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Unr3a164 05-21-2009 07:50 AM

Slackware on a netbook?
 
Hey all, I am a long time Slackware user, who for the last year or so has been using Ubuntu because I have pretty much been forced to. I have been itching to get myself back into the Slack OS, as I much prefer it over Ubuntu. However, the only computer I have right now is a Lenovo S10 netbook. I was curious if anyone else is running Slackware on these types of computers? Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Alien Bob 05-21-2009 08:44 AM

Looks like that Lenovo S10 has almost identical specs to the Asus EEEpc 1000H which I am using right now to type this reply. And it is running slackware-current with no issues at all (all hardware supported out of the box).

Eric

Unr3a164 05-21-2009 09:13 AM

Sweet. Thanks for the quick reply. I will definitely be installing Slackware as soon as my external DVD arrives!! Thanks again. :D

linus72 05-21-2009 09:14 AM

Yea, I got Slack-12.2 w/XFCE4 on my Toshiba 7000CT w/ 160MB RAM/4GB HD and it runs great
Slack is the most stable distro I've ever seen!

Hangdog42 05-21-2009 11:58 AM

I run Slackware 12.2 on a Dell Mini 9. Runs very nicely.

dracolich 05-21-2009 02:33 PM

I don't know how the Lenovo compares to HP's Mini, but my mini 1116 is running Wolvix 2.0beta2 (based on Slackware 12.2) perfectly.

chess 05-21-2009 03:03 PM

I just got a new eeepc 1000he that I am going to put slackware -current on. My only concern is that, unlike other 1000he's, this one has a Ralink RT2860 card. I *think* these drivers were mainlined with the 2.6.29 kernel, which -current uses, but I am not entirely positive. Otherwise, I'll have to navigate the horrendous Ralink website and download/compile the drivers manually.

Alien Bob 05-21-2009 03:15 PM

Chess,

The Slackware 2.6.29.x kernel of slackware-current has support for the rt2860. It was actually the reason why there were two builds of the 2.6.29.1 kernel, because I found out that the rt2860 did not get built the first time :-)
I use this module on my Eeepc 1000H.

Eric

chess 05-21-2009 03:44 PM

Excellent news, thanks Eric! Part of the reason for my purchase of my 1000he was your experience with your eeepc. :-) I look forward to doing an install tonight.

vinegaroon 05-21-2009 06:20 PM

+1 to Hangdog's comment, Slackware runs great on the Dell mini 9.

Crashbox 05-21-2009 08:03 PM

eeepc 701
 
Does anyone have any experience with Slack on "the original netbook"**, an eeepc 701? I've been playing around with various distros on it - the stock Xandros, Puppy, and currently eeeubuntu nbr - but I'd really like to stop with the distro roulette.

[** yes, I know, the original netbook was the Libretto. I'm referring to the modern incarnation.]

gsl 05-21-2009 08:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crashbox (Post 3548787)
Does anyone have any experience with Slack on "the original netbook"**, an eeepc 701?

Slackware 12.2 and a custom 2.6.29 kernel works fine on my 701. The install is straightforward using the usbboot.img with the Slackware disk sets on another USB drive. I used some of the ACPI scripts from slackeee.strangled.net. The webcam was the biggest hassle but I only got it working as an exercise -- I wouldn't bother with it in future.

Geoff.

andrew.46 05-22-2009 04:30 AM

Hi Hangdog,

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hangdog42 (Post 3548337)
I run Slackware 12.2 on a Dell Mini 9. Runs very nicely.

Can I ask if you used the stock 12.2 kernel or did you need a custom kernel?

Andrew

koloth 05-22-2009 06:12 AM

12.2 worked fine on an Acer Aspire one, I got some issues with -current though...

Nylex 05-22-2009 07:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by koloth (Post 3549186)
12.2 worked fine on an Acer Aspire one, I got some issues with -current though...

Such as? I also run 12.2 on an AAO.

Hangdog42 05-22-2009 07:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by andrew.46 (Post 3549106)
Hi Hangdog,



Can I ask if you used the stock 12.2 kernel or did you need a custom kernel?

