RE: kernel size (was: How do I get GATEWAY2000 PS/2 mouse to work?)
There probably wouldn't quite be room to include the kitchen sink. :- IMHO, a better alternative to the large, best-endeavours kernel would be to ship a really tight kernel and use the installation front-end to configure additional support (in modules where possible or desirable). Casper Boden-Cummins. -- From: David J. Evans[SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: 16 August 1996 14:12 To:'debian-user@lists.debian.org' Cc:The recipient's address is unknown. Subject: Re: kernel size (was: How do I get GATEWAY2000 PS/2 mouse to work?) On Thu, 15 Aug 1996 10:04:04 +0100 Casper BodenCummins [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: [snipped stuff about PS/2 support not being present by default ] The real question is whether the default kernel should be bloated with features, or pared down. As a brand new Debian user who didn't even know how to spell Colonel until recently, and who has been caught out by the lack of PS/2 support, I'd vote for a large everything and the kitchen sink kernel to cover most eventualities. This will give heart to new-users and upgraders, and can trimmed and tweaked by the gurus. And thank you to all who responded with my newbie question about telnetting in as root to a box without a screen or keyboard - su and /etc/securetty were all new to me. David __ David J. Evans AMS, Virology Research Group, The University of Reading Whiteknights, P.O. Box 228, Reading RG6 6AJ Tel : +44 (0)118 9318893 Fax : +44 (0)118 9316537 http://skpc10.reading.ac.uk/
RE: kernel size (was: How do I get GATEWAY2000 PS/2 mouse to work?)
From: Casper BodenCummins [EMAIL PROTECTED] IMHO, a better alternative to the large, best-endeavours kernel would be to ship a really tight kernel and use the installation front-end to configure additional support (in modules where possible or desirable). The stripped-down kernel for 1.2 is currently 362K compressed, a good deal smaller than the generic one for 1.1 . And that was with AX.25 included in the kernel (because it's not modularized and I wanted to experiment with it). The final one will no doubt be smaller. As far as I can tell, everything that I left out of it is working in module form. However, some of the modules do not auto-configure the device addresses, while the linked in version of the same driver does. We might have to help the user a bit with this, but hopefully it will be less of a mess than the situation we have now, in which the generic kernel can't be made to work for everyone. Thanks Bruce
Re: kernel size (was: How do I get GATEWAY2000 PS/2 mouse to work?)
The real question is whether the default kernel should be bloated with features, or pared down. I disagree. The default kernel need not contain anything that isn't necessary to boot. This means floppy, minix, and ramdisk drivers. Ide might be useful; this should (imho) be loadable as a module, though. But anyway, to the mouse. ps/2 mice can be loaded as modules. As long as it is loaded when it is determined that the user has a ps2 mouse, I see no reason why it can't be included in the available modules at boot time, and at the same time see no reason why it should be in the default kernel; modules work. Use them. If someone decides they'd rather not load the ps2 module, but compile it into the kernel, well, they can. -- Todd Fries .. [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: kernel size (was: How do I get GATEWAY2000 PS/2 mouse to work?)
The real question is whether the default kernel should be bloated with features, or pared down. From: Todd Tyrone Fries [EMAIL PROTECTED] The default kernel need not contain anything that isn't necessary to boot. This means floppy, minix, and ramdisk drivers. This is the way it will be for 1.2 . I am testing it now. The default kernel has no IDE, no SCSI, little else. When you set up the system, it builds a RAM disk image that is loaded at boot time. The script on the RAM disk loads the modules for your local hardware configuration _before_ it mounts the root. Some things that still aren't modularized are in the default kernel. The stripped-down kernel and the compressed installation root filesystem fit on one 1200K floppy and run fine that way. The floppy also contains a few of the most popular modules, and you get to feed it more floppies (or a CD) containing other modules depending on your configuration. No-floppy bootstrap should be possible for systems with 8MB RAM and a CD or DOS hard disk. One-floppy NFS bootstrap should be possible. See /usr/src/linux/Documentation/initrd.txt . Bruce
RE: kernel size (was: How do I get GATEWAY2000 PS/2 mouse to work?)
