surprised that the latest cutting edge hardware would require a 2.6 kernel based system.
Posted by curaga on Nov. 26 2007,16:32
Ouch the prise rise.. The 4gb model is 300$ in US, but it's 219£ in the UK, which is 450$!!I cannot even imagine how high the price will be when the eee hits the rest of the EU..
Posted by ^thehatsrule^ on Nov. 26 2007,16:51
I thought that kind of price hike was "normal" for things released in the UK?
Posted by curaga on Nov. 26 2007,17:15
Ya, but 150%? Do you think the price will come down for the rest of europe?
Posted by blip on Nov. 28 2007,08:45
Hi everyone.Arrgh these are very tempting indeed to run DSL! I am in the UK as well...rip off Britain! You are lucky if you are over in the states.
It only booted 640x480 .....but I could live with that. Let's hope someone can get the wireless working with it in DSL.
Near silent really portable mini laptops....with a nice fast OS. It would be interesting to see how well a Celery 900 works in this context.
Posted by john.martzouco on Nov. 28 2007,11:45
I played with their XO OS under virtualization... that small resolution became very painful after a few minutes of surfing the web. They really need to increase it to 800x600, otherwise it's not at all comfortable for the most obvious reason an adult might want it. It's one thing to scroll pages up and down, but having to scroll every page you visit from side to side for each line of text you want to read is very, very tiring.
Posted by blip on Nov. 29 2007,10:38
That's interesting John. I wondered what they were like (The XO's). I agree there's nothing more frustrating that side scrolling when reading web pages. And from what I've read they can't play You Tube....what a shame...I did wonder if DSL would run on an XO....
I read a rumour in trusted reviews...a 10 inch version of the EEpc next year...we'll see.
I'd love a portable solution that didn't cost the earth...with 1024x768 running DSL using solid state or compact flash storage.
Posted by john.martzouco on Nov. 29 2007,13:03
Hi blip,My writeup about OLPC is in my < journal, Oct 16th, 2007. > There are screenshots buried in the comments attached to the entry.
Posted by john.martzouco on Nov. 29 2007,17:59
An interesting piece of news about the EEE:< http://arstechnica.com/journal....changes >
Posted by blip on Nov. 30 2007,13:38
Thanks John.Sorry to go off topic a bit here....I don't think the XO is so bad...I mean it does 1200x900 in Monochrome...that's a very interesting proposition even if it means you browse the web in mono.
Do you think it would be possible to run DSL on the XO or is DSL limited to Intel processor/motheboard chips?
Posted by john.martzouco on Nov. 30 2007,14:05
XO: hmmm... that's interesting. I wonder if the virtualized version they've made available has any way to switch to the higher resolution? I agree, it might be enough to view in b/w if the resolution was there. I'll check this when I can.I don't know enough about DSL to answer the question realting to hardware. I'm curious too.
Posted by bwh1969 on Dec. 12 2007,00:20
I have one! Using slax but madwifi isn't running the wireless or the internal lan. Ndiswrapper also failed.Downloading DSL 4.1 and will reply back. I assume since madwifi says the card isn't supported yet, I don't expect it to work out of box. I'd like to expect it:-)
The Xandros is fine, and all my media plays. I added an extra repo or two to get Gimp, Opera, Wine. MS office works great.
I just like to tinker.
Posted by bwh1969 on Dec. 12 2007,02:13
| Quote (roberts @ Nov. 18 2007,18:50) |
| In /opt/bootlocal.sh rmmod ath_pci ath_rate_sample wlan ath_hal I would imagine that eee would run with any 2.6 kernel based system. But saying that does not help with the issue at hand, does it. |
After adding those things to /opt/bootlocal.sh, saving my config, and rebooting
results of ndiswrapper in command line, root:
ndiswrapper -i /path/net5211.inf
ndiswrapper -l
net5211 driver installed, hardware present
ndiswrapper -m
modprobe config already contains alias directive
and so I assume the blacklist didn't take or is something else going on?