Andrew

I've been using a stock kernel. In fact, I think (despite advice to the contrary) I'm using hugesmp. The only tweak I've had to do is compile and install Broadcom's wireless driver to support the wireless card. That was easy and works great with wicd. All the other hardware has worked from the get-go. For what it is worth, when I got the Mini, 12.2 hadn't been released, so I tried installing 12.1, and that wouldn't install no matter what I did. However, 12.2 installed smoothly.

Crashbox 05-22-2009 09:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gsl (Post 3548817)
Slackware 12.2 and a custom 2.6.29 kernel works fine on my 701. The install is straightforward using the usbboot.img with the Slackware disk sets on another USB drive. I used some of the ACPI scripts from slackeee.strangled.net. The webcam was the biggest hassle but I only got it working as an exercise -- I wouldn't bother with it in future.

Geoff.

Thanks for the info...now I must find some time. The inclusion of the drivers for the Atheros wireless chip in the 2.6.29 kernel certainly make life easier. A working webcam would be nice, but I have other machines with working cams so whatever...

Btw, I'm assuming you went with no swap partition and the 'noatime' setting to minimize writes to the SSD. Oh, and would you be willing to share your kernel .config file. I feel like such a newb for asking, but free time is way limited right now.

gsl 05-22-2009 06:15 PM

1 Attachment(s)
Quote:

Originally Posted by Crashbox (Post 3549395)
Btw, I'm assuming you went with no swap partition and the 'noatime' setting to minimize writes to the SSD.

That's correct. I nuked the original partitions and created a single partition. I have never attempted to get suspend-to-disk working. Suspend-to-ram works fine and it doesn't take long to boot or shutdown.

Quote:

Oh, and would you be willing to share your kernel .config file. I feel like such a newb for asking, but free time is way limited right now.
See attached. No guarantees that it is perfect but it works for me and should get you started. It is just the original Asus .config that I keep running through "make oldconfig". I build the kernel on my desktop PC, make a Slackware package out of it (kernel and modules in one) and install using installpkg/upgradepkg.

Geoff.

Unr3a164 05-22-2009 06:22 PM

What I would ultimately like to do is do what I did with my old Gateway computer, which is triple boot my computer between windows, slackware, and ubuntu. My only question is how do I setup the slackware dvd iso on a flash drive as bootable?

Crashbox 05-22-2009 08:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gsl (Post 3549780)

See attached. No guarantees that it is perfect but it works for me and should get you started. It is just the original Asus .config that I keep running through "make oldconfig". I build the kernel on my desktop PC, make a Slackware package out of it (kernel and modules in one) and install using installpkg/upgradepkg.

Geoff.

I really appreciate it. A kernel stripped down to match the hardware is always the best option, IMHO, and it's how I roll on all my other machines. Your config file will give me a nice working kernel that I can tweak later if I have the time and/or need.

gsl 05-22-2009 10:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unr3a164 (Post 3549782)
My only question is how do I setup the slackware dvd iso on a flash drive as bootable?

I don't know if that's possible. My standard way to install from a flash drive is make a bootable flash drive using usbboot.img (in usb-and-pxe-installers/ on the DVD, check out README_USB.TXT in the same dir) and have some or all of the slackware/ disk sets on another flash drive which you have plugged in at bootup. Then choose "Hard drive partition" for your source media and follow the instructions.

Geoff.

Crashbox 05-23-2009 07:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unr3a164 (Post 3549782)
My only question is how do I setup the slackware dvd iso on a flash drive as bootable?

Might I suggest UNetbootin

kadeck 05-24-2009 02:52 AM

Hi Unr3a164,

is the internal microphone works on your s10 with slackware?, since it's the only problem i have under ubuntu

Mark Pettit 05-24-2009 06:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crashbox (Post 3550176)
Might I suggest UNetbootin

You may certainly suggest it, but I can't see any reason why you should.
The home page of unetbootin does NOT claim to be able to install Slackware. Further reading of other pages on the site also make no such claims. If you managed to get it working, could you expand your suggestion into a How-To please.

Crashbox 05-24-2009 07:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark Pettit (Post 3550971)
You may certainly suggest it, but I can't see any reason why you should.
The home page of unetbootin does NOT claim to be able to install Slackware. Further reading of other pages on the site also make no such claims. If you managed to get it working, could you expand your suggestion into a How-To please.