Todd, Do you disagree? Aren't you simply saying that you'd go down the 'pared down kernel route'? (Note: when I say pared down, I don't preclude the possibility of using modules.) Casper Boden-Cummins. -- From: Todd Tyrone Fries[SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: 19 August 1996 21:06 To:debian-user@lists.debian.org Subject: Re: kernel size (was: How do I get GATEWAY2000 PS/2 mouse to work?) The real question is whether the default kernel should be bloated with features, or pared down. I disagree. The default kernel need not contain anything that isn't necessary to boot. This means floppy, minix, and ramdisk drivers. Ide might be useful; this should (imho) be loadable as a module, though. But anyway, to the mouse. ps/2 mice can be loaded as modules. As long as it is loaded when it is determined that the user has a ps2 mouse, I see no reason why it can't be included in the available modules at boot time, and at the same time see no reason why it should be in the default kernel; modules work. Use them. If someone decides they'd rather not load the ps2 module, but compile it into the kernel, well, they can. -- Todd Fries .. [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: How do I get GATEWAY2000 PS/2 mouse to work ?
On Wed, 14 Aug 1996, Gilbert Ramirez Jr. wrote: I think that you missed the original poster's point. Users shouldn't have to recompile their kernels to get their PS/2 mice to work. Such a I will unfortunately continue this thread with nothing but opinions. I think that any person wanting to run Unix on their own computer should be able to 1) download files, 2) uncompress and untar files, 3) type 'make config', and the least 4) make a boot floppy. They don't even have to understand LILO. Making a new kernel is not that difficult. 1) and 2) are a big problem if like me you only set up the machines with very small linux partitions. I've been setting up several student PCs here with Debian for use just as X terminals, which only have small hard disks, and still need DOS windows. Ben McKeegan Assistant Computer Officer Fitzwilliam College, University of Cambridge.
Re: kernel size (was: How do I get GATEWAY2000 PS/2 mouse to work?)
On Thu, 15 Aug 1996 10:04:04 +0100 Casper BodenCummins [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: [snipped stuff about PS/2 support not being present by default ] The real question is whether the default kernel should be bloated with features, or pared down. As a brand new Debian user who didn't even know how to spell Colonel until recently, and who has been caught out by the lack of PS/2 support, I'd vote for a large everything and the kitchen sink kernel to cover most eventualities. This will give heart to new-users and upgraders, and can trimmed and tweaked by the gurus. And thank you to all who responded with my newbie question about telnetting in as root to a box without a screen or keyboard - su and /etc/securetty were all new to me. David __ David J. Evans AMS, Virology Research Group, The University of Reading Whiteknights, P.O. Box 228, Reading RG6 6AJ Tel : +44 (0)118 9318893 Fax : +44 (0)118 9316537 http://skpc10.reading.ac.uk/
Re: How do I get GATEWAY2000 PS/2 mouse to work ?
As Ben McKeegan said: On Wed, 14 Aug 1996, Gilbert Ramirez Jr. wrote: I will unfortunately continue this thread with nothing but opinions. I think that any person wanting to run Unix on their own computer should be able to 1) download files, 2) uncompress and untar files, 3) type 'make config', and the least 4) make a boot floppy. They don't even have to understand LILO. 1) and 2) are a big problem if like me you only set up the machines with very small linux partitions. I've been setting up several student PCs here with Debian for use just as X terminals, which only have small hard disks, and still need DOS windows. True. Also, after I posted the above, I realized that #1 above may be *very* difficult, judging from the amount of troubles people have had with pppd and chat. Ben McKeegan --gilbert __ Gilbert Ramirez Jr. [EMAIL PROTECTED] University of Texas http://merece.uthscsa.edu/gram Health Science Center at San AntonioUniversity Health System
Re: How do I get GATEWAY2000 PS/2 mouse to work ?