Posted by jezek on Feb. 13 2008,15:58
Asus EEE in Czech Republic is very expensive toy I thought I buy one, but 4GB HDD 512MB RAM and about 9 665CZK which is aroud 553$ (17,47 CZK for 1$) thats incredible :-(
I will stay with my old, heavy notebook. (Recently updated to DSL 4.2.5 and works like a charm
)
Posted by roberts on Feb. 14 2008,19:49
Now that it is known that the eeePC 4x modules really run at 633Mhz and that the 2G runs at 533Mhz. The older lappies look like and even better option. Just price some 600Mhz or 500Mhz on ebay. At the Scale conference we has a Sony Picturebook running. It is a 600Mhz/128MB machine and it is nearly identical in size with the eee. On the picturebook the 1024x480 wide screen, builtin camera, sound, and even jog wheel all work with DSL and performance is great.
Posted by humpty on Feb. 16 2008,07:05
I've heard the eee runs fairly hot and relies heavily on the built-in fan. This is really uncool (heh, couldn't resist it), asnot only is it not totally silent but leeches the battery life.
However, from the wiki,
| Quote |
ASUS plans to introduce second-generation Eee PCs in April 2008, featuring Intel’s Merom processors. The new design will reduce power consumption by 36%, from 11 W TDP to 7 W TDP. ASUS may also remove the fan to further reduce power consumption and noise |
this would make it more interesting.
Posted by Andreas on Feb. 16 2008,18:54
| Quote (roberts @ Feb. 14 2008,20:49) |
>At the Scale conference we has a Sony Picturebook running. It is a 600Mhz/128MB machine and it is nearly identical in size with the eee. On the picturebook the 1024x480 wide screen, builtin camera, sound, and even jog wheel all work with DSL and performance is great.
As I own both of them, a Sony Vaio C1VE (192 MB) and an Asus Eee PC, I can“t confirm this
The Picturebox runs o.k. after some tweaking with X11 or Xorg on DSL but it is far away from the plug and play system on the Eee PC. Networking and printing on the Eee is great. Performance is superior to the C1 even with full desktop mode and KDE. For a very short time I had Xubuntu on my Picturebook and it was a pain in the a...
But comparison is not really fair because the Sony is a rather old construction with a weak cpu
Posted by roberts on Feb. 16 2008,19:07
The limited ram of the picturebook make it an unfair comparison. Try limiting your eeePC to 128MB and watch performance. If only I had 512MB for my picturebook.I was using an XFree86.unc so to maximize available ram.
We had the camera running and playing Youtube videos with sound. It, the picturebook, was a booth magnet.
The eeePC being very new hardware requires newer kernel and specialized modules. Such software is magnitudes larger. Still the tweaks that Asus made for very fast boot time and shutdown is indeed very nice. For the price point and capabilities it is a nice machine.
Posted by Andreas on Feb. 16 2008,22:58
You'r e right! Major problem of the Picturebook - I'm typing on it right now - is the very limited amount of RAM
Posted by blip on Feb. 21 2008,07:07
I really like the look of the new Elonex £100 Laptop. Ok it's got a very basic cpu.........I wonder if it will boot from USB rather than the rom..............I bet DSL would run a treat...........
Posted by humpty on Feb. 28 2008,02:40
blip: nice find< http://www.elonexone.co.uk/gallery.html >
< http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol....812.ece >
Detachable tablet ! wow!
Some sites mention a rubber keyboard, that could be a mistake.
Posted by roberts on Feb. 29 2008,00:02
Looks like this < one >Clicking the next link there talks about the detachable keyboard being nothing more than a USB keyboard, thus, likely able to use any USB (full size) keyboard. Also a picture of the ports.
Posted by oldtimer on April 26 2008,06:03
I'm posting from dillo running under DSLon my EeePC! - hard-wired, not wifi. The desktop stats say Linux 2.6.24.4 on i686, (but filesytem shows UNIONFS/lib/modules/2.4.26). RAM Usage 81.8/1001M - 8%. I only had to build the atl2.ko module for the 2.6.24.4 kernel, the rest is configuration.I'm delirious because DSL & EeePC are a brilliant combination even w/o internet. (Ask me to explain why, if interested.)
