Excellent writeup
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| Author | Content |
|---|---|
| herzeleid May 29, 2009 4:02 PM EDT |
I look forward to the next installment... |
| caitlyn May 29, 2009 4:18 PM EDT |
Thank you! I need to gather more info on SkyTone's upcoming ARM offerings before I write the next one. I still really want an iUnika netbook with the solar charging system and the 64GB SSD :) |
| Sander_Marechal May 29, 2009 5:05 PM EDT |
Hear hear. That was a great read :-) |
| hkwint May 29, 2009 6:06 PM EDT |
Quoting:with the solar charging system and the 64GB SSD :) Actually, at least on the Dutch newssite covering the GYY that was a mistake, it originally comes with 1GB and is extendable with 64GB SD cards as far as I understood. |
| klhrevolution May 29, 2009 8:13 PM EDT |
This is an article I wanted when I first learned of this mips netbook. Hopefully, some people with interest and know-how acquire a mips powered netbook, so as to let the average joe in on this. As it is now I'm not really sure if I should get one or not. Maybe better to wait for 2nd gen or even get an x86 it all depends on what takes place with support from distro's, devels, user's, docs, etc... But, I am grateful that this got covered some and hope to read more in the future. |
| Steven_Rosenber May 29, 2009 8:22 PM EDT |
Caitlyn, another excellent article. I do have a question for you regarding this portion: Quoting:My only concern about the hardware is the Realtek RTL8187B 802.11g 54Mbps wireless chipset. As I learned on the original Sylvania g Netbook the native Linux Realtek driver is very poor and results in very limited range. I was under the impression that there was no Linux driver for the RTL8187B. I can't find one here, for example: http://www.realtek.com.tw/downloads/downloadsView.aspx?Langi... I have a cheap NIC (Airlink101 AWLL3028) with this lousy chip in it, and I've never been able to make it work. |
| caitlyn May 29, 2009 9:58 PM EDT |
Quoting:I was under the impression that there was no Linux driver for the RTL8187B. It is included in recent Linux kernels. When I had the Sylvania g Netbook (original, hold the Meso) it had that same chipset and any distro I tried automagically detected and configured it. I wrote up my less than brilliant experience with that laptop at: http://broadcast.oreilly.com/2009/02/netbook-nightmare-my-ex... Have you tried the card with a very recent distro with a very recent kernel? It may just work now if you are VERY near the router. Range is severely limited. |
| caitlyn May 29, 2009 10:00 PM EDT |
Quoting:Actually, at least on the Dutch newssite covering the GYY that was a mistake, it originally comes with 1GB and is extendable with 64GB SD cards as far as I understood. Hans, can you please provide a link? Even if it's in Dutch it would be better than nothing. I could then put a correction into the article. It sounds like the iUnika gyy is a standard Alpha 400 with only the case and solar charging system as innovations. Still, I'd like one. The solar system is what really caught my eye. |
| gus3 May 29, 2009 10:20 PM EDT |
Quoting:The solar system is what really caught my eye.Yeah, it's kind of hard to miss, given that we're in it and all. |
| caitlyn May 29, 2009 10:33 PM EDT |
Solar charging/power system... Of course, we are both talking about the same Sol. klhrevolution: I may be getting one to review. Stay tuned... |
| Steven_Rosenber May 30, 2009 1:56 AM EDT |
Quoting:Have you tried the card with a very recent distro with a very recent kernel? It may just work now if you are VERY near the router. Range is severely limited. The newest thing I'm running is 2.6.26 in Debian Lenny. I'll give it a try. |
| caitlyn May 30, 2009 2:59 AM EDT |
@Steven: That should do it. I know it worked for me with Ubuntu Netbook Remix 8.04 (Hardy) which had a 2.6.24 kernel. It also worked in Vector Linux 6.0 (2.6.27 kernel). Again, the wireless range was pretty limited but that's a known issue with this driver. |
| hkwint May 30, 2009 5:48 PM EDT |
