Smart Q7 Tablet

[rogue_ronin]

Originally Posted by Suwat

There's an easier way to change clock options which can also be used with other applets. Click and hold on the clock. A context menu will pop-up with the first option "Digital Clock Setting". Click the selection and you can change more options ie. fonts. For more options, see here: http://th.php.net/strftime

Anyway, I have my own problem with the q7 clock. Mine is running really fast. Sometimes, it went as fast as half an hour for every hour. When the device was off or suspended, the clock was still off but not as bad as when on. I asked Alex of Eletroworld. They sent me this link: http://bugzilla.kernel.org/show_bug.cgi?id=5105 New to linux, I didn't understand a bit. They offered to correct it if I sent it back; we pay half-half on delivery costs. However, I decided against sending my q7 back. The problem is annoying but not critical and I'm afraid that solving it may create another problem. And most of all, I just don't want to part with my Q7. Does anyone have solution to this run-away clock problem? Please advice.

I read the link. Looks like adding "clock=pit" to the boot options may be a functional workaround. Don't have my machine back yet, and don't know if there is even a grub or lilo configuration. Maybe someone else with some Linux experience can check?

m a r

[rogue_ronin]

Has anyone with the original OS 4.0 tried switching their repositories to the Ubuntu Jaunty ARM repositories and doing an update?

I will, when mine is back. But maybe someone else would like to give it a try?

m a r

ps: someone using Mer, could you post your repository list?

[Project]

I've tried to install xpdf; everything seems to go fine during the install, but at the end I have this message: E . Directory '/var/log/apt/' missing.
After the install I can find xpdf among the graphics application but if I try to run it i just get the message that xpdf is launching but then nothing happens....

any hints on this?

regards

Project

[Suwat]

Originally Posted by rogue_ronin

I read the link. Looks like adding "clock=pit" to the boot options may be a functional workaround. Don't have my machine back yet, and don't know if there is even a grub or lilo configuration. Maybe someone else with some Linux experience can check?

m a r

Thanks for the info, rogue. But how do one add "clock=pit" to the boot options? What file and in which directory do the option reside? Please advice again.

About the Ubuntu Jaunty ARM repositories, where's the link? Do you want me to try? Is the risk high? Flashing is not fun when one has to reconfig everything again and again. Like I said in the above post, eventhough it's not perfect, I'm comfortable with my q7 right now. Currently, I found a utility to repackage the whole firmware. I'm thinking of getting what's in my Q7 and then putting it in the firmware package. Now, Q7 with the current config can be reflashed without a hassle. I'm not sure I can do it though.

By the way, sorry to hear that your q7 has not come back from china yet. Hope all is well for you.

[Nation.A.List]

Originally Posted by Project

I've tried to install xpdf; everything seems to go fine during the install, but at the end I have this message: E . Directory '/var/log/apt/' missing.

That's not a problem. SmartQ left out that folder to save memory space on the device. It's just a log file.

Originally Posted by Project

After the install I can find xpdf among the graphics application but if I try to run it i just get the message that xpdf is launching but then nothing happens....
any hints on this?
regards
Project

Run it from evilvte i.e. "sudo xpdf" you will then get a list of errors that you can report back on.

[Project]

Originally Posted by Nation.A.List

That's not a problem. SmartQ left out that folder to save memory space on the device. It's just a log file.

Run it from evilvte i.e. "sudo xpdf" you will then get a list of errors that you can report back on.

Thanks, I did it, and the only message I get is "unresolved inheritance operation"
Does this means something to you guys?

thanks in advance

Project

[Nation.A.List]

Originally Posted by Project

Thanks, I did it, and the only message I get is "unresolved inheritance operation" Does this means something to you guys?
thanks in advance
Project

Found this info on the net. I am in no way learned in the dark art of linux, but it appears to show what the problem may be;
"On my platform, rebuilding libXt (on the target platform) seems to solve the problem; the X apps then launch without problem. So this suggests it's a problem with the libXt library."
"This bug was fixed in the package libxt - 1:1.0.5-3ubuntu1"
The above package can be found here; https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/jaunty/...1.0.5-3ubuntu1
PLEASE NOTE, I AM NOT SAYING THIS IS THE SOLUTION If you try it it's at your own risk. Of course, If it works I'll take all the credit

[Project]

Originally Posted by Nation.A.List

Found this info on the net. I am in no way learned in the dark art of linux, but it appears to show what the problem may be;
"On my platform, rebuilding libXt (on the target platform) seems to solve the problem; the X apps then launch without problem. So this suggests it's a problem with the libXt library."
"This bug was fixed in the package libxt - 1:1.0.5-3ubuntu1"
The above package can be found here; https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/jaunty/...1.0.5-3ubuntu1
PLEASE NOTE, I AM NOT SAYING THIS IS THE SOLUTION If you try it it's at your own risk. Of course, If it works I'll take all the credit

Thanks a lot NationA, but I'm afraid I'm so Linux impaired that I don't even know how to install this package in my Q7...

