[PlanetCCRMA] new laptop... new kernel... new distro...

[Ryan G.]

--- Fernando Pablo Lopez-Lezcano <nando@ccrma.Stanford.EDU> wrote:
> > I found a creative new way to torment myself.  I decided to install
> > fedora on my new dell inspiron 5100 along with the planet.  (I LOVE
> > being an early adopter... guess that makes me a masochist).
> 
> I guess.... there goes Ryan again, installing alpha software :-)

I'd like to think I'm contributing in *some* way to ease the path of
others (see following remarks concerning fonts).

> > Things actually worked out quite well.  All the (few) planet
> packages
> > I've tried install and work fine EXCEPT ardour which just pukes and
> > dies instantly (though oddly it worked ONCE and only once).
> 
> Most probably anything that is c++ based will fail (ardour, muse,
> rosegarden come to mind). Just get the source rpm and rebuild it
> (well,
> just get _all_ the source rpms, rebuilt everything and we'll get a
> planet fedora repository in no time :-)
> 
> He he he he....

Well the only app in that list I use is ardour... I guess it's BACK to
compiling it from CVS (which is ok since the beta release schedule
seems to have slowed lately).

> > -sometimes init hangs when initializing firewire, sometimes it
> works
> > fine
> 
> Somebody else was also reporting problems with firewire. This is, I
> assume with 2.4.22-6.ll? Just this morning I fired 2.4.22-8.ll (based
> on
> 2.4.23-rc6) and after 1/2 hour my machine froze. Not a good start, I
> guess....... not much I can do either (except to try again later). 

Well buddy(s) looks like I'm going to have to dig into the kernel
source for the first time since I found the planet... brace yourselves
for my barrage of frustrated clueless emails ;-).  BTW, Nando I owe you
dinner. ;-)

> > -apci power management stuff things look good when booting but
> somehow
> > things don't work as they should (I've read that I'll need to apply
> a
> > dsdt.dat kernel patch using the Intel iasl compiler which      can
> be
> > downloaded from
> > http://www.intel.com/technology/iapc/acpi/downloads.htm) I'll need
> to
> > recompile the kernel too :-(
> > 
> > -UGLY font rendering... gonna try to compile freetype with
> bytehinting
> > support to try and clear things up (any hints getting antialiasing
> to
> > look good on a laptop appreciated)
> 
> Hmmm, on the stock install? Meaning it does not look as good (or bad)
> as
> RedHat 9? That is bad news...

Well here's the deal... I compiled and installed freetype with bytecode
interpreting enabled and THINGS LOOK MUCH BETTER.  I was really bummed
about the poor quality of fonts on the new LCD laptop screen, now I'm
much encouraged.  Not everyone may agree but the lines of the fonts are
"thinner" if you know what I mean... Like letters such as X and W don't
have the ugly "thikness" that seems disproportioned.  Anyway YMMV.

> -- Fernando

-Ryan "the alpha tester"

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--r--