Quoting:Hans, can you please provide a link? Yes, we can, and not even in Dutch but from the iUnika site itself, though the site changed a little. http://www.iunika.com/#gyy This is what used to be on the site: Quoting:disco duro flash de 1GB ampliable a 64GB con tarjeta SD This is what's now on the site; Quoting:Almacenamiento hasta 64 Gb Almacenamiento externo SD Tipo de disco duro Flash Capacidad del disco duro 1 Gb |
| Steven_Rosenber May 30, 2009 11:17 PM EDT |
My Realtek 8187b NIC wasn't recognized in Debian Lenny's 2.6.24 kernel. Maybe they purposefully excluded it. I seem to remember Ubuntu 8.04 recognizing it but not actually allowing it to do anything. I haven't tried it in many months on that distro -- I'll do so. |
| caitlyn Jun 01, 2009 4:58 PM EDT |
Well... part two, Linux and MIPS on the desktop, will be out this week. Part three, on ARM based systems, is on hold until I can read in detail what was unveiled this week at Computex. I also will probably do a piece on systems based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon processor if I can get enough information together. Oh, and yeah, this post counts as shameless self-promotion :) |
| hkwint Jun 01, 2009 6:03 PM EDT |
More of the same (for Caitlyn; any resources are helpful I suppose) http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewA... |
| hkwint Jun 01, 2009 6:20 PM EDT |
Now browsing Computex site clicking through to Chinese, HongKongnese (sorry, let me correct: Chinese), Taiwanese and Malaysian OEM's hunting for Linux netbooks. I'll add to this post. Not that it's MIPS, but it will help to prove Linux does have a big future on netbooks. Joy Group TW: [url=http://www.joy-group.com.tw/eng/Usbfd/SPECIFICATION_NPC Small Laptop.pdf]http://www.joy-group.com.tw/eng/Usbfd/SPECIFICATION_NPC Smal...[/url] First and second Lengda CN: For example http://www.lengdatek.com/en/detail-2005-1.html available with Linux-support Malata HK: http://www.malata.com/en/product_detail.aspx?classid=402&id=... MingJong CN: http://www.mingjong.com.tw/eipc/front/bin/ptdetail.phtml?Rcg... Possibly; wanxin: http://www.wanxin.com.tw/h1.htm |
| caitlyn Jun 01, 2009 6:37 PM EDT |
Thanks, Hans. BTW, I submitted the CW article to LXer.com for inclusion. Great minds think alike? I am actually really excited by some real competition in CPU chips and particularly in chips that Microsoft just isn't prepared to deal with :) I have nothing against Intel or AMD. I just think competition is a good thing. I also may be getting a MIPS-based netbook to review. I hope so. That would be fun to play with. |
| Steven_Rosenber Jun 01, 2009 6:47 PM EDT |
Ubuntu 8.04 LTS (i386) didn't recognize the Realtek 8187b either. I seem to remember doing something (ndiswrapper??) that got it to light up, but it still didn't work. |
| caitlyn Jun 01, 2009 6:49 PM EDT |
Steven: I don't know what to say. "It worked for me" is never a helpful comment, is it? Could you actually have a hardware failure? |
| Steven_Rosenber Jun 01, 2009 7:13 PM EDT |
I should probably just burn a Ubuntu 9.04 or Fedora 11 live CD and try it that way. ... Should eliminate confusion, I figure. |
| caitlyn Jun 01, 2009 7:31 PM EDT |
It certainly wouldn't hurt to try it with the latest and greatest. |
| Steven_Rosenber Jun 01, 2009 7:35 PM EDT |
What I like about running Ubuntu's LTS at this juncture is not having a ton of updates every week. I updated a box yesterday that isn't connected to the Internet and hadn't been updated for a month. I plugged in the NIC and had a whopping five packages to update. Especially for my older hardware (and that's pretty much ALL my hardware), if it works well in Ubuntu LTS or Debian stable, that's what I like to run. The pull of new features does affect me, but having everything work without pain is more important. |
| jdixon Jun 01, 2009 7:38 PM EDT |
> Ubuntu 8.04 LTS (i386) didn't recognize the Realtek 8187b either. A post on the Sabayon forums which Google dates 2/12/2009 indicates that there is no driver in the kernel, though there is one for the Realtek 8187L. They recommend using ndiswrapper. You can read the post at http://wiki.sabayonlinux.org/index.php?title=HOWTO:_Realtek_... |
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