Posted by lucky13 on April 26 2008,12:14
| Quote |
| The desktop stats say Linux 2.6.24.4 on i686 |
Stats = torsmo? If it says 2.6.x you're not running DSL unless you remastered with a 2.6 kernel. And DSL shouldn't take up 82MB RAM like a 2.6-based distro would (edit: at least with a default one size fits all kernel).
| Quote |
| filesytem shows UNIONFS/lib/modules/2.4.26 |
That isn't the kernel you're running. I'd love to see the error messages in your console from mismatched kernel and modules.
Open a terminal and type
| Code Sample |
| uname -a |
That will tell you what you're running -- most likely the same thing torsmo is reporting.
edit...
| Quote |
| I only had to build the atl2.ko module for the 2.6.24.4 kernel, the rest is configuration. |
Ummm, DSL doesn't use kernel 2.6.24.4. That module wouldn't be of much use if you were using DSL. What other 'configuration' have you done with this? (Or are you running DSL virtually?)
Posted by danielp on April 28 2008,12:37
Certainly interested oldtimer! I am looking to buy an eee 900 when released, so please explain.How much time does it take to boot up?
Posted by oldtimer on May 01 2008,17:29
Thanks, lucky13.| Quote |
| Stats = torsmo? |
Yes.
| Quote |
| If it says 2.6.x you're not running DSL unless you remastered with a 2.6 kernel. |
Not true.
| Quote |
| And DSL shouldn't take up 82MB RAM like a 2.6-based distro would (edit: at least with a default one size fits all kernel). |
Clean boot to JWM is < 30M. I was running Fluxbox, Tomcat Webserver, etc.
| Quote |
| That isn't the kernel you're running. |
Correct. 2.6.24.4
| Quote |
| I'd love to see the error messages in your console from mismatched kernel and modules. |
Fantastic.
| Quote |
| That will tell you what you're running -- most likely the same thing torsmo is reporting. |
Wrong. Different.
| Quote |
| Ummm, DSL doesn't use kernel 2.6.24.4. |
OK, call it DSL-N-0.1RC5, if you wish. I won't quibble, but it is using the stock DSL KNOPPIX/KNOPPIX. So I call it DSL.
BTW, I need to use a 3.X version because the large icons are perfect on the hardware. Can you recommend which one? By the way, myDSL stopped working when I tried 3.4.11. I am hoping it has nothing at all to do with errors caused by the newer kernel...
Posted by curaga on May 01 2008,17:42
....So you just replaced the kernel without touching the image? Brave...
Posted by lucky13 on May 01 2008,18:12
| Quote |
| OK, call it DSL-N-0.1RC5, if you wish |
No, I don't think you're responsible for putting together release candidates for DSL or DSL-N -- that's for Robert and John to do. So I'll call it something else. Sounds like you've done a sloppy job of whatever you've done if it's using 2.4 unionfs while running a 2.6 kernel. Hint: that really shouldn't happen.
| Quote |
| I won't quibble, but it is using the stock DSL KNOPPIX/KNOPPIX. So I call it DSL. |
You can call it a duck but if it doesn't have webbed feet and feathers and won't quack or waddle I'd have call it something else. I won't speak for John or Robert, but I won't call that DSL. I'll call it what it is, whatever your intentions were: a really amateur hack. There are several users here who've done 2.6-based remasters. You should ask them for guidance.:)
Edit: Yeah, it probably does have something to do with your kernel. Especially if you're trying to use unionfs (UNC) and if you left out cloops (UCI).
Also, the RAM stats shown in torsmo aren't complete -- they don't count cache. Do "free -mt" and see what you're really using.
Posted by oldtimer on May 01 2008,18:48
Thanks, danielp.My EeePC (4G Surf ) boots <20 seconds to the Xandros IceWM desktop. But it's a gimmick! FireFox and the FileManager take a loooong time to come up. Shutdown is very fast except sometimes, I think it's auto-fscking boot-drive or having trouble releasing my 2 G swap file on external Hard-drive - it just grabs it. The 'advanced' mode is much snappier and linux techie friendly but bios speedboot option doesn't work with it
I read that the new 900 sold out in Hong Kong in only a few days. Hope you don't have to wait. Ausus is supposedly selling one EeePC every 6 seconds. Every major distro (except...) has a version "made for the EeePC" and all the early releases were in my opinion terrible compared to DSL even without internet, sound, etc. Ask me and I'll tell you why.....
