New Asus with Nvidia Optimus

[mousegun]

About to get a new Asus notebook with Intel/Nvidia Optimus video hardware. Is there any possibility of  a Bumblebee package showing up in the repository anytime soon? I searched for a solution to the Optimus switching issue (http://www.pclinuxos.com/forum/index.php/topic,104391.msg890653.html#msg890653, etc.) and got the impression there was some ongoing effort to solve it.

Haven't seen anything recent. Any news?

[horusfalcon]

There is the Bumblebee Project page:

https://launchpad.net/~bumblebee

This, in turn, references a forum page from another distribution (which shall remain nameless here, in compliance with PCLinuxOS forum policy).  Some good reading there, nonetheless.

You might consider making a package request.  If you decide to do this, please read the following thread beforehand:

http://www.pclinuxos.com/forum/index.php/topic,102893.0.html

I'm definitely with you on this, as PCLinuxOS needs to keep pace with emerging technology to remain viable, vibrant, and alive in today's ever-changing hardware environment.

Good Hunting,
D

[mousegun]

Thanks for the reply. I checked the package request forum and someone has already posted a request for the Bumblebee package. I've done a bit of research and Bumblebee looks a bit hodgepodgey, although there are several distros that have a package ready in their repositories. I'll post a package request comment with the other one and see what happens.

[horusfalcon]

Good luck.  Usually packages get filled pretty quickly unless there is a good reason not to.  This sounds like something that needs to be added if it is at all possible.

Later On,
D

[mousegun]

Going to be interesting...

Update: Asus N56VZ-DH71 now in hand. Preparing to strip off W7 in prep for PCLOS. Hope we have some news on the Bumblebee request soon.

[Krd-Sniper]

Good day

Can anybody please tell me if this problem has a solution yet, because I have a Asus K52Jc Notebook that I would love to run PCLinuxOS KDE 64bit 2013.04 on but just get a black screen.  Booting the LiveCD with VGA Safe Boot it boots correctly but after installation my display are only half of my screen and completely unreadable. I would really prefer to use PCLinuxOS.

Regards

[mousegun]

After almost a year I've moved on to Debian and Arch.  Just got rEFInd running in the EFI partition and am about to load Debian for a trial run.

I don't think PCLOS will be ready any time soon for my N56VZ because the Optimus problem is only one of several issues that have to be solved by the user, to wit:
1. Many distros don't have the wired NIC driver for the Alix card on the N56VZ
2. No distro so far has a full implementation of the ACPI functions for keyboard/lid lighting or fn keys.
3. No direct solution for the subwoofer activation on many distros.
4. Only newer distros seem to have the EFI boot stub compiled into the kernel.
5. Only Grub Legacy, Grub2 and ELILO are reasonably capable of coexisting with EFI boot managers.

Fortunately, all these are addressed in some way in several distros (not PCLOS as yet): Debian, Arch, Gentoo, Mint and a few others.

I really hate to leave PCLOS for now, but it just doesn't seem to handle all of the above issues adequately. At least there's a 64 bit version now. Time will tell.

Good luck.

[Texstar]

Sounds like you may have made a poor life decision purchasing a laptop that still isn't compatible with 100's of Linux distributions a year later.

1. Nvidia drivers are soon to come out to support Optimus so no need for that bumblee hack.
2. uefi support is coming a little later in the year once more distros have worked out the kinks and bugs.
3. New kernels are being worked on and will be coming to the repos this year to support newer hardware setups.

[mousegun]

I'm not sure it could be classified a "life decision". It's more like a challenge to provide a break from having to administer a SOHO LAN for six people, four desktop/servers, a perimeter router riding on a Cisco 3500 and a partridge in a pear tree.

The N56VZ runs Linux just fine.. other than a few loose ends like ACPI and the infernal EFI multibooting. Most of these are now solved. Just working on the little things like keyboard backlighting.

The main reasoning behind this portable is to wean myself away from the main development/admin machine and try some CUDA programming. It seemed like a good idea at the time, and still don't regret it. My only regret having to leave PCLOS for a while. I'm sure it's temporary. All the solutions are out there, just not all in one distro. Oh well.

It's amazing what a little challenge now and then can do to stimulate a mind in its eighth decade. Gotta keep up with the kids somehow. The two engineering majors just mastered LaPlace transforms in DiffEq... Now THAT was a challenge.