Linux On My Samsung

While waiting for official KMS and Plymouth support from Ubuntu (not before the '9.10' release) we can get the best from usplash on our NC10.

On my repository there are some new packages: nc10-fb, 915res, usplash-theme-ubuntu and usplash-theme-ubuntu-blue.
The first two are needed for getting the 1024x600 framebuffer, the usplash-theme-ubuntu package is a fixed version of the official ubuntu splash theme (it fixes some bugs for 1024x600 resolution), the usplash-theme-ubuntu-blue package is a blue version made by me (and its use is optional, of course).

The following method is not available for Intrepid because it seems to randomly break suspend/hibernation on it. My advice? Upgrade to Jaunty.

The 915res package installs an utility (915resolution) that allows us to modify the video BIOS on the fly (only on the ram, the changes are not permanent and are lost when PC is shutted down). This way we can add the 1024x600 resolution to the list of reported (and usable) resolutions when the system is started. This utility was deprecated and removed from Intrepid (and obviously from Jaunty), because the intel driver for X server is now able to find all the usable resolutions on its own (infact the X server works at 1024x600 with no problems at all). However, we need it because we have to set up the 1024x600 resolution at boot time, before the X server is started and the intel driver gets loaded.

The nc10-fb package is the main one, it contains a bunch of scripts used by initramfs-tools to insert all the needed stuff into the initramfs file. The initramfs file is a virtual file system loaded at boot, all its content is immediately available to use when the system starts to boot, even before the real partitions on the disk are mounted. The scripts contained in the package put the '915resolution' utility into the initramfs, making possible to use it when the system is starting, and load the 'uvesafb' framebuffer driver for setting up the new custom resolution. All this stuff is enabled on boot ONLY IF the 'nc10-fb' option is specified on the kernel command line.

Well, that was the explanation, now the instructions to use it.

Install the nc10-fb package with the command this will install all the other needed packages, too.

Open in your text editor the grub menu.lst file: Move to the section and modify it this way then save and exit.

Now update the grub with the command and you are done.

Reboot the NC10 to see the framebuffer in action, and usplash working at the right resolution (finally).

If for any reason you are unhappy with the new framebuffer and want to go back to the bad-looking default one, you can simply remove the 'nc10-fb' option from the '/boot/grub/menu.lst' file, then use the command 'sudo update-grub' to update grub.
Remember, the new framebuffer is used only when the above option is present.

Just a few words about the usplash-theme-ubuntu-blue package.
This is a blue version of the official ubuntu usplash theme, I made it because I prefer blue to brown.
I just want to say that usually I'm not that good at image editing, but this time I got a nice result, so give it a shot if you want.

To use the new theme, install it with the command then set it to be used with the command If you want to go back to the original brown theme, use the command

voRia: usplash-theme-ubuntu-green please. Green I mean #A7CC5C

Well, as I said my image editing skill is very low, and I can say for sure that the blue version has been a lucky shot.
If there is anyone (with more skill at GIMP than me... and it's not that hard) interested in making new colors, I can put them on my repository. I really appreciate such a kind of work.

This morning I had nothing to do, so I decided to train my image editing skill, and I made a green version.
Just install the usplash-theme-ubuntu-green package to get it.

Let me know what you think!

The needed kernel commandline option has been changed to a more specific 'nc10-fb'.
I've updated the instructions in the main post, please update your grub menu.lst file if needed.

The method basically worked for me on my MSI Wind U123. The usplash appears at the correct resolution now, but it is not animated. That is, it is just a static image, and the progress bar does not move. How can I fix this?

It's a bug of the 'usplash-theme-ubuntu' official package, which does not work correctly at 1024x600.
You can find a fixed version of the package on my repository.

Thanks so much! That worked great.

You are welcome.
I'm glad to know it works on other netbooks too (after all they are all similars).

This might not be the best place to ask, but since you were so helpful before I felt like you would know.

What are all the other packages in the voria ppa? Would any of them be applicable to my MSI Wind, or should I not install them?

I mean, update manager shows

acpi-support
alsa-utils
gnome-power-manager
hal-info
libasound2*
libcanberra*
libdrm*
libpulse*
libusplash
linux-libc-dev
pulseaudio

and more...


Thanks again!

I've never used the MSI wind, anyway I can try to help you.

These are the packages I'm sure you can use with no problems at all:
- acpi-support (it enables laptop-mode by default, a good thing on any netbook/notebook, in any case).
- all of usplash packages (I fixed some small typo/errors I found while testing 'nc10-fb' package, and added alternative colors for usplash themes).
- gdm-guest-session (I changed the font size for guest sessions to 8 instead of 10. Other netbooks will benefit of the change in the same way).
- hal-info (it enables fn keys functions specific for nc10. It's safe to install on a different netbook, it simply would not make any difference).

All the rest (pulseaudio, all the alsa packages, libcanberra, libdrm, xserver-xorg-video-intel, etc) are updated packages that should work good on other systems too (they are just updated versions of official ubuntu packages), but I can't say it for sure. Just test them. You can always revert to previous versions in case of any problem.

realbrew wrote:The method basically worked for me on my MSI Wind U123. The usplash appears at the correct resolution now, but it is not animated. That is, it is just a static image, and the progress bar does not move. How can I fix this?

I have the same problem on my samsung NC10. Waking up ubuntu shows the non animated image. At the end of the process the image gets something like inverted - it looks very funny...

VoiRa wrote:It's a bug of the 'usplash-theme-ubuntu' official package, which does not work correctly at 1024x600.
You can find a fixed version of the package on my repository.

This package is installed but it doesn't fix the problem.

Micha

The unanimated progress bar and fancy colors when waking up is another problem, and it's not fixed in usplash yet, and probably it will never be. Ubuntu is progressively dropping usplash support, in karmic is used just in a minimal way, so I think there is not so much interest in fixing bugs.