kmilo on slackware?
 

Hello,

On the Lenovo ThinkPads, the special ThinkVantage, volume and mute buttons seem to be BIOS-controlled. While the program tpb (thinkpadbutton) works well in console mode, it doesn't integrate with KDE.

For this it seems like KMilo is perfect. Having looked at the kdeutils package in KDE 3.5.7, KDE seems to have KMilo included, but all I can find in Slackware is the kmilo libraries - no executable file or area in Control Panel to actually control and set up the hardware volume buttons linked to for instance the kmix volume control.

tpb is sub-optimal as there's no KDE integration so you end up with multiple un-related volume controls (ie you can turn the buttons all the way down, and still have KDE's kmix at full blast)

Anyone have experience with KMilo?

-Y1

http://gentoo-wiki.com/HOWTO_Use_Multimedia_Keys

it's a bit misleading, you don't have to specify your keyboard. set up xmodmap and use input actions. this might be helpful ,too:http://www.nirvani.net/software/aumix-mute-toggle/

Thanks for answering.

Does this mean that the kmilo that's included in KDE 3.5.7 in -current comes default with kmilo and I just have to enable it? Any insight on how I do that in Slackware?

-Y1

I always used tpb with the xosd package (http://www.slackware.com/~alien/slackbuilds/xosd/) on my THinkPad. This is independent of KDE, works with any X Window Manager.

Eric

Hi Eric, and thanks for answering,

I tried tpb and xosd, and while it works great, my only concern is exactly that it works completely independently from KDE, and as such doesn't integrate with KDE's kmix mute/increase/decrease volume capabilities.

Thus you end up with two places to mute, two places to control volume, etc..

Since the PC will be used only with KDE, I figured I might as well get it fully integrated ;)

Seems like all I need to do to get KMilo to work is to create a device /dev/nvram, and then I'll be all set. Will try tomorrow when I'm back home with my ThinkPad

-Y1

kmix is just another mixer; no harm in using another.


/dev/nvram is the interface to the cmos; be _very careful there.

Ok, found the solution. By loading the nvram kernel module, the /dev/nvram device is created (read only) automagically, and thus kmilo becomes visible in KDE Control Panel, and now the buttons are integrated into KDE so that there's only one volume and button master.

Works like a charm.

Thanks to everyone who answered.