Is there a command that I have to type in the terminal or do I download the files on my mac and then transfer then to the smartq sd card?

regards

Project

[rogue_ronin]

You probably shouldn't try to install that. It may be source, but more likely it is for i386 machines. The Q7 uses ARM, not Intel or AMD. And it's from a much more recent distribution, so would likely break something.

If libXt is available in your package manager, then install that version. Although it's probably already installed. The version of Ubuntu that is on the Q7 is quite outdated. We need to find a way to get Jaunty on it.

As for the "clock=pit" stuff, on i386/AMD machines, it is added to the config file menu.lst when using grub -- I haven't used lilo -- which is found in the /boot/grub directory. Take a look and see if it exists; if it does, post it here and I'll suggest changes.

m a r

[Suwat]

rogue,
There's no /boot/grub directory let alone menu.lst. Under /boot there's only one file, /boot/initrd.img-2.6.24.7, size=4,597,933, modified on 07-31-2009, rights=rw-r--r--, owner=root. I'm using "WinSCP" to ssh into Q7 but I cannot find a search function anywhere.

Looking around, I found this file, /proc/version and here's what inside:

"Linux version 2.6.24.7 (root@yousheng) (gcc version 4.3.2 (Sourcery G++ Lite 2008q3-72) ) #1291 PREEMPT Tue Jun 30 10:25:48 CST 2009"

It looks like the firmware version number people were trying to get. I might be wrong. Linux experts please confirm.

[rogue_ronin]

No, it's the version of the compiler that made the kernel.

I'm not a Linux expert, just a long-time user. It looks like the kernel gets launched in a different way. Perhaps because all the Q7s have the same hardware, they made some sort of binary blob.

Or maybe it's lilo. I don't know from lilo.

I am not familiar at all with how ARM works. We really need someone who does, and I expect that the best we can do is the Mer guys.

Nothing wrong with that, they're pretty dang smart.

If/when I figure out (read: read it somewhere) how to get a USB keyboard to work at the console in Mer, I'll just do an install and kill all the Hildon stuff and add LXDE (what we're using now.)

As for figuring out how to get the "clock=pet" stuff, someone who knows how ARM boots is going to have to chime in.

m a r

[Suwat]

Thanks alot, rogue. At least, there might be solutions in the future and the problem is not so critical that I have to send my q7 back. Just out of curiosity, why did some people experience the problem while others didn't? Same hardware and same firmware, we should get the same result. Probably, there're more things than meet the eyes for linux.

I'll wait and see. Thanks again, for your time.

[Nation.A.List]

Originally Posted by Project

Thanks a lot NationA, but I'm afraid I'm so Linux impaired that I don't even know how to install this package in my Q7...
Is there a command that I have to type in the terminal or do I download the files on my mac and then transfer then to the smartq sd card?
regards
Project

Yes, download the package, transfer to your SD card, then unpack, then right click (long click) and choose install (something like that ) Good luck

EDIT. Once again this may brick your machine, so be aware you may have to re-flash to get it working again.

[rogue_ronin]

Okay, I looked a the page Nation.A.List linked to: it is definitely a source file -- to use, you'll need to compile it.

If you're not familiar with linux, I highly recommend that you do NOT do that.

Just setting up your machine to compile will likely drive you insane. It may not even be possible, if the proper components are not in the Hasty repository that we are all linked to. And that source probably also needs more recent components than Hasty offers (it's a Jaunty source file, after all.)

If you were to properly set it up, and somehow get all the dependencies properly acquired (search the term "dependency hell") it would likely take a very long time for this machine to actually compile something, given its massive restrictions in memory, processing power and storage space.

I'm not an expert, but it seems like there are too many barriers. Finding a way to apply a workaround ("clock=pit") will probably be much easier.

$0.02

m a r

[Suwat]

rogue, concerning compiling softwares for q7, is it possible to use Nokia software for N800 series, Sandbox (if my memory served me right). It runs on PC/i386 but compiles binary for arm architecture. Setting up and speed should be tolerable. There are the stuff about hildon and SDK that one might have to avoid. I'm not an expert though.

Just my 2 satangs.