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Mark Rahner) Users shouldn't have to recompile their kernels to get their PS/2 mice to work. It's my fault. I built the generic kernel, and built in all of the modules I could, and I missed the fact that if I put a y in this little square box that I would then see a menu of mouse modules that I should have included in the kernel. I really did not mean for you to have to recompile the kernel to make your mouse work. I built a new generic kernel and mouse modules two days ago. I will place this on a boot floppy and upload it as soon as I can. I've been very busy - I'm sorry that I haven't had time to correct this sooner. Thanks Bruce -- Clinton isn't perfect, but I like him a lot more than Dole. Please register to vote, and vote for Democrats. Bruce Perens AB6YM [EMAIL PROTECTED]http://www.hams.com/
Re: How do I get GATEWAY2000 PS/2 mouse to work ?
As Mark Rahner said: Todd, I'm sure that you're the neatest computer guy on your block, but I think that you missed the original poster's point. Users shouldn't have to recompile their kernels to get their PS/2 mice to work. Such a requirement is enough to keep many potential Debian users from successfully making the leap from MSStuff to Debian. I will unfortunately continue this thread with nothing but opinions. I think that any person wanting to run Unix on their own computer should be able to 1) download files, 2) uncompress and untar files, 3) type 'make config', and the least 4) make a boot floppy. They don't even have to understand LILO. Making a new kernel is not that difficult. --gilbert __ Gilbert Ramirez Jr. [EMAIL PROTECTED] University of Texas http://merece.uthscsa.edu/gram Health Science Center at San AntonioUniversity Health System
Re: How do I get GATEWAY2000 PS/2 mouse to work ?
From [EMAIL PROTECTED] Tue Aug 13 16:44:48 1996 Someone (sorry, lost name) wrote: -- one never knows if/when PS/2 mouse is going to be available in a downloaded kernel, whereas serial support is virtually always there. Todd Fries ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) responded: Oh give me a break. Users shouldn't have to recompile their kernels to get their PS/2 mice to work. Fine. Tell me your kernel version number and processor type and I'll have ps/2 drivers targz'ed and uuencoded to you within a few hours. In my case, I used to select a module named psaux, and my PS/2 mouse worked fine. Recently I upgraded to Debian 1.1, circa July 1st. As far as I can tell, the psaux module is no longer an option. Sounds like someone forgot something to me. I haven't started using Debian yet; I am going to make a gradual migration as I like to do everything on my system so I understand what is going on. Needless to say, I would never trust a menu system to do things I should be doing myself anyway, but since you seem to, you are considerably correct in saying that if a piece of code is not in the kernel and it can be compiled as a module, I see no reason why it cannot be optionally loaded and included with a distribution. But that is my personal opinion and in no way represents Debian. Coincidentally, my mouse no longer works (when I startx, the system says Fatal server error: Cannot open mouse (No such device)). Duh. No driver, no mouse support. See above for a quick return. My situation is caused by one or more of the following: 1. I am doing something wrong. If the option is not there guess not. 2. There was a more serious problem with my OS upgrade. Newer kernels replace older kernel modules. Therefore upgrading should have gotten you everything you needed, instead of removing something you had. 3. Debian has a bug in its PS/2 mouse support. I certainly can't determine this. 4. Default support for PS/2 mice was intentionally removed. Hopefully not. My guess is an oversight/installation disk space concern. I recall some of the module tar files were reportedly bad; perhaps the mouse got left out? I am guessing here. Unfortunately, I haven't had time to look into this seriously so I'm still Debian-less. Just because a system attempts to make things easier for you shouldn't mean you ignore the details and rely on it exclusively without making any effort at all to fix what is not working. FYI, all you have to do is download the kernel source tree from one of many kernel tree mirrors. Say, ftp://linux.ucs.indiana.edu/linux/kernel/v2.0 is a favorite of mine. Grab linux-2.0.12.tar.gz. Type tar xvzf linux-2.0.12.tar.gz cd linux make menuconfig [ specify the processor type and make a module for non-serial mice and ps/2 ] make modules (as root) make modules_install (as root) depmod -a (as root) modprobe psaux Wow, you have ps2 mouse support. Now wasn't that difficult? But I'm suffering from a massive case of disbelief that this default capability would intentionally be removed. Whether it is or is not intentionally missing is a side issue. You wish to use your mouse. One thing I have found to be true in life is that if it needs to be done, and nothing is being done, do it yourself. So if debian isn't meeting your needs, in the several days you have been discussing this on this list, you could have compiled your module several times over. Not that that justifies Debian in not having ps/2 support for you, but you do what has to be done to get done what you want to get done. Thanks for your support, Hope I've come across as trying to help. -- Todd Fries .. [EMAIL PROTECTED]
kernel size (was: How do I get GATEWAY2000 PS/2 mouse to work?)