Please note that in the very first paragraph on the main UNetbootin page, under "Introduction", it states the following:

"or supply your own Linux .iso file if you've already downloaded one or your preferred distribution isn't on the list."

Additionally, under the section titled 'Installing Other Distributions Using UNetbootin' on the main page you'll see a nice screen shot illustrating how to use an ISO file you've already downloaded.

In fact, I see nothing on the entire UNetbootin page that suggests it can't handle a Slackware iso file.

To answer your question, no I haven't used UNetbootin with a Slackware iso yet. Haven't needed to...but that may change soon. If I do, I'll be sure to come back and let everyone know how it went.

My question to you is: have you tried Unetbootin with Slackware and had it fail? Perhaps a recounting of your experience (if you've had one) would be more beneficial to the community. If you have nothing else to offer, please take your negativity elsewhere.

Mark Pettit 05-25-2009 12:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crashbox (Post 3551020)
Please note that in the very first paragraph on the main UNetbootin page, under "Introduction", it states the following:

"or supply your own Linux .iso file if you've already downloaded one or your preferred distribution isn't on the list."

Additionally, under the section titled 'Installing Other Distributions Using UNetbootin' on the main page you'll see a nice screen shot illustrating how to use an ISO file you've already downloaded.

In fact, I see nothing on the entire UNetbootin page that suggests it can't handle a Slackware iso file.

To answer your question, no I haven't used UNetbootin with a Slackware iso yet. Haven't needed to...but that may change soon. If I do, I'll be sure to come back and let everyone know how it went.

My question to you is: have you tried Unetbootin with Slackware and had it fail? Perhaps a recounting of your experience (if you've had one) would be more beneficial to the community. If you have nothing else to offer, please take your negativity elsewhere.

@Crashbox

Yes - I tried Unetbootin about a year ago. It failed. I can't remember the details. I was disappointed because it seems to work for Slax, Vector and Zenwalk - all Slack derivatives. So I was quite surprised that it didn't work - but then if it did, it would surely claim that ?

As far as negativity - giving advice that you have not personally tested and proved to work is rather low. This entire website is based on the giving of useful advice. If you didn't know something for certain (and you just claimed that), then at least qualify the suggestion with a "I haven't tried this but ...."

koloth 05-25-2009 09:00 AM

current
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Nylex (Post 3549244)
Such as? I also run 12.2 on an AAO.

I have some issues with the SSD on current, It seems to deny access when some process is using it (for example i cannot write something to the disk while copying a file). I'm still to find a solution...

Crashbox 05-25-2009 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark Pettit (Post 3551677)

Yes - I tried Unetbootin about a year ago. It failed. I can't remember the details.

Thank you for making my point. Instead of responding in a way that made it sound like Slackware expressly did not work with UNetbootin, you could have said: "hey, I tried it a year ago and it didn't work. maybe it's worth another look."

UNetbootin may very well work with Slack now and it may very well be the solution to the guy's problem. Your previous response though, would have turned him off of it completely. I gave him a suggestion of where to start.

And for the record, I've used UNetbootin with iso files from several distros 'not included' and have had no trouble, nor have I found anything which would lead me to believe Slack won't work now. But you're right, I haven't done it. Maybe someone who has could enlighten both of us.


Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark Pettit (Post 3551677)

As far as negativity - giving advice that you have not personally tested and proved to work is rather low. This entire website is based on the giving of useful advice. If you didn't know something for certain (and you just claimed that), then at least qualify the suggestion with a "I haven't tried this but ...."

Unless I'm able to provide additional assistance to someone who needs it, I won't be posting anymore in this thread. I've been hanging around here for some time now and I think I'm pretty familiar with LQ and it's goals. I'm not terribly interested in etiquette advice from a guy whose only been here a few months.

