Everex gBook

[dgoodma]

Have you seen what Wal-Mart has coming soon?

Everex gBook, 15.4 laptop, $398

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=8224470

[aysiu]

Have you seen what Wal-Mart has coming soon?

Everex gBook, 15.4 laptop, $398

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=8224470
Interesting. It's the same price as Everex's Cloudbook.

[dgoodma]

More is less, and less is more?

[fatality_uk]

Wow, this Linux thing is almost in danger of becoming popular!!! ;)

[zmjjmz]

Has anyone tried this yet?
The reviews at Newegg are... somewhat less than flattering, most of the stating that XP is required for the computer. (That was the case last time I looked at least.)

[Takmadeus]

Now this is strange.... how is this thing so cheap?.... it makes no sense :p, i don't understand why this costs as much as a eeepc but with this features....

[smoker]

nice machine for the price:-)

[ssam]

Now this is strange.... how is this thing so cheap?.... it makes no sense :p, i don't understand why this costs as much as a eeepc but with this features....

small laptops seem to cost a lot more that similar spec'd full size ones.

[cardinals_fan]

Hmm, $398 for a generic processor and 512 MB of RAM. Great deal.

[zmjjmz]

I'm considering recommending it to my sister's nanny (her old Dell is falling apart), but I want to make sure it's reliable and not just cheap. (like her old Dell =_=)

[hrsrd]

:) Great news ! Newegg has just drop the price on the Everex GBook to US$349.99 + US14.39 for shipping!

Follow the link and look for your self:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834280009

Best deal just tried out one of these! really good bang for the buck!

[SoulinEther]

I don't know. I tried gOS (not a fresh install...), and I wasn't overly thrilled by it. I guess the way I did it probably is the reason why.

Why is it that every GNU/Linux-preinstalled computer that I see in broader markets these days ships with some non-GNOME/KDE desktop? (eeePC at least has a more predictable KDE paradigm available). They are IMO simpler, more predictable and more straightforward to use. I've failed at getting that whole Enlightenment thing working (E17, or whatever it is called.. not to be scornful, I really don't know), then again, I never put into it any effort, so who am I to talk?

But I think it would be much cooler if instead of gOS.. these computers shipped with Ubuntu or Xubuntu. I mean, it would just make a whole lot more sense wouldn't it? Better community support, better software support, Canonical to provide customer support... it would save GNU/Linux from looking immature for production and widespread use. Maybe i'm way off base here when I say this, though...

because yes, i'm biased. :/

[aysiu]

gOS is based on Ubuntu and now uses Gnome instead of Enlightenment.

[SoulinEther]

gOS is based on Ubuntu and now uses Gnome instead of Enlightenment.

Testify! (or is it amen? Trying to recall what Bart Simpson might reply to such a statement..)

[zmjjmz]

gOS is based on Ubuntu and now uses Gnome instead of Enlightenment.

And consequently is a whole lot slower and heavier.

[jml]

I have had one for a little over a week. I got mine for $379.00US from Walmart.com only 5 days after ordering it. For such an inexpensive price, it works remarkably well. The construction while not as good as my old ThinkPad, is still pretty servicable. Its the first widescreen 15.4 inch laptop I have owned, it seems "huge" and that's meant to be a good comment.

The version of gOS shipping is based on Ubuntu 7.10, and relies on Gnome as a windows manager. The UI is tweeked with a Dock that is reminicent of XFCE, and Mac OSX. Wireless worked only requiring that I type in my WPA pass code.

The negatives; the 512 megs of ram, and the modest CPU and GPU included. DVD's and streaming video play but are choppy. All other apps, (the usual collection included with Gnome,) run suprisingly well. I have tried several Live distros and the biggest challenge is getting support for the 1440x900 WXGA screen resolution. There is no built in modem.

I would not recommend this for anyone either new to computers, nor new to Linux. While I like and am very satisfied with the hardware and supplied software, support is nearly non-existant. The only documentation that comes with the laptop is a one page quick start guide that tells you how to install the battery, plug in the power brick and turn on the computer. No other instructions. The Everex web site is not very helpful, nor is the gOS web site. A recovery disc is not included and when I went to the Everex site to download the recovery .iso, I had to use a different computer because the .iso image is too big to fit on a cd and needs to be burned to a DVD. The g book does not include a DVD burner. None of these issues are show stoppers for experienced Linux users, but it could be quite frustrating for a Newbie. Hope that this helps.

Joe

[zmjjmz]

I've read a lot of stories of people putting XP on it.
EDIT: How bad is the boot time?
Do ACPI functions like Suspend and Hibernate work?

[madjr]

I have had one for a little over a week. I got mine for $379.00US from Walmart.com only 5 days after ordering it. For such an inexpensive price, it works remarkably well. The construction while not as good as my old ThinkPad, is still pretty servicable. Its the first widescreen 15.4 inch laptop I have owned, it seems "huge" and that's meant to be a good comment.

The version of gOS shipping is based on Ubuntu 7.10, and relies on Gnome as a windows manager. The UI is tweeked with a Dock that is reminicent of XFCE, and Mac OSX. Wireless worked only requiring that I type in my WPA pass code.

