Baslinux mailing list

[sindi keesan <keesan AT sdf.lonestar.org>]

The Compaq computer that kept timing out with the USB card reader now 
works all the time, after we demoted it from 475 to 300MHz and only 32MB 
RAM.  The card reader still crashes the DOS drivers in the uhci computer, 
but the camera works in all the computers (including a laptop with uhci).
Zgv gave a black screen in yet another computer - so far it works only 
with two S3 cards.

Today I took the DOS usb-storage boot disk and David's 1-floppy 2.4.31 
usb-storage linux disk to the place we used to volunteer and demonstrated 
them to the guy now in charge who wants to test USB things without XP 
(since he does not usually have an XP computer, they sell).  DOS flunked 
the 1.3GHz with CF card reader, linux worked.  This is the same machine 
where my SM card reader did not work with XP (needed more drivers) but 
the reader works with linux.

Then we put the ohci add-on card into a 133MHz pentium and DOS and linux 
both found the card and the reader, and accessed the card.  I had to teach 
him a bit of linux.  He tried to ls /sda1.  Discovered linux is not so 
difficult, maybe because the single floppy fast and simple boot is less 
intimidating than redhat to a DOS diehard.  Both DOS and linux found the 
webcam but had no driver for it. I have no DOS usb drivers for anything 
but usb storage, but in theory you can run a mouse and keyboard in DOS.
Considering that DOS only works half the time, I would prefer linux.

David, could you compile the next kernel with the option of loading usb 
modules (maybe via an included script) for usb mouse and keyboard, so he 
can test these in linux?  Include gpm if possible, maybe on a second disk 
with the modules.  What modules are needed to get a usb printer to at 
least print plain text (do you cat filename > /dev/printer?).  He has been 
throwing out any printer he cannot test in DOS and selling scanners 'as 
is'.  He has no internet connection there to get Windows drivers with.

A webcam driver would be nice, but he can also sell them 'as is'. 
usb-serial?  Can you write scripts to insert the modules for all of these 
so a DOS-ie can manage?  He has resisted this for a year now and only 
let me get a foot in the door because I also brought a DOS disk.  I 
promised him the next edition of BL-USB, but might also bring along BL3.

The keyboard module(s) would need to be inserted at boot time, for obvious 
reasons.  I presume if there is no usb keyboard you just get some message 
in dmesg about that.

'mouse-on' could insert any additional mouse modules and run gpm for usb 
mouse. Similar for printer or webcam if they require more than modules. 
He can mount devices now, and another volunteer knows more about linux and 
can help.

There are also USB PDA chargers - do those need modules?

keesan AT sdf.lonestar.org
SDF Public Access UNIX System - http://sdf.lonestar.org