Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
I believe the backlight will stay fixed at 100% until someone figures out what PCI register to poke (or reverse engineers the original firmware hard enough to find this detail.) In the meantime, the screen can be fake-dimmed using xrandr, for example: xrandr --output LVDS1 --gamma 9:9:9 --brightness .5 I say fake because this will only make all pixels a bit darker in color, it will not reduce the backlight. But it will help make your eyes strain less at night, which is better than nothing. The gamma setting is a way to try and put some contrast back in. It can be undone with: xrandr --output LVDS1 --gamma 1:1:1 --brightness 1 Hope this helps.
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
Hurray! Thank you. It looks great!
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
elodie is correct about the code (00:02.0) and that it still does not work ... @GustavoCM you mention that we may also have to change the f4 parameter. I've been searching online and I don't really understand what this parameter does in the command.
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
The brightness is fixed at 100%. This is a limation in the native graphics code, but I suspect it will added in the future. (native graphics or native gfx init or native vga init is a term used in coreboot) (it is a free VBIOS / VGA ROM replacement) A VBIOS inits the GPU and controls things like backlight, before the OS boots. It used to be that the only option for this was to extract the nonfree VBIOS from the original firmware and put that in coreboot and have SeaBIOS run it. Now there is a free replacement, which is what you have but the replacement does have a few limitations currently.
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
Ok, thanks for the clarification.
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
Yes, but how do I guess the number? Shouldn't there be a welcome page that points out to the latest package? With a changelog maybe.
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
Attention before trying, GustavoCM has no idea.
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
Attention before trying, muhammed has no idea.
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
Yes, the thread is infested with people that have no idea and no such hardware. But that's a problem with any public forum.
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
Is there a place where these updates are posted?
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
Right. For Gluglug X60 it is 00:02.0 It still does not work.
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
http://gluglug.org.uk/X60/release/X/X60_source.tar.gz X is always a number. This is how updates are labelled. Then there is http://libreboot.org/ but that's for another day.
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
(for now, just press enter to get past those errors)
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
Ignore them. Those errors are totally benign. The distro grub.cfg is trying to load modules that don't exist in the payload. I have a few ideas for how to deal with this, I'll be experimenting on those ideas later.
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
inside the archive there is a file flash_instruction.
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
Hi nbd, try to find the correct device domain for your graphics controller with the lspci command. You should search for VGA compatible controller... here it is this way: $ lspci | grep -i vga 00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: [controller name] Then, take the numerical code in the beginning of the line and throw it in the command: sudo setpci -s CODE f4.b=XX. It is also possible that you should change the f4 parameter, that points to some place at the PCI memory or sth. like that (the 'b' only tells the computer how to read the 'XX' value), but probably the only people who could tell you which value you should use there are the manufacturers of the controller.
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
It's impressive what you can do only with the help of Google. Just imagine what progress you could make if they would institutionalize you. With qualified help you can even renounce diapers and be a big banana! Best of luck!
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
Hi GustavoCM, This doesn't appear to work for me. I tried first with XX = 7F, then XX = FF, then XX = 1F. No noticeable change in screen brightness. Thanks.
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
And the Hex quantity should be between which two values? 0 to 64, 0 to FF, 1 to 10?
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
sudo setpci -s 00:02.0 f4.b=XX, with XX being an hexadecimal quantity, usually allows one to change the brightness by directly manipulating the hardware. I use that...
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
https://trisquel.info/en/forum/gluglug-thinkpad-x60-w-coreboot-mini-review#comment-49603
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
I'll leave the gluglug documentation page link here too: https://trisquel.info/en/wiki/gluglug
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
xbacklight? No, it doesn't. I was also unable to find any clear instructions online which could help :(.
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
Does it work on your Gluglug X60?
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
1. No 2. Normal use with Wifi on, other extensions like parport, pcmcia, firewire, ethernet, and so on unloaded and blacklisted from kernel. Almost 2 hours at best. And it heats badly. Both the CPU and the hard drive.
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
Thanks so much lembas. I ran this option: sudo passwd -dl root I'll exercise more caution in the future and consult the forums before executing such commands.
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
Step 2 in that link starts with the command: sudo passwd root I executed this command before posting to this forum and was prompted to enter a new 'UNIX' password (can't quite remember the full statement. I entered my password understanding it was required to obtain temporary sudo privileges. By doing this did I inadvertently set a password for the root user/account? This is not wise, right? Thanks in advance.
