Hello all,
I'm considering to aquire an Intel NUC mini PC, probably the
NUC10i5FNKPA model, and install GNU/Linux on it. However, due to a
visual empairment, I'd like to be sure it can beep as soon as a boot
loader, like grub, displays its boot menu for choosing an operating
system in a dual boot environment.
As you know, desktop computers normally come with an internal, serial
component which serves as a speaker to beep in case of hardware
failures, but can also be used for other purposes. According to the
suport article at
https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005854/intel-nuc.html
, the NUC mini PCs are capable of beeping as well. However, because the
internal speaker is not a standard serial component as in a desktop, it
may not beep when e.g. you issue a Linux shell command like "tput bel".
Also, some boot loaders like grub have a "play" command, which you can
put in a file like grub.cfg, in order for it to beep when it reaches the
boot menu for choosing an OS.
So, before I buy a NUC, could anyone please do test and report whether
it beeps? Such test can be done in one or more of three ways:
* Switch to a pure console, issue the command "tput bel", then hear
whether it beeps;
* Boot the NUC using a Debian netinst image, and hear whether it beeps
as soon as the boot starts. The netinst images are prepared to beep, as
explained here:
https://www.debian.org/releases/stable/amd64/ch05s02.en.html
* Finally, if you have a dual boot environment, with grub as you boot
loader, you could put a play command inside your grub.cfg config file,
then reboot and hear whether it beeps at the boot menu.
Thanks in advance,Cleverson