Another 'gimmick' is the 6 second restore from suspend-to-RAM. The battery doesn't last long when suspended. So, I never use it. I disabled my on-lid-shutdown script cause I use an external monitor and the lid is almost always down so's not to collect dust. also have keyboard, mouse, hard-drives and DVD/CD (mult. USB hubs.)
I can unplug very quickly and use it as a wireless internet e-book in bed if my wife is reading a book. My eyes are old and near-sighted but its OK if I hold it close, like a book.
DSL on the EeePC is very fast. For ex., Firefox+google homepage is 4.5 seconds. After that, about 1.25 seconds. I think I'll pre-load it like dillo is on startup. By the way, dillo comes up perfectly sized , not as much futzing around with size issues things like some of the other distros - except for I had to specify smaller sizes for Emelfm & Sylpheed.
Another thing is that it is a 900MHz CPU underclocked to 630. The fan is normally inaudible, max. CPU temp I've seen is 57C; it's rated somewhere in the 90's. External temps. are the lowest of the six laptops I have with me (on the road again) Some people are overclocking past 900 with the fan disconnected! But variable front-side-bus and CPU freq. based on demand is the way to go.
Whew! Sorry about that. And I didn't even tell you about the best stuff.
I am going start working on the wireless, using madifi. I let you know.
I am giving up on myDSL apps for now. I thinks it's going to be all right as every part has worked individually, just not all at once. Ask me and I'll explain.
Posted by oldtimer on May 03 2008,15:12
| Quote |
| Brave... |
Thanks curaga. But, I'm not as brave or as lazy as this approach seems.
I was trying for something in-between re-building the kernel and what happened accidently. (Back-porting the module code/ makefile to work with an earlier vintage compiler- circa DSL 3.4)
I needed Knoppix for something and had an I must be dreaming moment when DSL popped up instead. Tried depmod, that failed because of pathing issues. Tried insmod atl2.ko and pump. WHAT NO ERRORS??? ifconfig... BINGO!
So, I put the module in mydsl/modules, and that works, too.
Posted by ^thehatsrule^ on May 04 2008,02:05
Just a fair warning for those who are reading through this thread: don't mix and match things esp. with the kernel.fyi, the cloop module (and the rest that are in the initrd - which I'm assuming was not changed/updated) are forced via insmod -f so versioning errors would not show up... though I'm guessing the rest of the modules would probably be ignored (so hardware may be harder to configure unless compiled into the kernel I suppose)
Posted by oldtimer on May 05 2008,21:39
| Quote |
| Just a fair warning ... |
Thanks ^thehatsrule^.
You are correct. One must use a modified initrd for this useful amateur hack.
I apologize for not making that clear. But, I am quite nervous that Mr 13 will blow his stack when he learns the ugly details of my little crime. Even though it is not even my fault. There are several other experimental abominations that I have kept to myself.
By the way, I have doing a reverse frugal boot to test some of my older versions and knoppix based distros. I start booting from an external USB hard-drive - I selected this one because it yields sustained reads that is nearly exactly the same as the internal Flash drive on the Eee PC - to bootfrom knoppix/knoppix off my external USB DVD/CD ROM. That way I don't have to copy stuff around so much.
Well I am quite pleased that I tried an old scratched up DSL 2.2 cd.. The desktop and menuing is perfect. Could this be THE ONE? (internet works)
Cheers
Posted by ^thehatsrule^ on May 06 2008,00:50
| Quote (oldtimer @ May 05 2008,21:39) |
| One must use a modified initrd for this useful amateur hack. I apologize for not making that clear. But, I am quite nervous that Mr 13 will blow his stack when he learns the ugly details of my little crime. Even though it is not even my fault. There are several other experimental abominations that I have kept to myself. |
And don't worry, most discussions around here are subject to friendly critique, as harsh as some might seem to be.