The negatives; the 512 megs of ram, and the modest CPU and GPU included. DVD's and streaming video play but are choppy. All other apps, (the usual collection included with Gnome,) run suprisingly well. I have tried several Live distros and the biggest challenge is getting support for the 1440x900 WXGA screen resolution. There is no built in modem.

I would not recommend this for anyone either new to computers, nor new to Linux. While I like and am very satisfied with the hardware and supplied software, support is nearly non-existant. The only documentation that comes with the laptop is a one page quick start guide that tells you how to install the battery, plug in the power brick and turn on the computer. No other instructions. The Everex web site is not very helpful, nor is the gOS web site. A recovery disc is not included and when I went to the Everex site to download the recovery .iso, I had to use a different computer because the .iso image is too big to fit on a cd and needs to be burned to a DVD. The g book does not include a DVD burner. None of these issues are show stoppers for experienced Linux users, but it could be quite frustrating for a Newbie. Hope that this helps.

Joe

Hi there "above average" Joe! :)

:lolflag:

thanks for the tips

yea their support is pretty bad (or non-existant).

it would be cool if they could get a forum section here at UF... or is that not possible?

i mean gOS is 95% Ubuntu.

and lack of support = not so good experience (even if pre-installed)

[zmjjmz]

www.cafelinux.org/gosforums
I believe one of the gOS devs resides there, too bad it's not in the manual.

Good idea, bad implementation.
Everex.
EDIT: Have you tried turning off the dock/compositing and playing DVDs?

[jml]

zmjjmz, thanks for the tip. How do I turn off dock/compositing? I can't find that option in any of the drop down menus. I do have visual effects (of Compiz fusion I presume,) turned off, but when I I open the AWN manager, I do not see any reference to dock/compositing. I am running version 2 of gOS which uses Gnome and AWN in place of Enlightenment in version one.

Second question, has anyone had problems installing additional ram? I purchased 2 one gig sticks of ram from crucial.com, they seemed to install without problems, but I get a kernal panic and the doot sequence freezes.

Joe

[zmjjmz]

I guess if you just turn Compiz off and then turn off AWN you should be fine.
And if not, try installing a lighter environment (XFCE would've been a far better choice).
I really think gOS should be using a _much_ lighter DE like XFCE or LXDE, because modest requirements are a must for these computers.

[William Dojinn]

What worries me are the UniChrome9 graphics. See, I'm eyeing this thign as a cheap secondary machine/productivity thing. However I also wouldl ike to do things like watch a few movies, play a few emulators, or things like marathon and the like. However if proper drivers arn't avalible and video playback (and emulation rendering) is sketchy....I dunno.

[jml]

Even though I am satisfied with the gBook, I would steer clear of it if you want to do any type of serious gaming on it or watch DVD's. I was hoping adding more RAM would help, but I am still having trouble getting the ram
recognized. I tested both sticks independently and get the same result.

Joe

[zmjjmz]

DVD's could be an issue, but I never expected to use this for gaming.

[William Dojinn]

Same. Well...'games' as in anything made in the last decade. Had thought to try a few oddball thigns hiding in my cd collection from years gone by.

Edit: emailed everex's technical support and customer service addresses asking about the chipset used as dvd/video playback is importaint, whereas 3d gaming isn't quite so much (though I would love to revisit classics via emulation).

[kjander]

I am writing this from the gbook right now, and it works great for my needs.right away changed the VESA driver in xorg.conf to the openchrome driver, and DVD playback has never been a problem. I upgraded the memory (some people do seem to have trouble with the gbook recognizing some ram chips, but I didnt have any such trouble, I have 2GB now). I really do like it, quite a bit. For its size, its slim and light. And the screen is one of the better one, remarkable considering the low cost. It doesnt look like newegg carries it anymore, but last I checked wal-mart still does. Id recommend it, highly for someone with linux skills, less so highly for someone without much skill with linux, but still, I recommend it

Oh and for the memory, I did notice getting the chips seated properly took some doing, so that could be an issue if its not booting up

[William Dojinn]

Did you try dvd playback BEFORE dropping two gigs of ram in?

[zmjjmz]

Erm, I believe you can get support for the gBook at www.cafelinux.org/gosforums

[jml]

kjander, could you tell me what brand of memory you purchased for your gBook? I bought mine from Crucial.com and this is the first time their product has given me any trouble at all. I am tempted to buy ram from Everex, but their prices are pretty high, and I don't see any ram offered for the gbook!

Joe

[William Dojinn]

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=7768681

The one thing I'm unsure about here is the ram selection.

[jml]

Wal-Mart changed this offering since I got my gBook. They initially offered only the gBook without the accesseries for $379.00. It looks like the only option they offer now is the gBook, with a laptop bag, wireless mouse and an additional 512 Megs of RAM. There does not appear to be any selection to do. I would be surprised if the extra RAM was installed. Just be aware that there are several posts on the Everex forum about people having problems with the RAM install. I'm one of them. But for $13.00 for the ram as a separate item, I ordered one for my gBook hoping it will be recognized by my system.