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
By doing this did I inadvertently set a password for the root user/account? This is not wise, right? Yes and yes. :) To undo the damage, run sudo passwd -l root
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
Hi ahj, With this laptop were you able to change your login details (username and password. Mr Rowe sent me this link explaining how to do it but I've been unsuccessful. He also stated that there is no root account in Trisquel (by default at least). This confused me. Is that really the case? http://www.ubuntututorials.com/change-username-ubuntu-12-04/ If it is true how does one execute step 2 in the link? Thanks in advance.
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
It certainly should be possible independent of the hardware, not that I've ever done it. There is a root account but you can't login as root, the password is disabled. That link talks about lightdm which ubuntu uses but Trisquel uses gdm3, so the step 2 won't work. I believe there is no need to assign a password to root account and to login as root. Just open a term and sudo su to become root, then do the usermod things (steps 4 and 5). I could be wrong though.
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
I came across an advert by chance on the gNewSense site and ordered one before I even saw this thread. I am very grateful for all the helpful information that has been posted here. I am already able to build my own desktop, which is free except for the firmware, but a laptop was still going to be a problem for a while. I have been learning to write Linux device drivers (under GPL of course), and have already successfully written a userspace driver for an obscure mass-storage device, but I think writing firmware may be even more rewarding (and reassuring), so I hope to learn how to with this laptop.
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
What is a userspace driver? Also, have you published the drivers anywhere for others to use?
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
A userspace driver is one that runs in user space rather than kernel space and has to be compiled as a loadable module of the kernel. The userspace driver is much easier to develop and will not crash the kernel, but I want to be able to write kernel drivers for one or two reasons. I need to be able to compile a kernel for that, and at the moment I am not sure how to install the kernel source for the kernel that I am running. I believe a driver needs more that just the kernel header files. I am just cleaning and testing my code before publishing it because I know it will be scrutinised by programmers far more experienced than I. I would like to publish the source anonymously on a site such as this or gNewSense to ensure that it never gets taken over by a commercial entity. I can post some of the code already if you can point me to the best license text to include in the source file. The driver (and the application that uses it) is for a USB adapter for a GameCube Memory Card that is only supported under Windows I believe. I don't want to start a git project (someome else can do that) but I do want the code to remain free.
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
Please help improve our function-key-alternatives page: https://trisquel.info/en/wiki/function-keys
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
It's in the Trisquel repos; Trisquel only supports free software, so I assumed it's free. But it's probably best to look try and check indepednently. I found the official site and the wikipedia page: http://www.x.org/releases/X11R7.6/doc/man/man1/xbacklight.1.xhtml https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xorg http://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html#X11License
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
I tried the command you gave me in a separate Trisquel installation, and it gave me the source files I wanted (I had to install dpkg-dev first.) Then I copied the folder to /usr/src with root privileges, and everything looks fine now. I think I can take it from there. Thank you very much for your help.
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
Thank you for writing free software!
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
Thanks for this Muhammed. I assume this is a free software utility? Out of curiosity how does one determine if something like this is free software if it not in the list of applications suggested by the 'Add/Remove Applications' GUI. Thanks.
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
Everything on the Trisquel repo is free. Add/Remove Apps doesn't do any filtering of this sort. The reason some things can't be seen in Add/Remove Apps is it only shows graphical applications.
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
Thanks for explaining this onpon4.
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
With regard to the brightness issue ... ... is it the BIOS (coreboot in this case) that controls the brightness? Thanks.
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
Gnome2 had an applet to control screen brightness. It worked even if the function keys didn't, if I remember right. Maybe Mate will have something similar? There was a terminal command that controls screen brightness too ... I wish I could remember it.
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
I found it; I hope this works for you. Install: sudo apt-get install xbacklight Use: xbacklight -set Y (Y = any number from 0 to 100)
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
I have an Atheros wifi card that doesn't work with the standard BIOS Coreboot doesn't have that anti-feature.
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
Seems I got some links mixed up. For watching Youtube, these should be the two links: http://www.gluglug.org.uk/tutorials/accessing-youtube/ https://trisquel.info/en/wiki/play-videos-without-using-flash About my battery: it lasts 3 hours with wifi on and charges up in two.
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
If you check here http://www.coreboot.org/Board:lenovo/x60/Installation the coreboot is compatible even with the T60 and the screen in that laptop is 14 or more.
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
Wondering if coreboot removes the digital restrictions on PCIe cards? I have an Atheros wifi card that doesn't work with the standard BIOS, even though it is a Lenovo card. Maybe it will work with coreboot? I have an X60s without coreboot at the moment.