Posted by lucky13 on May 06 2008,01:48
| Quote |
| am quite nervous that Mr 13 will blow his stack when he learns the ugly details of my little crime. |
There's no need to be nervous unless you wanna try that on my computers. :-)
My objection is that you would associate the DSL name in any way, shape, or form with it or give others reading the forums with your grasp (or worse) the idea that the way you've gone about it is sound, acceptable practice. It ain't either and Robert and John wouldn't release it because it's not acceptable to throw stuff together haphazard like that and pray it works (whether it does or not is beside the point: what matters is, is it working *CORRECTLY*? the fact you have error messages relating to mismatched kernel versions answers that question). That's not just my opinion -- look at your feedback here: "brave" and "fair warning." Not to mention "amateur hack." I admit I might lack the diplomacy of others. If you're going to take the time to do something, may as well do it right.
Posted by oldtimer on May 09 2008,15:38
| Quote |
| If you're going to take the time to do something, may as well do it right. |
Fair warning to novice software professionals - that sounds like a maxim for a fossilized industry.
Posted by oldtimer on May 09 2008,15:43
Hi - Some people's main interest in DSL is for saving old junkers from the garbage pile. (Also an interest of mine.) However, when this mindset is brought to "DSL on the EeePC' the first impulsive is to recompile the kernel to enhance a traditional hard-drive intall.
That's what all the alternative distros and M$ are jumping in to do. And it's because EeePC owners don't 'get' the significance of a live OS. They only know their read-only Xandros will not release diskspace after apt-get remove.
To install DSL to the EeePC SDHC in this way would be particularly bad. It's about two paradigm shifts away from what I could forgive myself for encouraging - much like tearing apart a new laptop and using the pieces as a mainframe dumb-terminal. It may be an improvement, but it is also an atrocity. Why give up that freedom when the laptop can be used for a terminal AND a laptop?
So, I have DSL live booting from an SD card. Hardware may crash or get stolen, but the card is pretty safe in the bottom of a pocket. And a pocket OS is handy when traveling. It can be used at libraries, hotels, grocery store internet PCs!, etc. But eventually it is necessary that the host PC MUST NOT harbor a hardware keystroke logger. Sometimes the choices don't look good. Instead of lugging and watching a laptop everywhere, get something with WiFi you can lock in the glovebox of your rental car and use as a desktop when you get home - an EeePC.
Thanks.
Posted by tagori on May 11 2008,08:32
hellowhat do u think, does it work if i use the 2.6 kernel instead of the 'old' kernel? i want to use all of the hardware (especially the wifi-modem) of this little beauty.
i want to use damn small linux as base system for my eee-pc. i wanna use the ultra-mobile subnotebook as a very fast and secure surfstation!
i know that i could use a 'bigger' distribution (like ubuntu). but this versions are to bloated (in my opinion).
btw. is it better to wait for the new version (better hardware-detection)?.
kind regards, alex
Posted by curaga on May 11 2008,09:21
If you don't have good skills with the kernel, I'd suggest waiting for DSL 5. It's probably only 1-2 weeks away anyway
Posted by oldtimer on May 12 2008,20:27
Thanks, curaga, for the pre-announcement leak! If you are not just kidding, this is fantastic. EeePC users will be stunned by the increase in performance.I think I will take a month or so off from posting here - until after I have tested DSL5.
Thanks, again.
Posted by curaga on May 13 2008,14:00
Keep in mind it is just my guess, I could be 55 years off
Posted by florian on July 02 2008,00:35
Time to resume this thread as first alpha of DSLCore is out.I managed to boot DSL Core alpha on the Eee PC via a SD Card. This runs very fast!
The problems:
* network adapter isn't recognized (wired nor wifi)
* resolution is 640x480 (and LCD isn't sharp at this resolution)
* up/down scrolling doesn't work with the Eee PC mousepad
Posted by chaostic on July 02 2008,01:50
| Quote (florian @ July 01 2008,20:35) |
| Time to resume this thread as first alpha of DSLCore is out. I managed to boot DSL Core alpha on the Eee PC via a SD Card. This runs very fast! The problems: * network adapter isn't recognized (wired nor wifi) * resolution is 640x480 (and LCD isn't sharp at this resolution) * up/down scrolling doesn't work with the Eee PC mousepad |
I think you start a new dslcore+EEE thread in the dslcore section for this, with a post to link to that thread here.