Joe

[FFighter]

This is a Linux based PC and will not perform completely like a Windows based machine

Does anyone else also feel that this statement is FUD? That's why IT-naive people have this image of Linux as being an OS for hackers.

[zmjjmz]

It gives the idea of inferiority, when the message they're trying to get across is "This is a Linux PC, not a Windows PC, so it will behave differently"

[FFighter]

It gives the idea of inferiority, when the message they're trying to get across is "This is a Linux PC, not a Windows PC, so it will behave differently"

Exactly.

[aysiu]

Does anyone else also feel that this statement is FUD? That's why IT-naive people have this image of Linux as being an OS for hackers.
It's very similar to Dell's open source page:
Not sure Open Source is for You?
The main thing to note is that when you choose open source you don’t get a Windows® operating system. If you’re here by mistake and you are looking for a Dell PC with Windows, please use the following link.

[zmjjmz]

Ugh, and now www.dell.com/open makes people think it's for large business.

[William Dojinn]

Its pure CYA on walmart's part to attempt to get customers to not return the thing immidiately on booting up and not seeing windows.

Oh and walmart still offers the gbook as a standalone. I was simply pointing out the link to the bundle they're offering up.

[jml]

I agree with William's comment. I suspect that many customers make their buying decisions based on price alone. So they buy the gBook not realizing that they are getting a computer running Linux. I would say that a high percentage of people posting to the Everex gBook forum thread fall into this category, judging by their posts.

Joe

[jml]

I have another question for the group. Given the modest hardware resources of the gBook, I feel that Xubuntu would be a good alternative to either gOS or straight Ubuntu. Does anyone know how to set the screen resolution of Xubuntu to 1440x900, (the gBook's display's native resolution)? I can't figure out how to do it. Even straight Ubunto doesn't support this res. Ironically, Mepis/Anti-x does. But I would prefer Xubuntu. Any help would be appreciated.

Joe

[phaed]

For all the people complaining that you won't be able to play DVDs and such on this machine, it's not meant to do that. The whole point of the machine is to be a cheap, portable Internet terminal. If you want to play games or DVDs, you'll need a more expensive computer.

What I like is that it has an optical drive (unlike the Eee Pc), so you can install Ubuntu 8.10 on it or a distro of your choice.

Edit: I just noticed that the hardware isn't fully supported by Ubuntu. Maybe something to work on.

[zmjjmz]

gOS is, for all intensive purposes, a slightly modified Ubuntu.
Installing xubuntu-desktop (or better, just xfce4) should take care of it.

[Saint Angeles]

I have another question for the group. Given the modest hardware resources of the gBook, I feel that Xubuntu would be a good alternative to either gOS or straight Ubuntu. Does anyone know how to set the screen resolution of Xubuntu to 1440x900, (the gBook's display's native resolution)? I can't figure out how to do it. Even straight Ubunto doesn't support this res. Ironically, Mepis/Anti-x does. But I would prefer Xubuntu. Any help would be appreciated.

Joe

this should be in the "Screen" section of your xorg.conf file...


SubSection "Display"
Modes "1440x900"
EndSubSection

[doorknob60]

Look at one of the reviews :lolflag:

There to no graphics card and it can't run games that are for windows 95 even.

Some people are so clueless... :P

[zmjjmz]

Well, that's the intended market. Everex has done a fantastically crap job at implementing this.
Someone should email the poor reviewer and tell him to install wine.

[doorknob60]

Ugh, and now www.dell.com/open makes people think it's for large business.

That's why you use www.dell.com/ubuntu :KS


After extensive testing, Dell PCs featuring Ubuntu are now shipping with version 7.10. In addition to new 3D visual effects, an easy-to-use desktop search engine and pre-installed Flash, we’ve added native DVD playback and improved back up, recovery and restore options. That doesn't sound large buisnessy to me :D

[zmjjmz]

Oh.
Well, that helps a lot.

[damphoud]

Well, that's the intended market. Everex has done a fantastically crap job at implementing this.
Someone should email the poor reviewer and tell him to install wine.


I don't agree with Everex selling cheap laptops through Walmart. Sure some people will bring them home and realize that they cannot run their windows programs and be fine with it. I think users need to be some what educated before they purchase something they know nothing about. If we seriously want linux to become more popular then what it is, everex laptops are not the answer. If somebody is to buy the $379 laptop they already think the laptop is cheap and so is the software to comes with it. Linux laptops may need to be a bit more money, to put a high value to them (like the mac). They are not trying to advance linux but take advantage of a certain market. There is a lot of room for small factor (eeepc), low cost linux laptops. Instead of the OS being cheap, they can associate the form factor for the cost reduction. Otherwise the OS is the cheap worthless part of the computer, where they can cut the price from.

[William Dojinn]

For all the people complaining that you won't be able to play DVDs and such on this machine, it's not meant to do that. The whole point of the machine is to be a cheap, portable Internet terminal. If you want to play games or DVDs, you'll need a more expensive computer.

What I like is that it has an optical drive (unlike the Eee Pc), so you can install Ubuntu 8.10 on it or a distro of your choice.

