Testers needed for PowerPC 12.04

[phillw]

Another point, starting from a consideration regard Lubuntu (LXkeymaps) but then pretty much general for the ppc platform. My computer is a PB G4, 17" (2003)

LXKeymaps in its actual form seems pretty much useless to me. I you're going to show all it shows up the content of xorg.list - which a normal person like me, absolutely not has the skills to deal with.

Then, i'm on a german keyboard setup (although my preferred languagesare italian and french ) and i've a lot of problems with the third level chooser. When i do `sudo dpkg-reconfigure keyboard-configuration` (as keyboard i chose Apple_Laptop) i can set the keyboard to do the accents/deadkeys etc. correctly but the third level chooser does not work (no @, € etc). When i do `sudo dpkg-reconfigure locales` and then change to UTF8-deu i get it but i loose ALT-CTRL-F1 through F6 and similars (no killing of X by ALT-CTRL-BACKSPACE as well).

I found this interesting thread which pretty much describes my problem:
http://lists.debian.org/debian-power.../msg00221.html

In this thread there was suggested the solution to use Fn with ALT, release fn and keep ALT then keep the extra signs. That worked - on a different setup (mintppc11) as long as i sticked with their original display manager (gdm). When i installed lightdm and chose is as preferred dm i lost it and it did not come back by choosing newly gdm.

Sorry in advance, if i'm exposing the problem in an unprofessionaly way.

Would you be so kind as to raise a bug for lxKeyMap with as much information as you can lay your hands on. If it is not a major re-write, Julien is pretty quick in getting something done.

Many thanks,

Phill.

[phillw]

Another question, i'm not sure, if Lubuntu 12.04 or generally ppc related: The 12.04 Lubuntu beta 1 ppc release came without any bluetooth support. Comme d' habitude, i installed blueman and the nice `blueman-browse-helper`script (used to make it work with pcmanfm) but now, i discover, that this setup, which wasn't never ever really fast, but at least functional, with 12.04 (kernel 3.2 ) is dead slow.

I installed gnome-bluetooth but it does not work with pcmanfm (as obex:// browser). What's missing there? (In the debian + lxde installation i've in parallel, it worked out of the box . . . )

I'm pretty sure we deliberately removed bluetooth due to lack of demand for its use for the i686 / amd64 series. It may well be possible to add it in for ppc / IntelMac if the need is there. I can certainly ask Julien (our head of dev) if this is possible, else find out what we were using.

Thanks for all your continued efforts.

Phill.

[rsavage]

Just confirming a problem farinet and pkmgarf have previously mentioned - kernel updates are not being automatically linked properly to the /boot directory. Does anybody know anything about this sort of thing? Presumably there is some dodgey conf file somewhere. I've only really used the live cd. Does anybody know if this problem exists if installed from the alternate cd?

[rsavage]

@phil Without sounding like a broken record can you please ensure lubuntu testers read the PowerPC FAQ. It is fully up-to-date unlike a 5 year old thread which seems to be forming the basis of opinion of the G3 imac on the lubuntu-qa list.

I'm not being negative, I'm just trying to make everyone utilise their time and talents fully. As I have already told you it is unproductive for those asking questions and those answering not to read it. I have no problem at all in explaining things if people don't understand it (no doubt because I have described something poorly), but it really helps if people try and get up to speed on their own first. As it says on the front page of the ubuntu community wiki "Try to spend time solving a problem yourself before you ask other people for help. If you follow this common courtesy, then it will not be an imposition when you ask for help". So I don't think I am out of order in this request.

There are a lot of niggling issues on PowerPC at the moment and these need sorting for everyones benefit before concentrating on a 12 year old computer. I can't believe you are proposing to waste Colin Watsons time on it.

The bug I'll be raising soon to build back in the framebuffers will sort one problem on the imac G3. As I have already said on a previous post you won't have dri lock anymore either because you won't have 3d hardware acceleration in 12.04. Whether this result in a bootable live cd I don't know, we'll have to see. But it is a relatively easy fix after that if it doesn't.

When the framebuffers are built in I'm going ask for the boot info to be reworded. I want to get rid of the video=ofonly advice. It seems to me it is the most stupidest thing ever and wastes people's time. You are more likely to want video=offb:off or turn KMS off. If anyone needs video=ofonly this is your time to speak up or forever hold your peace.

Phil, I haven't recently checked on the progress of some ppc bugs wxl/maps_backwards raised against lubuntu packages, but last time I looked there had been no action taken on them. These are the things IMHO you guys should be concentrating on.

Time is marching on fast and I am keen to get as many people as possible testing effectively. There are a lot of smart people out there, much more so than me (fairnet speaks 4 languages for example!), and so I am confident we can get the problems fixed together. We just need to prioritise and focus on the problems that can be and need to be fixed first. An imac G3 does not come top of the list.

[rsavage]

@farinet Regarding your fan. Can you test this kernel please? https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source...23_powerpc.deb .

If you download it I'm not sure if it will install by just double clicking on it. If not use the command

sudo dpkg -i linux-image-3.2.0-14-powerpc_3.2.0-14.23_powerpc.deb

Once you reboot make sure it is loaded properly with

uname -a

You may have to fiddle with yaboot.conf if not.

That kernel was the last one before therm_adt746x was built in. It should be the same fan setup as you have in debian. If you still have a problem then it is not your fan, but something else. Your computer is probably getting hot and the fan is working correctly.

[Farinet]

Would you be so kind as to raise a bug for lxKeyMap with as much information as you can lay your hands on. If it is not a major re-write, Julien is pretty quick in getting something done.

I'd do, if i'd knew how to do that without being "guided" by apport. May be you can point me to some link where that's explained

TIA!

[phillw]

I'd do, if i'd knew how to do that without being "guided" by apport. May be you can point me to some link where that's explained

TIA!

From a terminal window issue the command

ubuntu-bug lxterminal

That should invoke apport to gather the details of your system and take you to launchpad, then please provide as much information as you can.

Thanks,

Phill.

[Farinet]

@farinet Regarding your fan. Can you test this kernel please? https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source...23_powerpc.deb .

If you download it I'm not sure if it will install by just double clicking on it. If not use the command

sudo dpkg -i linux-image-3.2.0-14-powerpc_3.2.0-14.23_powerpc.deb

Once you reboot make sure it is loaded properly with

uname -a

You may have to fiddle with yaboot.conf if not.

That kernel was the last one before therm_adt746x was built in. It should be the same fan setup as you have in debian. If you still have a problem then it is not your fan, but something else. Your computer is probably getting hot and the fan is working correctly.

I'll do that tomorrow evening. During the day of tomorrow i'll be out here (it's more or less my backyard ) . . .

[Farinet]

From a terminal window issue the command

ubuntu-bug lxterminal

That should invoke apport to gather the details of your system and take you to launchpad, then please provide as much information as you can.

Thanks,

Phill.

Thanks a lot. I'll try that way . . .

[Farinet]

I'm pretty sure we deliberately removed bluetooth due to lack of demand for its use for the i686 / amd64 series. It may well be possible to add it in for ppc / IntelMac if the need is there. I can certainly ask Julien (our head of dev) if this is possible, else find out what we were using.

Frankly, for all day use i think it's pretty much basic; think of transferring photos from your (smart)phone to the computer or for using wireless peripheries (keyboard/mouse/printer).

I don't know, if it is possible to be prompted during the installation procedure whether you want or not to install certain software (?)