Test report on new Darter Pro and Mint

Chat about just about anything else
Forum rules
Do not post support questions here. Before you post read the forum rules. Topics in this forum are automatically closed 30 days after creation.
User avatar
MurphCID
Level 15
Level 15
Posts: 5895
Joined: Fri Sep 25, 2015 10:29 pm
Location: Near San Antonio, Texas

Re: Test report on new Darter Pro and Mint

Post by MurphCID »

Utterly efficient, far less RAM usage than Windows. Stable, and relatively attractive UI (still room for improvement), LONG battery life. Very nice keyboard, Speakers are typical laptop speakers, just meh. I am thinking of installing a bluetooth speaker instead although I do turn off bluetooth each time I boot to save power. Right now as it sits idle at 91% battery it shows 22 hours and 10 minutes power. Granted that is just sitting there running HTOP and Terminal, but still, very efficient. Still it has the long shutdown issue on the 5.11 kernel compared to the 5.8 (or 5.14). This might be the last update ( I know folks are going Thank Goodness for that!) unless something else happens. So far, this one and the Lemur Pro running Mint 20.2 are the best laptops I have ever owned.
User avatar
MurphCID
Level 15
Level 15
Posts: 5895
Joined: Fri Sep 25, 2015 10:29 pm
Location: Near San Antonio, Texas

Re: Test report on new Darter Pro and Mint

Post by MurphCID »

I could not let it be, no I had to update to the 5.14 kernel. It took the 5.14.9 but will not go any further because I have an outdated version of Libc6 which causes dependency issues. 5.14 boots and shuts down fast. It completely cures the issues of the 5.11 slow shutdown. But when I tried to update libc6 it told me it could not do this. I was working in terminal as I was attempting this fix. Other than that this is still a wonderful laptop.

And the big question is...will it be dangerous or cause problems if I leave it on 5.14.9 instead of updating it?
User avatar
MurphCID
Level 15
Level 15
Posts: 5895
Joined: Fri Sep 25, 2015 10:29 pm
Location: Near San Antonio, Texas

Re: Test report on new Darter Pro and Mint

Post by MurphCID »

Decided to re-install Mint with 5.11 since I cannot update Libc6 to current. No biggie since a complete re-installation, configuration takes me less than 15 minutes (compared to darn near all day with Windows 10 or Mac OS).

Also since it sits on my desk, I just asked myself confused!! am I using Wifi when I have an ethernet jack and an ethernet port?! DUH!
User avatar
MurphCID
Level 15
Level 15
Posts: 5895
Joined: Fri Sep 25, 2015 10:29 pm
Location: Near San Antonio, Texas

Re: Test report on new Darter Pro and Mint

Post by MurphCID »

I feel a real sense of accomplishment! I actually downloaded and managed to install LibreOffice 7.2 on the Darter Pro! And most importantly it works! I watched a couple of videos and did "sudo dkpg -i *.deb" in terminal. Now this is a big deal to me since my experiments in installing software that is not in the repositories has been....mixed at best. As a general rule I will stick with the repositories to ensure safety, but I like having an up to date office suite.
User avatar
MurphCID
Level 15
Level 15
Posts: 5895
Joined: Fri Sep 25, 2015 10:29 pm
Location: Near San Antonio, Texas

Re: Test report on new Darter Pro and Mint

Post by MurphCID »

Whoa, at BRCC which is packed, and suddenly the laptop turned itself off! confused? Never had that happen before. 86% power, no idea what happened. Just an odd event. I am here at BRCC and I have never seen so many people. Well I will keep working away and see what happens. Off to the Indian place afterwards, starting to get slowly back to normal with the pain level at a 1 or a 2.
User avatar
MurphCID
Level 15
Level 15
Posts: 5895
Joined: Fri Sep 25, 2015 10:29 pm
Location: Near San Antonio, Texas

Re: Test report on new Darter Pro and Mint

Post by MurphCID »