Edit: I just noticed that the hardware isn't fully supported by Ubuntu. Maybe something to work on.

In complete disagreement here as I ran for years on a dell with half the specs of this notebook and ran DVDs, and most older games perfictly fine, no stuttering, no slowdowns, nothing. So don't claim it can't be done. Instead state it can't be done with the current enviroment.

Dell in question:
L733r (named 'lazaras due to his habit of borking due to windows doing a death spiral on me)
733mhz P3 coppermine processer
384mb ram at time of death (ran under 356 for years just fine though)
16mb nvidia vanta pci graphics
Bought in late 2000, died early 2008 due to motherboard overheating.

[kjander]

Did you try dvd playback BEFORE dropping two gigs of ram in?

Yeah I did, worked fine. I did NOT try dvd playback before changing to the openchrome driver, i assume the vesa driver might be a problem. For those interested, this is the memory i put in it:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820141341

It was the cheapest available, and I never had any trouble.

[William Dojinn]

Thats my assumption too as generic drivers are often problematic for anything but 'standard' stuff (web surfing, documents, etc).

Thanks kjander.

[jml]

Thanks Saint Angeles, its been so long since I have had to dig into a config. file I forgot about that option. It should work fine for me.

Oh, and kjander, thanks for the infomation on the memory you used. Unfortunately, the Newegg site lists that product as now unavailable.

Joe

[jml]

Further update on my memory issue. WalMart.com was selling a 512 Meg stick of RAM which they claimed was for the gBook. It cost $12.99 so I ordered it. In short, it worked! So I can only conclude that the memory I got from Crucial was either defective or the wrong kind. Think I will give them a call and try to return it.

The increased memory does improve performance slightly. Streaming videos from YouTube play with less stutter. DVD playback is still problematic. I think I will try to install the Openchrome driver next and see how that works.

Kjander, can you tell me where you got the driver from? And I am a bit rusty on my command line skills, could you either walk us through the steps, or point me to an online reference. Thanks.

Joe

[kjander]

Kjander, can you tell me where you got the driver from? And I am a bit rusty on my command line skills, could you either walk us through the steps, or point me to an online reference. Thanks.

Joe

iirc, openchrome is included with ubuntu. in the device section of xorg.conf, change the line
driver "vesa" to
driver "openchrome" alternatively, im now using VIA's updated driver, found here: http://linux.via.com.tw/support/downloadFiles.action just download the driver for cn896 + vt8237s and follow the instructions in the included readme file. you will also need to add the line
Option "PanelID" "19" in the device section of xorg.conf, otherwise the screen doesnt work right. (fortunately, via's install procedure makes a backup of your current xorg.conf, but you'll have to brush up on cli, and i always stumble through it, since i dont use it enough to remember. To get to cli when the X is screwing up, in the grub menu select either 'safe mode' or 'single user mode') the 3d features of via's driver only works with the hardy's original kernal (version 2.6.24.18, i believe), i have at some point or another updated to version 2.6.24.19, and so am not using the 3d features. hope this helps

[jml]

Thanks, kjander, I'll give it a try.

Joe

[jml]

Thought I would give some follow up on my gBook experiment. After trying to get gOS to bend to my needs, I finally gave up and installed a copy of Ubuntu 8.04.1. In short, it works beautifully! All of the hardware is supported, and since it installs the openchrome drivers by default, video performance is excellent, both streaming video and DVD playback. Thanks to everyone for their suggestions and help in getting my gBook "fully functional."

Joe

[kjander]

Hey congrats Joe! glad its working for ya.

[zmjjmz]

I hope the next gOS installment is based on 8.04.1, that'll definitely make it a good purchase OTB.

[kjander]

I hope the next gOS installment is based on 8.04.1, that'll definitely make it a good purchase OTB.

Yeah, I actually like some of the changes gOS makes to default Ubuntu, like the UI elements. One of the first things I did was get rid of avant-window-navigator and gOS' window compositor, (it must have been customized to run avant) and used dist-upgrade to upgrade to 8.04 (actually got my gbook before 8.04 came out, by a few weeks, so really updated to the beta) apparently, most people who upgraded to 8.04 had some problems with gOS, i think the custom window compositor was probably to blame. I never had any such problems.

[sjmacewan]

Hey guys,
I followed kjander's advice and finally got my gbook working with the via drivers. It was working fine with openchrome but I thought I better switch it .

I was wondering if anyone knows if there's any way to enable visual effects on this bad boy. You mentioned it only working with an older kernel, do you know if they will update it to work with this one?

Any help would rock, I want to have at least a little eye candy on this thing :(

[kjander]

There's always the possibility of compiling the driver yourself, but that's something I haven't tackled yet. Via's instructions to do so aren't very clear and seem to involve completely recompiling the kernel, which should be unnecessary.

[Wonderbird]

I picked up my $379 Everex gBook from the local Walmart yesterday... (I can NOT believe I'm actually recommending Walmart.com...)

This is a very good price for a laptop / notebook computer with solid Linux support and no Microsoft Tax!!

