Hello!

Slackchat S02E23: We talk about the new root file system and swap labeling within the Slackware Installer on ARM, and the rationale behind it. We hack on the RTC detection code and discuss the integration for the Raspberry Pi 3 & 4.

Damned good episode. :thumbsup:

So, allow me to add some clarity to the 3.3v vs 5v RTC conundrum. It's got nothing to do with the DS3231 RTC controller, as this operates on anything from 2.8-5.5v, but it has everything to do with the button battery. Some RTCs are designed to run from the 5v power but do not put any of it into the 3v button cell battery. Other RTCs that are designed to accommodate a rechargeable battery you will generally find that there is an in-line resistor on the 5v supply. This is because you need to supply more power to a rechargeable button cell than it outputs in order for it to 'trickle charge'. Putting 5v into a 3v lithium button battery is not recommended (it could ultimately be dangerous) whereas rechargeable button batteries are designed to handle it. Not all RTCs are designed to accommodate rechargeable button batteries. That's it, in a nutshell.

Specifying the split between system and GPU RAM on the Raspberry Pi devices is a config setting passed on to the boot loader (usually within the /boot/config.txt file) and I'm not sure if U-boot supports any of them. The dtoverlays can be called via commands and settings/parameters can be specified in the same way. U-boot doesn't handle (any?) dtoverlays so it might be tricky to invoke them without using the RPi bespoke boot-firmware. Other distros seem to have managed it by various means and methods in some degree.

Fun times! It's always a pleasure to record with Stuart. :)

The config variable that dictates how much memory to put where is gpu_mem=. I read that the rpi will pick the default memory allocation if nothing is in config.txt. The Raspberry Pi foundation ships a config.txt with gpu_mem=16 for the Pi 4. I will have to look that up how that works later on for the Pi 3. Anyway, one can only assume it will do the same with U-Boot because the boot rom reads all the files then hands off kernel / ramdisk / dtb loading to extlinux.

I'm sure it is. :D For me it was always about why we were doing the slack chat podcast rather than who I was doing it with. On that note, it might be prudent for you to rearrange your setup or consider using a different microphone. Stu comes through crystal clear but you are difficult to hear at the best of times. That's not your voice or accent, it's the quality that's the issue. Like you're using a built-in condenser mic on a laptop that makes you sound muffled with some small degree of background noise/interference.

I don't know how much of the RPi memory options is relevant (if at all) when using U-boot. The Raspberry Pi Documentation offers much information and guidance - although it's not always accurate or 100% reliable. Therefore testing, testing, and more testing, is always required. The available config.txt settings is a list longer than your arm and a veritable mindfield (sic) of information.

I agree. I was using the Pinebook Pro built in microphone. I ordered a headset that should fix the muffling, background noise, and it will be here today.

Started watching Season 2 of the podcast yesterday evening and have 12 episodes left too watch

I've never heard of anyone binging on the Slackchat podcasts before.
I'd send you a t-shirt if I had one :-)

No worries, if you ever make t-shirts or stickers put me on the list ;)
i take chocolate oranges too *joking*

almost watched it all now in three-four days, have a half episode left

The latest episode is a demonstration of what I do each day while testing any changes Stuart pushes out to me. Sometimes I have to improvise. I probably could have added some commentary or text to the video. It was recorded and edited on the RockPro64. Rendering the video took 2 hours. However, editing it took about 4 hours in Kdenlive.

Hello!

The latest Slackware ARM podcast episode is a status update for Slackware AArch64.
In summary, it's almost baked and will be released to the supporters first as a 'thank you' for paying for the hardware.

As a follow up to the video regarding Raspberry Pi 3 support.. My raspberry pi 3 will start Xfce - both with and without the xorg.conf in /etc/X11. With compositing disabled, the removal of the xorg.conf, the video is more reliable and snappy. Xfce reports that VC4 V3D 2.1 driver is in use. Youtube loads in firefox and does not freeze like the Pi 4. I made no changes to config.txt in /boot.
KDE will not load in either run level 3 or 4 with the display manager (sddm).

Watching now

Thanks, x11-skel won't install a config for the RPi3 now.

One more follow up from one of the previous videos. Suspend to RAM (Sleep mode) will work in KDE, Xfce, and from a console. However, I'm not sure there is support for hibernation in U-boot or the ARM Trusted Firmware just yet.

EDIT: *For the pinebook pro*

New video out a tutorial how to install Slackware on the Pinebook Pro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKs_RnFqLO8