BobNutfield 05-25-2009 12:12 PM

Quote:

And for the record, I've used UNetbootin with iso files from several distros 'not included' and have had no trouble, nor have I found anything which would lead me to believe Slack won't work now. But you're right, I haven't done it. Maybe someone who has could enlighten both of us.
I, too, have tried unetbootin on a number of distros, including Slackware. As Crashbox states, the installation can be any iso. I have only had two distros fail to boot, and, unfortuantely one of them was Slackware 12.2. I got a module error that initial needed modules couldn't be loaded. I do intend to try it again this week. All I want to do is get enough installed to get a network install started. I do believe it will work, but I cannot confirm that because my only attempt failed.

Bob

Nylex 05-25-2009 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by koloth (Post 3552054)
I have some issues with the SSD on current, It seems to deny access when some process is using it (for example i cannot write something to the disk while copying a file). I'm still to find a solution...

I'd heard that there were problems like this with the SSD devices. For this reason (and that of capacity), I opted for a regular hard drive. Unfortunately, I can't be any help, I'm afraid.

Unr3a164 05-25-2009 05:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kadeck (Post 3550842)
Hi Unr3a164,

is the internal microphone works on your s10 with slackware?, since it's the only problem i have under ubuntu


I will definitely let you know once I get it installed. I have gotten my internal mic working under Ubuntu. What version of Ubuntu are you on?

kadeck 05-26-2009 12:30 AM

I am using Jaunty Jack now (2.6.28-11-generic).
Finally I'am able to make the internal mic works. What I did was upgrade alsa using the script here.
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.p...10#post6589810

seems to work on kernel 2.6.27 as well (tried on Linux-Mint felicia). I think it should work on slackware too.

enine 06-04-2009 07:18 AM

I installed slackware 12.2 on an ASUS eeePC 900HA. Wireless works, video was detected fine but fonts were all set to 16 point so I was able to shring all but one down, the one I can't seem to control is the main system font used for dialog boxes and non kde apps like firefox so the menus and text are really big in those.
Sound works but the mixer doesn't seem to allow muting nor will it save the volume between sessions, always defaults to max.
My printer won't install either but thats not related to it being a netbook, seems to be a slackware specific issue.

enine 06-04-2009 08:38 AM

hmm, startx -- -100dpi fixes it for one session, wonder where I set that to make it the default

happybear 06-04-2009 10:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by enine (Post 3562922)
hmm, startx -- -100dpi fixes it for one session, wonder where I set that to make it the default

try creating an alias and put it in your .bashrc, alias startx='startx -- -100dpi' ?

enine 06-04-2009 10:28 PM

I should have been more specific, I have it start at init 4 so I'm never typing startx, where can I set that dpi so x always uses it,I found a couple web sites listing config files and tried them but it didn't work?

atters 07-27-2009 08:11 PM

Slackware 12.2 runs beautifully on my Acer Aspire One AOA150.

Installation was a breeze, as always, and configuration is easy easy easy.

mscole 07-27-2009 09:18 PM

I just bought an Acer Aspire One that came with XP pre-installed. I shrank the XP partition and installed Slack 12.2 as a dual boot system. I see that two or three people posting to this thread are running Slack on the aao. How did you get wifi working? This is my first attempt at using wifi so I am somewhat in the dark. I have searched the threads here and read a number of things on the Web about Slackware, wifi, and the aao, but I don't have a clear idea where to start. Also, lspci does not list any wireless device. Mike.

atters 07-27-2009 10:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mscole (Post 3622389)
Also, lspci does not list any wireless device.

Mike,
Which model AAO do you have? For my AOA150, lspci (when run as root) shows the following entry:

03:00.0 Ethernet controller: Atheros Communications Inc. AR242x 802.11abg Wireless PCI Express Adapter (rev 01)

mscole 07-28-2009 03:40 PM

My mistake, lspci shows that same controller in mine (Ahteros AR242x). The "ethernet controller" description threw me off. I don't see a model number on the computer's case.

atters 07-28-2009 04:27 PM

No problem, here are the next steps:

Verify that ath5k appears when you run 'lsmod'. (if not do 'modprobe ath5k' to load it)
Verify that wlan0 appears when you run 'iwconfig' (as root).