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
I bought one too from Francis Rowe and wrote a review. I'm going to quote it here since it's relevant and may have useful information: I ordered an x60 with 3GB ram and 120GB SSD from the Gluglug before Christmas. The Fedex shipment arrived to Finland a couple of days later. Here are my first impressions and final review: 1) After charging the laptop and booting, I am greeted by GRUB2 with a levitating meditating gnu background 2) The Gluglug had installed coreboot without its binary blobs and replaced the wireless card with a free software compatible one, meaning that the machine ran on completely open source software respecting the user's privacy and inteligence. Considering this, it is a huge positive surprise how well everything works on this machine! Function keys, Wi-Fi, indicator leds, the pointing stick, suspend and the battery all work as expected right from the start. The only thing not working is changing the screen brightness, which stays fixed at 100%. 3) The laptop comes with Trisquel 6 Toutatis preinstalled, but for anyone wanting to set up their installation themselves it is not a huge effort: copy the X60_source.tar.gz file to a safe place (it contains all the source code for the coreboot version in the machine), grab the newest Trisquel (or any distribution you like) iso from the internet, flash it to an USB thumbdrive and boot from it in GRUB. There you go. A note of warning for the novices: I had problems when flashing the iso using the Startup Disk Creator tool in Trisquel. The Gluglug helped me gladly and actually there is a readme with all the details on installing another distribution inside the X60_source.tar.gz archive. 4) This laptop got the Free Software Foundation's Respects your freedom certificate recently: http://www.fsf.org/resources/hw/endorsement/respects-your-freedom 5) If you are reading this review, it means you must have at least a small interest in free software. If you are like me and have never used GNU/Linux before, give it a shot! It's wonderful to see how the GNU world has evolved tools and software for most tasks. However, if you have a very specific need, ask around before commiting to GNU/Linux. These are the things I've struggled a bit with: - watching youtube or other flash videos online: for this you should disable gnash, the GNU flash player in the browser, as it rarely works. Then follow instructions either here (http://www.fsf.org/resources/hw/endorsement/respects-your-freedom) or here (https://trisquel.info/en/wiki/play-videos-without-using-flash). For now I am using the Linterna Mágica approach from the second link. It works almost always, but on some videos you have to wait a while for the Greasemonkey script to load. - watching encrypted DVDs: some commercially sold DVDs are encrypted, and to watch them using mplayer you have to install libdvdcss (which can't be included in the distribution because of some US laws). Read here: https://trisquel.info/en/wiki/enable-dvd-playback. - Many of the software in the Trisquel depositories is outdated, but almost all open source software have a readme indicating how to compile it. Compiling may sound daunting if you come from the Windows world, but it really just boils down to following simple instructions line-by-line. My final verdict: this laptop is a must for anyone interested in GNU/Linux and free software. As far as I know, it is the only x86 based computer in the world running completely on free software (including boot code and drivers). For other people, it is a very small and hassle-free investement for a linux laptop without glitches.
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
Thank you very much for your review! I'll consider buying one when I got more money.
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
1) has the brightness issue been resolved? 2) what is the battery life like during idle, normal, and heavy use?
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
1) has the brightness issue been resolved? No and, AFAIK, no one is working on it. 2) what is the battery life like during idle, normal, and heavy use? I usually get about 2 hours from the 8-cell battery. I used to get more but the backlight at 100% all the time has reduced that.
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
This is just great! Is this laptop only available with a 12.1 display?
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
The update is impressive. Will the new orders come with this new configuration?
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
Latest Linux Action Show does a short segment on the gluglug. https://youtu.be/08HKcH2GguE?t=26m5s Overall positive, but they don't seem to get the subtle details and tend to focus on specs and refurb, but hey, it's a mention of a freedom option going out to a Linux audience.
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
It's nice to see that this laptop has received the 'Respects your freedom' certification from the FSF. Also, I received an update from Mr Rowe the other day, it seems that a new revision of the coreboot stack is ready: Hi xx, Benefits of this new release: - Coreboot payload: GRUB2 - GRUB2 payload: SeaBIOS (available in boot menu) - GRUB2 payload: MemTest86+ (available in boot menu) - Non-free microcode updates removed from coreboot - Native graphics support (replaces the nonfree VBIOS / VGA option ROM) - thinkpad_acpi support (needed for the backlight and other things) - Source code 100% free and deblobbed. - Parabola and gNewSense are now usable. 3rd release. 2013 December 14th Compiled version () (pre-compiled coreboot.rom, flashrom/bucts source code. Documentation.): - useful if you just want to flash the new version: - http://gluglug.org.uk/X60/release/2/X60_binary.tar.gz Source code () (coreboot, bucts, flashrom, grub2, memtest86+. Config files. Documentation.): - useful if you want to study and hack the source code: - http://gluglug.org.uk/X60/release/2/X60_source.tar.gz Changes: - Added SeaBIOS payload to GRUB2 (for booting USB drives) - new grub.cfg Updating your firmware always has a risk of bricking the machine. Instructions are included, but be careful. If you are not sure about how to update or would like help during the procedure, I'm more than happy to provide it. Hope this helps Regards, Francis Rowe.