This is an interesting issue. You might use similar justification for leaving all but the essentials out of the distributed kernel. This would encourage users to learn how to recompile the kernel, and demonstrate in doing so that it's surprisingly simple. On the other hand, new users might think, 'This kernel doesn't even support mice [or whatever]. What a crummy kernel!'. Many are liable to come to this conclusion on discovering that only serial mice are (have been just recently) supported. Since the project's maintainers have decided to compile in a fair range of support in the distributed kernel, it's quite reasonable to expect something as simple as support for a range of mice to be included. The real question is whether the default kernel should be bloated with features, or pared down. Casper Boden-Cummins. -- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: 14 August 1996 22:51 To:debian-user@lists.debian.org Cc:The recipient's address is unknown. Subject: Re: How do I get GATEWAY2000 PS/2 mouse to work ? As Mark Rahner said: Todd, I'm sure that you're the neatest computer guy on your block, but I think that you missed the original poster's point. Users shouldn't have to recompile their kernels to get their PS/2 mice to work. Such a requirement is enough to keep many potential Debian users from successfully making the leap from MSStuff to Debian. I will unfortunately continue this thread with nothing but opinions. I think that any person wanting to run Unix on their own computer should be able to 1) download files, 2) uncompress and untar files, 3) type 'make config', and the least 4) make a boot floppy. They don't even have to understand LILO. Making a new kernel is not that difficult. --gilbert __ Gilbert Ramirez Jr. [EMAIL PROTECTED] University of Texas http://merece.uthscsa.edu/gram Health Science Center at San AntonioUniversity Health System
Re: kernel size (was: How do I get GATEWAY2000 PS/2 mouse to work?)
On Thu, 15 Aug 1996, Casper BodenCummins wrote: This is an interesting issue. You might use similar justification for leaving all but the essentials out of the distributed kernel. This would encourage users to learn how to recompile the kernel, and demonstrate in doing so that it's surprisingly simple. On the other hand, new users might think, 'This kernel doesn't even support mice [or whatever]. What a crummy kernel!'. Many are liable to come to this conclusion on discovering that only serial mice are (have been just recently) supported. Since the project's maintainers have decided to compile in a fair range of support in the distributed kernel, it's quite reasonable to expect something as simple as support for a range of mice to be included. The real question is whether the default kernel should be bloated with features, or pared down. I would think off hand that it would make sense to add another tier to the install layering. 1'st tier. Floppy set. 2'nd tier. You have a system that will boot off the hard disk. Note This means that you need to include lilo on the boot floppy system. Much as I like debian, my experience with slackware was a lot more transparent for getting through this stage. At this point you are booting with a minimal kernel. Since you aren't working with mice the kernel has no mouse support. However to boot off the hard disk the kernel must have hard disk support. This probably means support for numerous scsi cards too. 3'rd tier. Configure to specific hardware. This is where you would tell it what type of sound card, cd-rom, network card. Some of this can be done by autodetect scripts. At the end of this tier you should have a system that can ftp, mount nfs, mount cd-roms. 4'th tier. Add rest of basic package. Note: At present dselect allows you to pick and choose too early I think. The basic required stuff should be done as an automated install. At the end of this you have a minimalist, but basic unix machine. 5'th tier. Normal dselect, where you can pick out what you want. One of the recommended packages would be kernel builder, which would guide you through the steps to either select one of a standard set, or help you to roll your own. Sherwood Botsford |Unsolicited email that advertises commercial Physics Dept |activities will consitute a request for U of Alberta |spellchecking of all words of less than three Edmonton, AB, |characters. I charge $US500 for this service. T6G 2J1 |There is no warranty of correctness of this service.
