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BenQ eco U121 - Nice netbook, nasty for Linux

Posted: Sat Oct 10, 2009 9:16 pm
by ambertone
Hi all, I bought a BenQ U121. It's a nice little machine for Windows but seems to be VERY Linux unfriendly. The hardware causing problems as follows:

# Mobile Intel Polsbo US15W Express Chipset
# Intel GMA500 Graphics
# JMicron LAN
# Azurewave wireless


I've managed to find this info on the GMA500 (the biggest issue)

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GMA 500 support on Linux is not optimal. The driver is developed by Tungsten Graphics, not by Intel, and the graphic core is not an Intel one, but is licensed from PowerVR. This has led to close source 3d accelerated drivers, instability and lack of support.

Ubuntu is the linux distro that best support GMA500 (Poulsbo), through the use of ubuntu-mobile repository on launchpad. Support is present for 8.04, 8.10, 9.04 and in an experimental way for 9.10, but the installation procedure is not as simple as other drivers and can lead to many bugs.

Intel release official linux drivers through the IEGD, Intel Embedded Graphic Driver, supporting some linux distro dedicated to the embedded market.

GMA500 is capable of running well Ubuntu with Compiz visual effects activated, and it's the only Intel chipset supporting hardware accelerated video decoding (including h264) through libva-api.


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This line in particular interest me: Ubuntu is the linux distro that best support GMA500 (Poulsbo), through the use of ubuntu-mobile repository on launchpad. Is this available to Mint users and if so, how?

Any help appreciated I'd really like to run Mint on this thing.

Rod

Re: BenQ eco U121 - Nice netbook, nasty for Linux

Posted: Sat Oct 10, 2009 10:44 pm
by kurisutofu

Re: BenQ eco U121 - Nice netbook, nasty for Linux

Posted: Sun Oct 11, 2009 4:09 am
by DrHu
http://www.vgcomputing.com.au/nsbenq9H.E09BL.E05.html
http://www.mydigitallife.info/2009/06/1 ... s-hdd-sdd/
  • Key Features of BenQ Joybook Lite U121 Eco
    # Windows XP Home Edition or Linux Lite
    # 1 year Overseas Regional Warranty (ORW)
They offer both WinXP and their version of Linux (Linux lite: Linpus)
http://www.linpus.com/
--so can't be all that bad..