I did not really mind gOS but I loaded Ubuntu 8.04 on it the day I got it (and updated the xorg.conf file to force 1440x900 resolution) I love the 15.4" high resolution display. I ordered 2Gig of DDR2 PC4200/533Mhz RAM for just under $50 which should be in soon... The 667Mhz speed listed by many sites is wrong...

I popped off most of the keys and repositioned them to take advantage of the DVORAK keyboard layout. (The QWERTY keyboard layout designed in the 1800s to slow people's typing so the arms holding letters falling back down by gravity in manual typewriters would not jam has no place in the 21st century)

The $379 price I got it for was also a no brainer. The 1.5Ghz VIA processor runs cool and you can actually use it resting on your lap for extended periods...

Wireless configuration using both gOS and Ubuntu 8.04 was flawless... (Downloading Ubuntu 8.04 iso and burning it using the built in optical drive and then reinstalling from it was one of the first things I did...)

I strongly recommend this machine to anyone who wants a no-frills Linux based laptop. (Grab one before they are gone...) After about 10 yrs of building my own desktops and loading Linux on them it is nice to finally be able to get an affordable notebook / laptop with LINUX on it!!! Yesterday was a GOOD DAY for me!!!

[PHATSPEED7x]

I was looking at getting one of these, but got a great deal on the Acer laptop I got instead. Gf has used windows all her life, and doesn't know much about linux. If she wants to learn it that's great. For a cheap laptop it doesn't sound too bad. If I had a extra $379 laying around I'd pick one up.

[kjander]

I feel exactly the same as WonderBird... one of the better buys ive ever made

[jwkolberg]

I got the Everex gpc2 3 months ago and LOVE it. I use it as a fileserver and it's SILENT and uses a very small amount of electricity compared to my other desktops. gOS was a sorta lame knockoff of OSX, fun to play around with for a few minutes, but slow. Runs very quickly with ubuntu 8.04.


Now this is strange.... how is this thing so cheap?.... it makes no sense :p, i don't understand why this costs as much as a eeepc but with this features....

It's made with cheap korean parts. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that it will last me more than a year.

If the Laptops are anything like the desktops, they are worth the price for sure. Skip the whole gOS thing though.

[kjander]

I'm curious... has anyone gotten 3d acceleration working with any of the UniChrome hardware? How did you do it?

[frrobert]

What is the battery life like on this device? The reviews say about an hour. Has everyone found that accurate?

Also what memory does it take? I read in different places different things. DDR2 667MHz SDRAM or DDR2 533MHz SDRAM.

Also is it easy to replace the ram I assume there are two memory slots are both accessible with out removing the cover, ie a memory door?

Thanks

[zmjjmz]

The battery life depends on what you do with it.
If you have AWN enabled, I'd assume that it takes a lot (compositing) and considering the price, the battery prolly isn't very powerful.

Everex's implementation is pretty bad.

[Wonderbird]

I received the 2Gig of memory (two 1Gig Memory modules) I purchased for it yesterday afternoon. Installation was pretty easy. (RAM is located behind the large removable panel on the bottom of the unit.) According to everything I read 2Gig is the max it will recognize.

Contrary to what many people on other reviews have said, I had no problem with the RAM I got from crucial. (Note that I INTENTIONALLY went with the "good" instead of better/best option listed on their website.)
(I am not home so do not have the exact part number I ordered handy) DDR2/PC4200 (533Mhz) 200 pins. (As I stated elsewhere just ignore all the sites that think the laptop support DDR2/PC5200 memory that is a slightly faster speed)

You'll need a small phillips screwdriver to remove the panel. You'll also want to be aware that the screws are not all the same length. (I left most in the door while I swapped the RAM out)

I have had good results with the "openchrome" video drivers but no 3D/special effect support. (When I tried the drivers from the via Linux portal I got a white screen...)

[sjmacewan]

Wonderbird,
I'm using the Linux Portal drivers and they work quite well actually.
One of the key things that most people forget is that you need the line

Option "PanelID" "19"
In your xorg.conf file.

[Wonderbird]

I tried the beta drivers from the via linux portal again and got them to work. Had to add the Option "PanelID" "19" and force 1440x900 as the resolution to use. But even though I added via to the whitelist of compiz was not able to enable the desktop effects. I am curious because it appears that people using the same chipset have claimed to be able to do so... (tkForums?? but light on details)

[sjmacewan]

There's a neat little script floating around the internet called compiz-check. It scans your system and tells you if it's capable of running compiz and if not, what the problem is. I tried it and it said that it was hardware issues.
After many hours scouring the internet, most of what I've come across has said stuff along the lines of the Via chipsets not supporting something like compiz or beryl.

:(

[kjander]

I found this encouraging:
http://linux.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/07/27/1129200

[kjander]

News Flash: The linux kernel headers on hardy-proposed has Chrome9 3d built in! Now, it is proposed, meaning breakage is possible. On my system it works great, Compiz works! Albeit, a little slow, but functional. YMMV.
To get compiz working, edit the file /etc/bin/compiz and add via to the list of accepted drivers. my line says
# Driver whitelist
WHITELIST="nvidia intel ati radeon i810 fglrx via"
this should match with the same driver you are using in xorg.conf, id imagine openchrome would be acceptable as well, since the 3d features are in the kernel itself.