Re: How do I get GATEWAY2000 PS/2 mouse to work ?
- Begin Included Message - From [EMAIL PROTECTED] Tue Aug 13 16:44:48 1996 Someone (sorry, lost name) wrote: -- one never knows if/when PS/2 mouse is going to be available in a downloaded kernel, whereas serial support is virtually always there. Todd Fries ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) responded: Oh give me a break. If you are not experienced enough to compile your own kernel for your own custom hardware you should never be giving advice to other linux users until you are. SHEESH. It is not that hard. Do a 'make config' once, cp .config to some safe place, then if you must remove your kernel source tree or upgrade or compile someone else's kernel, you can, and the copy the file back and say 'make oldconfig'. IT IS NOT THAT HARD PEOPLE! I personally have 14 different 'configurations' for different people in my 'safe place' away from the kernel tree. So I can compile for 14 different people if they ask me to. Todd, I'm sure that you're the neatest computer guy on your block, but I think that you missed the original poster's point. Users shouldn't have to recompile their kernels to get their PS/2 mice to work. Such a requirement is enough to keep many potential Debian users from successfully making the leap from MSStuff to Debian. In my case, I used to select a module named psaux, and my PS/2 mouse worked fine. Recently I upgraded to Debian 1.1, circa July 1st. As far as I can tell, the psaux module is no longer an option. Coincidentally, my mouse no longer works (when I startx, the system says Fatal server error: Cannot open mouse (No such device)). My situation is caused by one or more of the following: 1. I am doing something wrong. 2. There was a more serious problem with my OS upgrade. 3. Debian has a bug in its PS/2 mouse support. 4. Default support for PS/2 mice was intentionally removed. Unfortunately, I haven't had time to look into this seriously so I'm still Debian-less. I've seen possibility #4 alluded to (usually preceded by the words I think) several times on this mailing list. But I'm suffering from a massive case of disbelief that this default capability would intentionally be removed. What I would very much like to see is a definitive statement regarding Debian's default support, or default lack of support, for PS/2 mice. (Hi Bruce, please respond). If default PS/2 mouse support has been intentionally removed, I'd also appreciate a quick explanation and request that this decision be reconsidered. Thanks for your support, Mark Rahner
Re: Re^3: How do I get GATEWAY2000 PS/2 mouse to work ?
My experience is that there are a couple of good hardware reasons for getting serial mice instead of PS/2 mice: -- we accidentally fried a BIOS chip by delivering a static charge through a PS/2 mouse. This has never happened with a serial mouse, and leads me to suspect that the PS/2 connector (or at least the connector we used to have on our R.I.P. Asus '486 motherboard) is less robust against static than an serial connector. This sounds like the only hardware reason to me. -- removing the PS/2 mouse frees up an IRQ. Perhaps for you. I cannot put ANYTHING on the irq used by my ps/2 mouse because my p60 does not let me disable it. -- one never knows if/when PS/2 mouse is going to be available in a downloaded kernel, whereas serial support is virtually always there. Oh give me a break. If you are not experienced enough to compile your own kernel for your own custom hardware you should never be giving advice to other linux users until you are. SHEESH. It is not that hard. Do a 'make config' once, cp .config to some safe place, then if you must remove your kernel source tree or upgrade or compile someone else's kernel, you can, and the copy the file back and say 'make oldconfig'. IT IS NOT THAT HARD PEOPLE! I personally have 14 different 'configurations' for different people in my 'safe place' away from the kernel tree. So I can compile for 14 different people if they ask me to. That said, I have a ps/2 port and am using a serial mouse. Why? Because before I had this pentium motherboard I did not have a ps/2 port and thus had a serial mouse. I am too cheap to go buy a ps/2 mouse, but when I borrowed one from a friend to verify the port worked (easily compiled as a module...no reboot) I experienced a much more responsive mouse than the three serial mice I have tried since. I for one intend to get a ps/2 mouse when I have the extra money. I have had some problems with some serial mice though, particularly those cheap ones which change their state when the power goes off. Hehehe, you mean the cheez-ball 3 button mice that when initialized must have the right button pressed or they go into 2 button mode? grin -- Todd Fries .. [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: How do I get GATEWAY2000 PS/2 mouse to work or The Case of The Missing Modules)