WPA2 wireless connection:
1 - Download, compile and install wpa_supplicant
2 - Edit your 'wpa_supplicant.conf' file to match your network environment
3 - Do a 'chmod +x /etc/rc.d/rc.wireless' to enable the script to execute during boot
4 - Edit '/etc/rc.d/rc.inet1.conf' starting at line 50, Uncomment at least "IFNAME" and "WLAN_WPA". (Uncomment the "DHCP" line if you need it)
5 - (optional) Edit '/etc/rc.d/rc.wireless' and comment out lines 190-196 to disable the Set Nickname operation error.
6 - Reboot and enjoy.

If you use KDE, you might consider KWiFiManager to keep an eye on the connection. Run it as root to use all it's features or to view all networks the card can pick up.

mscole 07-28-2009 10:39 PM

atters, I tried the steps you described, and I think I am close, but when I boot I get the following error message from the kernel:
Failed to connect to wpa_supplicant -- wpa_ctrl_open: No such file or directory
I could not find a reference to this file in wpa_supplicant.conf or rc.wireless or rc.inet1.conf, so I don't know where the problem is. Mike.

mscole 07-28-2009 11:07 PM

I forgot to mention, I used the version of wpa_supplicant that came with the slackware 12.2 installation (0.5.10-i486-1). Do I need to download a newer version?

slackissme 07-29-2009 03:00 AM

slackware-current
 
TOSHIBA Satellite L510-S401 TOSHIBA Satellite L510-S401 - slackware - current , working

trainee 08-10-2009 08:29 PM

I am considering buying one netbook cause my laptop is dying (overheating easily). So I read around. I was considering an Acer Aspire and I read this review on newegg

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834115584

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834115584

The review says that it won't be able to display flash video like youtube or hulu.com properly.

Since the laptop is my only source of entertainment so it does concern me a lot.

Does any of you have the same problem?

Thanks in advance,

And by the way, I saw that almost all review about Slackware on a Netbook are positive, but any head-up about the problems will be very appreciated.

Nylex 08-11-2009 12:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trainee (Post 3638589)
Does any of you have the same problem?

I haven't had that problem with my Acer Aspire One.

Interject 08-11-2009 08:21 AM

Running -current on my eeepc 900, very happy with it :)

What works out of the box:
Wireless
Wired Ethernet
Webcam
Graphics
Sound
Touchpad gestures (Two fingers to scroll down/up)

Things I haven't tried:
Card reader
Microphone

pwc101 08-11-2009 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Interject (Post 3639228)
Running -current on my eeepc 900, very happy with it :)

What works out of the box:
Wireless
Wired Ethernet
Webcam
Graphics
Sound
Touchpad gestures (Two fingers to scroll down/up)

Things I haven't tried:
Card reader
Microphone

Thanks for posting this: sounds like a project for this evening. Ubuntu (don't ask!) is horrible on this light machine, and I though Slack would be perfect for it. Your positive experience makes me want to try :)

the3dfxdude 08-11-2009 08:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Interject (Post 3639228)
Running -current on my eeepc 900, very happy with it :)

What works out of the box:
Wireless
Wired Ethernet
Webcam
Graphics
Sound
Touchpad gestures (Two fingers to scroll down/up)

Things I haven't tried:
Card reader
Microphone

I've tried all those same things on my EEEPC 1000, and they all work including the card reader. I don't know for sure, but I've read that the microphone should work on a recent kernel... like slackware-current's. I think it's a pretty solid system.

pwc101 08-12-2009 04:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Interject (Post 3639228)
Running -current on my eeepc 900, very happy with it :)

What works out of the box:
Wireless
Wired Ethernet
Webcam
Graphics
Sound
Touchpad gestures (Two fingers to scroll down/up)

Things I haven't tried:
Card reader
Microphone

I installed -current last night, and so far so good. As you said, the wireless, camera, graphics, sound, touchpad gestures and ethernet all work out of the box. Also, I used the USB installer provided to install Slackware using the SD Card slot on the EeePC, so can confirm that that definitely works with Slackware :) I've only got the microphone left to test.

I did have to leave out the whole of the K and KDEI series otherwise I was going to run out of space on the 4G SSD I installed it to. However, Xfce is very nippy in -current (I've got KDE4 on my main box), which is perfect for this machine.

Incidentally, I remember having to add certain mount options to fstab to reduce wear due to excessive writes - does anyone know if this is still the case with ext4?


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