[Wonderbird]

I can finally confirm that I have the 3D special effects working on the Everex gBook with Ubuntu 8.04!!!! Wooo Hooo!
Your mileage may vary... (Let me know if leave out anything important)

I downloaded the beta drivers from the via linux portal site for Ubuntu 8.04 with CN896+VT8237S chipset option. (I followed the instructions in the readme after extracting the contents of the archive) I then used the instructions in the readme to run the vinstall script.

Do not leave out the step of editing /usr/bin/compiz to add via to the list of drivers in the white list...

You will probably need to make several crucial changes to your /etc/X11/xorg.conf file. I had to force the resolution to 1440x900. I also had to add the Option "PanelID" "19" to get a proper display....

For clarity here is a copy of my xorg.conf file...
# xorg.conf (X.Org X Window System server configuration file)
#
# This file was generated by dexconf, the Debian X Configuration tool, using
# values from the debconf database.
#
# Edit this file with caution, and see the xorg.conf manual page.
# (Type "man xorg.conf" at the shell prompt.)
#
# This file is automatically updated on xserver-xorg package upgrades *only*
# if it has not been modified since the last upgrade of the xserver-xorg
# package.
#
# If you have edited this file but would like it to be automatically updated
# again, run the following command:
# sudo dpkg-reconfigure -phigh xserver-xorg

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Generic Keyboard"
Driver "kbd"
Option "XkbRules" "xorg"
Option "XkbModel" "pc105"
Option "XkbLayout" "us"
Option "XkbVariant" "dvorak"
Option "XkbOptions" "lv3:ralt_switch"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Configured Mouse"
Driver "mouse"
Option "CorePointer"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Synaptics Touchpad"
Driver "synaptics"
Option "SendCoreEvents" "true"
Option "Device" "/dev/psaux"
Option "Protocol" "auto-dev"
Option "HorizEdgeScroll" "0"
EndSection

Section "Device"
Driver "via"
VendorName "VIA Tech"
BoardName "via"
Identifier "Configured Video Device"
# Option "SWCursor"
Option "PanelID" "19"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Monitor"
ModeLine "720x480" 26.7 720 736 808 896 480 481 484 497
ModeLine "720x576" 32.7 720 744 816 912 576 577 580 597
ModeLine "800x480" 29.58 800 816 896 992 480 481 484 497
ModeLine "848x480" 31.5 848 864 952 1056 480 481 484 497
ModeLine "856x480" 31.7 856 872 960 1064 480 481 484 497
ModeLine "960x600" 45.98 960 1000 1096 1232 600 601 604 622 -HSync +Vsync
ModeLine "1000x600" 48.07 1000 1040 1144 1288 600 601 604 622 -HSync +Vsync
ModeLine "1024x512" 41.3 1024 1056 1160 1296 512 513 516 531
ModeLine "1088x612" 52.95 1088 1128 1240 1392 612 613 616 634 -HSync +Vsync
ModeLine "1152x720" 67.32 1152 1208 1328 1504 720 721 724 746 -HSync +Vsync
ModeLine "1200x720" 70.18 1200 1256 1384 1568 720 721 724 746 -HSync +Vsync
ModeLine "1280x600" 61.50 1280 1336 1464 1648 600 601 604 622 -HSync +Vsync
ModeLine "1280x720" 74.6 1280 1341 1474 1688 720 721 724 746
ModeLine "1280x768" 80.1 1280 1344 1480 1680 768 769 772 795
ModeLine "1360x768" 85.50 1360 1392 1712 1744 768 783 791 807 +HSync +Vsync
ModeLine "1366x768" 85.86 1366 1440 1584 1800 768 769 772 795 -HSync +Vsync
ModeLine "1440x900" 106.47 1440 1520 1672 1904 900 901 904 932 -HSync +Vsync
ModeLine "1440x1050" 126.2 1440 1536 1688 1936 1050 1051 1054 1087
ModeLine "1600x900" 119.00 1600 1696 1864 2128 900 901 904 932 -HSync +Vsync
ModeLine "1600x1024" 136.36 1600 1704 1872 2144 1024 1025 1028 1060 -HSync +Vsync
ModeLine "1792x1344" 202.97 1792 1920 2112 2432 1344 1345 1348 1391 -HSync +Vsync
ModeLine "1856x1392" 218.57 1856 1992 2192 2528 1392 1393 1396 1441 -HSync +Vsync
ModeLine "1920x1080" 172.9 1920 2043 2249 2578 1080 1081 1084 1118
ModeLine "2048x1536" 266.95 2048 2200 2424 2800 1536 1537 1540 1589 -HSync +Vsync
ModeLine "720x480" 34.9 720 752 824 928 480 481 484 502
ModeLine "720x576" 42.6 720 760 832 944 576 577 580 602
ModeLine "848x480" 41.0 848 880 968 1088 480 481 484 502
ModeLine "856x480" 41.3 856 888 976 1096 480 481 484 502
ModeLine "1024x512" 53.3 1024 1072 1176 1328 512 513 516 535
ModeLine "1280x768" 103.0 1280 1360 1496 1712 768 769 772 802
ModeLine "1440x1050" 160.0 1440 1536 1696 1952 1050 1051 1054 1096
ModeLine "1280x768" 118.5 1280 1368 1504 1728 768 769 772 807
ModeLine "1440x1050" 184.5 1440 1544 1704 1968 1050 1051 1054 1103
ModeLine "848x480" 47.4 848 888 976 1104 480 481 484 505
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Monitor "Monitor"
Identifier "Default Screen"
Device "Configured Video Device"
SubSection "Display"
Modes "1440x900"
Virtual 1440 900
Depth 8
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Modes "1440x900"
Virtual 1440 900
Depth 15
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Modes "1440x900"
Virtual 1440 900
Depth 16
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Modes "1440x900"
Virtual 1440 900
Depth 24
EndSubSection
EndSection