Mike Taylor wrote: On Thu, 8 Aug 1996, Mark Edward Johnston wrote: I have installed Linux (Debian 1.1) on a friend's computer, but can't get X to work as it complains about not being able to find the mouse. The system is a Gateway 2000 DX2/66 with Cirrus Logic 5434 and what seems to be a PS/2 mouse. I have linked /dev/mouse - /dev/psmouse (- /dev/psaux) and set Protocol and Device in XF86Config to PS/2 and /dev/mouse respectively. Any help would be appreciated, Mark Johnston ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) PS: Does anybody know if PS/2 mouse support is in the default kernel in Debian 1.1.3 ?? Is this a valid question ? The debian 1.1.x kernel as distributed supports the PS/2 mouse as a Module. The only problem is that the binary distribution does not contain a complete set of modules. I got the required module by compiling the kernel using the existing debian configuration file. This generated a full set of modules. I manually added the missing module to my configurating and the mouse started working. NOW The Greater Question for the Debian package maintainers is: Why isn't a complete set of modules distributed with the binaries? I've seen the same PS/2 mouse question over and over again. It's a very simple problem to solve, but a pain in the butt for someone that's never compiled a kernel. MY SUGGESTION: Add a complete set of modules to the distribution package. Jim [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Re^2: How do I get GATEWAY2000 PS/2 mouse to work ? (fwd)
As Susan G. Kleinmann said: My experience is that there are a couple of good hardware reasons for getting serial mice instead of PS/2 mice: -- removing the PS/2 mouse frees up an IRQ. Perhaps I am wrong, but a serial mouse also requires an IRQ... and a serial port! With my PS/2 mouse I don't waste a serial port, so I can easily have a modem and a dumb terminal connected to my computer. Or is there a way to share IRQ's between a serial device and a serial mouse on the same port? Cheers, Susan Kleinmann --gilbert __ Gilbert Ramirez Jr. [EMAIL PROTECTED] University of Texas http://merece.uthscsa.edu/gram Health Science Center at San AntonioUniversity Health System
Re: How do I get GATEWAY2000 PS/2 mouse to work
As Mark Edward Johnston said: - The modules.tgz file on the special kernel 1 boot disk is corrupted. If this was fixed I could have obtained the module I needed by extracting it from this file. I'd like to take time to point this out. I thought that I was the only one experiencing this problem, but Mark is the third person who has remarked about this. This is true of Debian-1.1.2. I haven't checked 1.1.3. All the special-kernel boot-disks have a corrupt modules.tgz file on them. It's a valid gzip file, but an invalid tar file. It's as if the tar file was cut in half or something. The way to get around this is to download the kernel-image package to another Unix machine, use ar and gzip and tar to extract the modules you need, then build your own modules.tar.gz file. Then copy it onto the boot disk (it has an MS-DOS filesystem onit) as 'modules.tgz'. This will then let you install the kernel. --gilbert __ Gilbert Ramirez Jr. [EMAIL PROTECTED] University of Texas http://merece.uthscsa.edu/gram Health Science Center at San AntonioUniversity Health System
Re: How do I get GATEWAY2000 PS/2 mouse to work
This did not work, however - the make failed (after the best part of an hour had elapsed) when it was unable to find as86. I could not find as86 anywhere on my system, and so was stuck. Hmm. Perhaps kernel-package should depend on bin86? You definitely need the bin86 package to build a kernel (it has as86 and ld86.) Package: bin86 Status: install ok installed Priority: standard Section: devel Maintainer: Joost Witteveen [EMAIL PROTECTED] Version: 0.3-1 Depends: libc5 Description: Assembler and loader for kernel compilation.
