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  • From: sindi keesan <keesan AT sdf.lonestar.org>
  • To: baslinux AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [BL] USB and the digital camera
  • Date: Sun, 4 Dec 2005 00:50:52 +0000 (UTC)

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




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