Section "ServerLayout"
Identifier "Default Layout"
Screen "Default Screen"
InputDevice "Synaptics Touchpad"
EndSection

Section "Module"
Load "glx"
Load "dri"
Load "extmod"
EndSection

Section "DRI"
Group 0
Mode 0666
EndSection



Note that I had good results with the "openchrome" drivers but they do not support the 3D effects. I also had to set x11 to use the software option for the mouse pointer when I did that... (I really hope to use OPEN drivers with 3D support someday...) Oops. X just restarted. (Maybe the VIA proprietary drivers are not very stable - thank goodness for Firefox restore session option...)

I was then perplexed by running glxinfo from a terminal and getting an error allocating resources right off the bat... I stumbled across a post by gouvermxt2 in the tkArena forums indicating that he stumbled across info that he needed to force loading specific modules by adding the following lines to /etc/modules
-f via_agp
-f drm
-f via_chrome9

I made these proposed changes an WALA! glxinfo now gave the magic direct rendering: yes in the detailed output...!!!

I then ran glxgears. (From terminal) It now reports over 280fps instead of the previous 150 or so fps. (So the 3D acceleration is working...)

I then using Synaptic added the emerald theme manager as well as the compizconfig-settings-manager so that I can play around with all these fancy effects.

I really wish Everex would have given this info on their website or something.

Esko Woudenberg
If you want to ask me specific questions about this info email me at gmail.com using my first name dot last name shown above as the user name.

I sincerely hope this saves somebody a few days of hassle figuring out how to get it to work! I can now whole-heartedly tell people looking for a good Linux laptop to grab this gBook... At $379 for a solid Linux laptop without the Windows tax - grab one while they last...

[kjander]

Hey Wonderbird, are you still noticing many instabilities with the method you used to get 3d working? Mine seems to be working pretty solidly, I had installed the Via driver from their linux page, like you (then cleaned out all the info in xorg.conf that didnt relate to the screen resolutions I was using) but never did much work to get the 3d driver included working. in my system log i would get a message along the lines of "via-agp disagrees with kernel version" which I assumed, meant that the driver was compiled with the original hardy heron kernel, which has been updated several times now. Now the chrome9 3d driver is included in the updated kernel on hardy-proposed, and 3d seems to be working great for me. Hope its working well for you, and that one crash was just a fluke!

[Wonderbird]

It still seems to go stupid occasionally. (Usually right after or during the process of changing one of the 3D effects related options...
But it seems ok under normal use.
My current kernel is 2.6.24-19 (uname -r)
The embedded ATI graphics on my desktop machine are superior but I am glad to have it working...
I am still hoping that the docs VIA is releasing/going to release allow the openchrome drivers to provide 3D support.

[sjmacewan]

Wonderbird, you're a hero to many.
On various attempts to get Compiz working I tried most of this, but the beta drivers really hit the spot this time.
Thanks for the comprehensive instructions, if you havn't already I suggest posting this on the Everex forums.
Thanks again

[Dremora]

Have you seen what Wal-Mart has coming soon?

Everex gBook, 15.4 laptop, $398

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=8224470

I got a laptop with better specs than that for about another $150, and this was in 2004. :lolflag:

Linux is NOT the selling point on that laptop, everything about it is clapped out and cheap, and not buying a Windows license means that the thing is practically pure profit for them,

[sjmacewan]

Perhaps my joy was premature...
While compiz works very well, it seems all too common for it to crash and revert back to normal effects. I have emerald installed, so it's even worse because when it crashes I lose my top panel to all my windows.
It's easy enough to fix by just alt+F2'ing compiz, but I don't want to have to do this everytime i open firefox(when it happens the most)!

Anyone hitting this snag?

[zmjjmz]

The drivers _are_ beta.
Maybe you could file a bug report?

[init1]

Most of the reviews on the Wallmart page are 1/5 stars. Even some of the reviews with 5/5 or 3/5 stars describe a negative experience. Judging from the comments, this is a really cheap and poorly made device.

