[gNewSense-users] Re: pre-compiled linux-libre 2.6.27-rc5 packages for atheros wireless support

[Ali Gunduz]

I see the Asus Eee PC as a great opportunity for the free software
movement. It basically provides cheap and standart hardware that can
be accessed in many parts of the world and used with a free
software-only system.

I hope to compile a much smaller kernel package that is Eee-specific
and a complete how-to for newcoming gNS users with Eee PCs. My only
question is about its ethernet support. Although atl2 is not listed in
neither FSF's working nor non-working list, it works with gNS 2.1.
Does anyone have an idea about its status?

Ali

On Sat, Sep 6, 2008 at 10:40 PM, Ali Gunduz <address@hidden> wrote:
> Hello all,
>
> I think that there is a significant need for wireless support in
> gNewSense. Although there are free atheros drivers that support a
> number of devices, these are not supported under gNewSense by default.
> If you consider that there are quiet a lot of laptops requiring
> non-free drivers for both the ethernet and wireless connection (such
> as my Dell Inspiron 1420n, which was promoted as a "Linux" computer),
> you will understand the direness for ready-to-use (read: pre-compiled)
> support of these free drivers, especially by newcomers. With this
> thought, I compiled the Linux-libre 2.6.27-rc5 into deb packages.
>
> You can find the package and information at
> http://www.aligunduz.org/gNewSense/. I'm hosting them on my limited
> space for now. (Oh, gNewSense gods, hear thou servant!)
>
> I tested this on Asus Eee PC 701 and 900 (ath5k) and with D-Link
> DWA-643 Wireless Expresscard Notebook Adapter (ath9k). The ath9k does
> not seem very mature for now, since it was released a very short time
> ago, but ath5k works with excellent performance on both Eee PC's.
>
> As you will notice, the kernel image is fairly big. This is due to all
> the general use modules included inside. Still, this is a preliminary
> and yet crude package. I appreciate if anyone optimizes the provided
> config file or has further suggestions.
>
> I thank to Luis A. Guzmán García, Jean Schurger and Alexandre Oliva
> for their help.
>
> Happy Hacking
>
> Ali Gunduz
>