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
If I could trade my current laptop (that is actually pretty free software friendly, not much to complain...) by one of those, I would. But spending money on another computer is really not the main need I have right now. I am still happy to see these, and hope more will come. Maybe some other laptops that work with coreboot could be made available?
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
Now I see that it _is_ possible. Indeed it is, and I'd like to see desktop computers next but they present other challenges that need addressing.
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
-BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE- Hash: SHA1 On 2013-12-02 04:54, a...@member.fsf.org wrote: So I bought this liberated notebook about a month ago, and haven't been using anything else since. The man behind the configuration is Mr. Francis Rowe, and he has been nothing but extremely helpful. [...] Thanks for sharing that! Forum edits don't make to the mailing list - the online store is here: http://shop.gluglug.org.uk/product/ibm-lenovo-thinkpad-x60-coreboot/ I also posted this to Reddit (upvote!): http://www.reddit.com/r/coreboot/comments/1s7vnr/ibm_lenovo_thinkpad_x60_ultrabase_x6_w_coreboot/ I've suggested to add Bitcoin as a payment method ;) Cheers, Fabian - -- Fabián Rodríguez http://fsf.magicfab.ca -BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE- Version: GnuPG v1.4.11 (GNU/Linux) Comment: PGP/Mime available upon request Comment: Using GnuPG with Thunderbird - http://www.enigmail.net/ iEYEARECAAYFAlKhVywACgkQfUcTXFrypNULbgCZAaBhZnpiq+NOXR080wi3y4Ot iSoAnRPLa6kJHwmqnRh6h3ehD53Nd6t5 =cPXV -END PGP SIGNATURE-
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
-BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE- Hash: SHA1 On 2013-12-02 04:54, a...@member.fsf.org wrote: So I bought this liberated notebook about a month ago, and haven't been using anything else since. T [..] It would also be useful to post your review in the Reviews tab at: http://shop.gluglug.org.uk/product/ibm-lenovo-thinkpad-x60-w-coreboot-wo-extras/ - - F. - -- Fabián Rodríguez http://fsf.magicfab.ca -BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE- Version: GnuPG v1.4.11 (GNU/Linux) Comment: PGP/Mime available upon request Comment: Using GnuPG with Thunderbird - http://www.enigmail.net/ iEYEARECAAYFAlKhWBoACgkQfUcTXFrypNVuWACfXDDlFIQrKilv66B+zFBIwCiy +GUAn0+tH/QM6r8tGKJEqFpfgejNMDJH =gMR7 -END PGP SIGNATURE-
[Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
So I bought this liberated notebook about a month ago, and haven't been using anything else since. The man behind the configuration is Mr. Francis Rowe, and he has been nothing but extremely helpful. He notified me once the x60 was on its way, and told me some helpful tips regarding coreboot configuration. It's all set up, so you really don't need to do a thing; however, I noticed that the computer produced a high pitch whine. After an email to Mr. Rowe, he promptly replied with a modified GRUB config that solved the problem. If you buy the configuration with the extras, you get a docking base, mouse and serial cable. I would recommend this config as you need the serial cable to perform any coreboot modifications or upgrades. The default operating system is Trisquel, although you can request Gnewsense or Parabola GNU/Linux too. The other important point that makes this particular x60 distinct from other coreboot'd x60's is the fact that Mr. Rowe as actually removed the non-free firmwares from coreboot, effictively turning it into libreboot. This has a few consequences - firstly, the screen brightness is effectively locked at 100% and the physical volume buttons and function keys don't work. The good news is that a coreboot hacker called GNUtoo is working on a free firmware replacement that will resolve these minor, if slightly irritating issues. All in all however, these small issues pale in comparison to what you are actually getting when you buy one of these x60's - a completely free (well, free as a lemote) notebook that respects your privacy, freedom and community. There is no trace of trecherous computing, digital handcuffs or hardwired backdoors. In an age where illigitimate and dangerous groups of humans like the NSA are working hard to strip the rights and freedoms of individuals in the twenty-first century, a computer than does the computing the way *you* wish is essential. I've uploaded some images of my setup - the GNU and GNU/Linux inside stickers came from some FSF purchases I made a few months before. http://imgur.com/bcuzqMC
Re: [Trisquel-users] gluglug thinkpad x60 w/ coreboot mini review
use this link for the images instead http://imgur.com/a/yz0Xb