[sjmacewan]

Aside from this beta driver issue, I'd say that I'm 100% pleased with this product. As long as you're willing to put a few hours work into getting the correct drivers running, you really can't complain. It's not good for gaming of course, but that's made pretty obvious by the specs, so that's no excuse to slander it.
Personally, I think a few hours of tweaking is a lot better than spending just as much time removing pre-loaded software that comes on most PC's AND looking for correct drivers.
For the price and quality, I'd for sure give this product a 5. Support is low from everex, but a 5 second google or search on these forums/everex community forums will solve almost any out-of-box issue.

[sjmacewan]

Well, with a new kernel update everything went to the outhouse with this one.
I'm committed to sticking it through with this thing, but just when things start working smoothly, a kernel update comes out and everything stops working.
I had to do an xserver-xorg package reconfiguration just to get past the GDM screen. Needles to say, it's not using the beta drivers anymore.
I guess I'll just wait until via finishes those drivers for a full release to use'em

[Wonderbird]

I am still quite happy with the Everex gBook. But it went stupid right after a kernel update. (I went back to using the openchrome video drivers instead of the beta drivers from via.) Then I decided to activate the "hardy-proposed" repository for updates to see if I could get the 3D effects to work again. So far not much luck. (But I think I might wait until VIA provides the proper info to the openchrome guys so they can add 3D support the "open source" way....)

[sjmacewan]

Just checking in, has anyone made any progress on getting this to work properly?
Once we get this all figured out, someone should write up a document along the lines of "How to configure your gBook to run Ubuntu Properly"!

[jml]

In my opinion, one's level of satisfaction with the gBook is in large part based on one's expectations. Most of the low ratings I have read about the gBook seem to fall into two categories. One appears to be people who purchased it not realizing that it ran Linux and not Windows. Another group seem to be people who are struggling to get 3D effects going on the gBook. Given the modest specifications of this computer, that is a task that at best is going to be very challenging to accomplish and if my memory is correct, it was never designed by the manufacturer to support 3D graphics. The fact several posters have had some success is a testimony to their persistance and technical skills. (I mean that as a serious complement and not a sarcastic remark.)

I had much more modest expectations when I ordered my gBook. Once I blew off the original version of Linux shipped with the laptop and installed Ubuntu 8.04.1 it did virtually everything I needed, (video playback, web surfing with streaming video, music playback, e-mail and word processing) with acceptable speed. I think of my gBook as a NetBook on steroids. Similar price, but much more functionality. Well, to each his own.

Joe

[sjmacewan]

well, new kernel doesn't seem to be as problematic as that last one...still had to reinstall audio drivers to get headphones jack to work, but that's no biggie. Has anyone tried using those beta drivers on the newest kernel?

[snowpine]

Looks like the price is down to $348... I am tempted!
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=8224470

[The Jinx]

Looks like the price is down to $348... I am tempted!
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=8224470


ditto for me, I've been looking for a beater laptop recently that I can install Ubuntu and play around with some 3D effects. Can anyone give me an idea of the average life of the battery for the gbook?

Thanks,
Jinx

[sjmacewan]

low...very low.
I'm not convinced that the powersaving abilities are working on mine with Ubuntu, because even if I have it in suspend it last an hour at the most, more often closer to 40min.

Everex does sell 6cell battery packs though if you're interested

[jml]

With the standard battery, I get about 2hours of life. I did buy the larger battery from ASUS web site and that gives over 3 hours of use.

Joe

[matheos]

some one been able to install 3d acceleration on intrepid ?

[DavMag]

I have purchased 2 of these gbook's and a cloud book. Yes I did put XP on one of the gbook's for my daughter, the other one I installed ubuntu 8.04. It uses the a VIA CPU, and chipset, getting 3D to work can be a pain, under linux. it only has 512mb ram, can be upgraded to 2gb but if you do it yourself you need to call everex to walk you thru it or you void the warranty. Finding memory that work's can also be a pain. I got mine at the kingston web site, it works fine. gOS that comes with it is based on ubuntu, but doesn't work all that well. installing ubuntu 8.10 seems to only work in safe graphic mode, then you only get 800 X 600 resolution. Unless you can figure out how to set it up manually after it's installed I'd suggest you stick with 8.04 for now. As far as the hardware goes it seems fairly solid. So depending on your needs I'd say it's a good deal but don't expect any support from Everex it won't happen.

[sjmacewan]

I'm currently installing 9.04 on it, and it's already fairing better than 8.10. Ibex had issues even within the installer, whereas Jaunty is looking crisp and supported right from the get-go.
Feel free to comment on your upgrade experiences!

[matheos]

I got sound problem with ubuntu 9.04 on my everex gbook va1500v...

at least ubuntu 8.04 work well..

[sjmacewan]

What kind of sound problems are you experiencing? I too have minor sound glitches, but nothing too severe...mostly just phantom static when booting and the odd bit of streaming media will cut have sound cut out...but it usually resumes upon page refresh.

[DavMag]

New update on gbook I know everex isn't supporting anything anymore done even know if they're even in business any more, but the gbook wasn't a bad laptop, I install Ubuntu 10.10, 2G of ram and got around the mic and speaker jacks not working by using a USB dongle with my cell phones headset to talk with people thru voip. It's not a gaming laptop or for streaming video's but it makes a great Workstation and for linux experiments