Re: How do I get GATEWAY2000 PS/2 mouse to work
The standard kernel image from debian does not support ps2 mouse. Look in the special-kernels directory. There is a config file for each kernel to tell you what the kernel supports. I believe the kernel that was built with config-1 contains ps2 mouse support. It should contain a line like CONFIG_PSMOUSE=m which means that psmouse is supported as a module. Unfortunately, I have not used these kernels so maybe you can confirm this with somebody else... --Derek Lee
Re: How do I get GATEWAY2000 PS/2 mouse to work
There is a package called bin86 in the devel area which contains the as86 and ld86 binaries, which are necessary for kernel-compilation. Once you have these, the compilation should proceed smoothly. I don't know if this is properly a bug in the distribution, though, because you don't need the x86 assembler for compiling on, say, a PowerPc. But I definitely agree with you that somewhere there should be a x86 README or something that makes it easier to figure this out. Ideally, however, I would have liked to compile a kernel which supported the PS/2 mouse, as well as some other features of the GATEWAY 2000, such as APM, and use that. I downloaded and installed the kernel source package from 1.1.3, configured it, and tried to make the image by doing ./debian.rules This did not work, however - the make failed (after the best part of an hour had elapsed) when it was unable to find as86. I could not find as86 anywhere on my system, and so was stuck. Am I doing something wrong, or is it the case that the kernel-source package is flawed ?
How do I get GATEWAY2000 PS/2 mouse to work ? (fwd)
I have installed Linux (Debian 1.1) on a friend's computer, but can't get X to work as it complains about not being able to find the mouse. The system is a Gateway 2000 DX2/66 with Cirrus Logic 5434 and what seems to be a PS/2 mouse. I have linked /dev/mouse - /dev/psmouse (- /dev/psaux) and set Protocol and Device in XF86Config to PS/2 and /dev/mouse respectively. Any help would be appreciated, Mark Johnston ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) PS: Does anybody know if PS/2 mouse support is in the default kernel in Debian 1.1.3 ?? Is this a valid question ?
Re: How do I get GATEWAY2000 PS/2 mouse to work ? (fwd)
Mark Edward Johnston wrote: I have installed Linux (Debian 1.1) on a friend's computer, but can't get X to work as it complains about not being able to find the mouse. The system is a Gateway 2000 DX2/66 with Cirrus Logic 5434 and what seems to be a PS/2 mouse. I have linked /dev/mouse - /dev/psmouse (- /dev/psaux) and set Protocol and Device in XF86Config to PS/2 and /dev/mouse respectively. Any help would be appreciated, Mark Johnston ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) PS: Does anybody know if PS/2 mouse support is in the default kernel in Debian 1.1.3 ?? Is this a valid question ? As I and a friend frieend with a Gateway 2000 have finally discovered, that is a very good question. No, PS/2 mouse support is not in not compiled in and doesn't appear to be available as a module. You'll need to reconfigure and recompile. Once you have installed the kernel-source package you want, follow the directions in /usr/src/linux/debian.README. I hope this helps.
