Okay, so the lack of multimedia keyboard support is not a problem with Amarok, Gnome, OR the Gnome Multimedia Keys script.
Instead, this problem is related to a bug in Intrepid with the Toshiba ACPI driver. Apparently this happened during the beginning of Hardy too, but one of the kernel updates fixed the issue for most Toshiba laptops (mine included). However, there was another regression in Intrepid and again the Toshiba ACPI is all screwed up.
What does not work for my Toshiba in Intrepid:
- FN keys
- Multimedia keys (in ANY program as it turns out, Rhythmbox... Amarok... etc)
- Mute / Unmute keyboard key (the volume and mute on the front of the laptop work though)
There are several bugs I found that seem to relate overall to this problem. I'm going to spend some time this next weekend and figure out WHICH bug affects MY Toshiba model and see if there has been a solution yet. I'm debatting actually compiling the toshiba_acpi driver manually and patching the kernel, but that would probably be broken again the next time they update the kernel.
Showing posts with label Gnome. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gnome. Show all posts
Monday, December 8, 2008
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Dropbox (0.6.416)
The skinny
This program is pretty decent. Gives you a free 2GB online storage account that syncs between several computers pretty quickly (obviously depends on internet connection). They have a .deb package for Ubuntu right on the site, an added bonus. Just a quick note: dropbox has worked on Hardy and Intrepid for me, neither usage has ever crashed.
It works beautifully. I actually have dropbox installed on a few Windows boxes as well, and hands down I prefer dropbox for linux. Always nice to see a company that doesn't drop the ball in a linux implimentation. Dropbox can also be limited to how much bandwidth it will consume (can say how effective it is, I have never tested it out).
Speaking of Windows boxes, I LOVE that they have utilities for Windows, Mac and Linux. This makes it a breeze to sync some important files back and forth. Or just do some file transfers. Obviously, transfering files will be slower than a straight network connection or a thumb drive, but it can be useful at times.
You are required to sign up for an account. This makes perfect sense really... since you want your data secure and this also allows you to access your storage from a web interface (that actually doesn't suck!). This is a fairly new company I think, so some forethought into what you store might be prudent. You wouldn't want to store extremely private or personal files without checking to see if their security meets your demands and before you trust them as an entity. I have no problem with the company, but I am not going to say why, you should do that research and come to a conclusion yourself.
Installation
This is a breeze in Ubuntu. I already mentioned the .deb package a bit ago. Actually, writing installation instructions is both pointless and irritating. Seriously, you can wing it just fine. Just go to the website in step one and the rest will fall into place.
1) Download the .deb here: http://www.getdropbox.com/install?os=lnx
2) ... install it ... go wit' da flow man
A few notes: Dropbox will reboot nautilus during the installation. This will cause your panels and wallpaper to simply disappear for a little bit. After installation, Dropbox needs to download and install more components.
This program is pretty decent. Gives you a free 2GB online storage account that syncs between several computers pretty quickly (obviously depends on internet connection). They have a .deb package for Ubuntu right on the site, an added bonus. Just a quick note: dropbox has worked on Hardy and Intrepid for me, neither usage has ever crashed.
It works beautifully. I actually have dropbox installed on a few Windows boxes as well, and hands down I prefer dropbox for linux. Always nice to see a company that doesn't drop the ball in a linux implimentation. Dropbox can also be limited to how much bandwidth it will consume (can say how effective it is, I have never tested it out).
Speaking of Windows boxes, I LOVE that they have utilities for Windows, Mac and Linux. This makes it a breeze to sync some important files back and forth. Or just do some file transfers. Obviously, transfering files will be slower than a straight network connection or a thumb drive, but it can be useful at times.
You are required to sign up for an account. This makes perfect sense really... since you want your data secure and this also allows you to access your storage from a web interface (that actually doesn't suck!). This is a fairly new company I think, so some forethought into what you store might be prudent. You wouldn't want to store extremely private or personal files without checking to see if their security meets your demands and before you trust them as an entity. I have no problem with the company, but I am not going to say why, you should do that research and come to a conclusion yourself.
Installation
This is a breeze in Ubuntu. I already mentioned the .deb package a bit ago. Actually, writing installation instructions is both pointless and irritating. Seriously, you can wing it just fine. Just go to the website in step one and the rest will fall into place.
1) Download the .deb here: http://www.getdropbox.com/install?os=lnx
2) ... install it ... go wit' da flow man
A few notes: Dropbox will reboot nautilus during the installation. This will cause your panels and wallpaper to simply disappear for a little bit. After installation, Dropbox needs to download and install more components.
Amarok and Intrepid
Amarok and Gnome don't always play nice. I've looked for alternatives to Amarok, and I just haven't found one that matches Amarok. In fact, I have never experienced a better jukebox (for lack of a better word). Any OS. Any MP3 player. Period.
Anyway, back to the topic at hand: Amarok, Gnome, and Intrepid.
Amarok has behaved much more stable in Intrepid for me. I had it crash on me a lot in Hardy, so I welcome the improvement. However, I, rather stupidly, checked a box on a warning box. In the past, I would always just say retry and it worked like a champ. Amarok hasn't really had any problems, but this has caused one rather unfortunate side-effect. NO GNOME MEDIA KEYS. I have the plugin installed. Easy as always. But it doesn't work. This is either a regression with Intrepid / Gnome OR it is because of the aforementioned dialog box I have dismissed for the last time.
I like to think positively, so I will imagine that it is because of the dialog box. Now I just need to figure out WHAT the dialog box was for so I can find the configuration file for it and tell it to show those warnings again. That's the plan.
Anyway, back to the topic at hand: Amarok, Gnome, and Intrepid.
Amarok has behaved much more stable in Intrepid for me. I had it crash on me a lot in Hardy, so I welcome the improvement. However, I, rather stupidly, checked a box on a warning box. In the past, I would always just say retry and it worked like a champ. Amarok hasn't really had any problems, but this has caused one rather unfortunate side-effect. NO GNOME MEDIA KEYS. I have the plugin installed. Easy as always. But it doesn't work. This is either a regression with Intrepid / Gnome OR it is because of the aforementioned dialog box I have dismissed for the last time.
I like to think positively, so I will imagine that it is because of the dialog box. Now I just need to figure out WHAT the dialog box was for so I can find the configuration file for it and tell it to show those warnings again. That's the plan.
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