Re: How do I get GATEWAY2000 PS/2 mouse to work ? (fwd)
On Thu, 8 Aug 1996, Mark Edward Johnston wrote: I have installed Linux (Debian 1.1) on a friend's computer, but can't get X to work as it complains about not being able to find the mouse. The system is a Gateway 2000 DX2/66 with Cirrus Logic 5434 and what seems to be a PS/2 mouse. I have linked /dev/mouse - /dev/psmouse (- /dev/psaux) and set Protocol and Device in XF86Config to PS/2 and /dev/mouse respectively. Any help would be appreciated, Mark Johnston ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) PS: Does anybody know if PS/2 mouse support is in the default kernel in Debian 1.1.3 ?? Is this a valid question ? PS/2 support is not there for 1.1.2. I suspect it is not there for 1.1.3. To get it you will have to use a special kernel or compile one yourself. Lots of people seem to have problems getting PS2 mice up. My Gateway + PS2 worked fine under Slackware 3.0, but I still can't get it to work under Debian. I have tried all the stuff that you tried plus compiling a custom kernel (with the Debian source package) but no dice. My (admittedly cowardly) solution: cheap serial mouse. Mike
Re^2: How do I get GATEWAY2000 PS/2 mouse to work ? (fwd)
On Thu, 8 Aug 1996, Mike Taylor wrote: Lots of people seem to have problems getting PS2 mice up. My Gateway + PS2 worked fine under Slackware 3.0, but I still can't get it to work under Debian. I have tried all the stuff that you tried plus compiling a custom kernel (with the Debian source package) but no dice. My (admittedly cowardly) solution: cheap serial mouse. My experience is that there are a couple of good hardware reasons for getting serial mice instead of PS/2 mice: -- we accidentally fried a BIOS chip by delivering a static charge through a PS/2 mouse. This has never happened with a serial mouse, and leads me to suspect that the PS/2 connector (or at least the connector we used to have on our R.I.P. Asus '486 motherboard) is less robust against static than an serial connector. -- removing the PS/2 mouse frees up an IRQ. -- one never knows if/when PS/2 mouse is going to be available in a downloaded kernel, whereas serial support is virtually always there. I have had some problems with some serial mice though, particularly those cheap ones which change their state when the power goes off. Cheers, Susan Kleinmann
Re: Re^2: How do I get GATEWAY2000 PS/2 mouse to work ? (fwd)
on the other hand, most laptops with builtin mouse or trackball or force stick or glidepoint seem to use the PS/2 interface... which is an argument (polite request :-) for having it in the default kernel. Can't free up the IRQ in that case either...
Re: How do I get GATEWAY2000 PS/2 mouse to work ? (fwd)
Hey, I had trouble with a PS/2 mouse to.. As many have.. I dont know if this will work, but it did for me. ( I even got this advice from this list a few weeks ago ). In the XF86Config file, edit it... And where it says Device Pointer Or somthing of that matter, it might say /dev/mouse .. Delete that and enter in its place /dev/psaux Hope this helps b4 you go through the work of re-compiling... Lata Gata Aron [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: How do I get GATEWAY2000 PS/2 mouse to work
Thanks to all who replied to this posting. I have now got the mouse working. To summarise : Support for PS/2 mouse is not in the kernel on the standard Debian boot disk, either built in or as a module. Thus, to use a PS/2 mouse one has to obtain a kernel with the required support. The special kernel 1 has the neccessary psaux.o module, so obtaining the corresponding image package, installing it, and adding psaux to the appropriate config file (/etc/modules ? I can't remember) will do the job. Ideally, however, I would have liked to compile a kernel which supported the PS/2 mouse, as well as some other features of the GATEWAY 2000, such as APM, and use that. I downloaded and installed the kernel source package from 1.1.3, configured it, and tried to make the image by doing ./debian.rules This did not work, however - the make failed (after the best part of an hour had elapsed) when it was unable to find as86. I could not find as86 anywhere on my system, and so was stuck. Am I doing something wrong, or is it the case that the kernel-source package is flawed ? BTW, when I tried to config under X with make xconfig, tk failed with a complaint about there being no such colour as gray !?!? Any ideas here ? Some suggestions : - The default boot disk should have PS/2 mouse support available as a module, since the PS/2 mouse seems a reasonably common device, and new users will not be happy if they have to go to great lengths just to get their mouse working. - The modules.tgz file on the special kernel 1 boot disk is corrupted. If this was fixed I could have obtained the module I needed by extracting it from this file. - The apparent dependency of the kernel compilation procedure on as86 should be resolved - if this file is neccessary then it should be in one of the packages upon which the kernel-source package depends. Thanks again for everyone's help, Mark Johnston.