Ok, another milestone, I have Netflix running on the laptop, speakers suck compared to the Mac, but they are adequate. So things are going along pretty well then. I think that if I want to listen to Netflix I might get a bluetooth speaker for the laptop. The one I got for my daughter is pretty decent, I might get one for me. https://www.bestbuy.com/site/jbl-flip-5 ... Id=6356538
User avatar
Lady Fitzgerald
Level 15
Level 15
Posts: 5743
Joined: Tue Jan 07, 2020 3:12 pm
Location: AZ, SSA (Squabbling States of America)

Re: Test report on new Darter Pro and Mint

Post by Lady Fitzgerald »

MurphCID wrote: Wed Oct 27, 2021 7:15 am Ok, another milestone, I have Netflix running on the laptop, speakers suck compared to the Mac, but they are adequate. So things are going along pretty well then. I think that if I want to listen to Netflix I might get a bluetooth speaker for the laptop. The one I got for my daughter is pretty decent, I might get one for me. https://www.bestbuy.com/site/jbl-flip-5 ... Id=6356538
JBL has a good reputation. I've had good luck with the JBL Studio Monitors (two satellites and a sub) I have. They are three years old and still going strong.
Jeannie

To ensure the safety of your data, you have to be proactive, not reactive, so, back it up!
User avatar
AZgl1800
Level 20
Level 20
Posts: 11145
Joined: Thu Dec 31, 2015 3:20 am
Location: Oklahoma where the wind comes Sweeping down the Plains
Contact:

Re: Test report on new Darter Pro and Mint

Post by AZgl1800 »

I just use a set of Vankyo Bluetooth headphones.

they have a very high quality set of speakers in them, makes me feel like I am setting in the front row at an Orchestra house.

they are just totally awesome

https://ivankyo.com/collections/headpho ... -headphone
LM21.3 Cinnamon ASUS FX705GM | Donate to Mint https://www.patreon.com/linux_mint
Image
User avatar
MurphCID
Level 15
Level 15
Posts: 5895
Joined: Fri Sep 25, 2015 10:29 pm
Location: Near San Antonio, Texas

Re: Test report on new Darter Pro and Mint

Post by MurphCID »

Got the JBL speaker, it works great, found and connected right away on Bluetooth. Completely easy set up. So I set it up on both System 76 units, and Mint worked just perfectly. The best thing is this is a newer JBL, and so it is USB-C charging. I love USB-C.

Today, it seems everything is slow, I did an update, and it took almost five minutes to complete, which is odd. There was a linux firmware update, and the system seems to be choking on that. But then again Windows was slow and unresponsive this morning as well.
User avatar
AZgl1800
Level 20
Level 20
Posts: 11145
Joined: Thu Dec 31, 2015 3:20 am
Location: Oklahoma where the wind comes Sweeping down the Plains
Contact:

Re: Test report on new Darter Pro and Mint

Post by AZgl1800 »

MurphCID wrote: Wed Nov 03, 2021 7:10 am Got the JBL speaker, it works great, found and connected right away on Bluetooth. Completely easy set up. So I set it up on both System 76 units, and Mint worked just perfectly. The best thing is this is a newer JBL, and so it is USB-C charging. I love USB-C.

Today, it seems everything is slow, I did an update, and it took almost five minutes to complete, which is odd. There was a linux firmware update, and the system seems to be choking on that. But then again Windows was slow and unresponsive this morning as well.
Okay,
now go to YouTube and play a video, let it stop, then select a new video from the side bar,
does the BT speaker still work?

mine won't.
I have to turn OFF the BT headphones, and restart them, so they can "find the video sound" and connect again.

.
LM21.3 Cinnamon ASUS FX705GM | Donate to Mint https://www.patreon.com/linux_mint
Image
User avatar
MurphCID
Level 15
Level 15
Posts: 5895
Joined: Fri Sep 25, 2015 10:29 pm
Location: Near San Antonio, Texas

Re: Test report on new Darter Pro and Mint

Post by MurphCID »

AZgl1500 wrote: Wed Nov 03, 2021 7:35 am
MurphCID wrote: Wed Nov 03, 2021 7:10 am Got the JBL speaker, it works great, found and connected right away on Bluetooth. Completely easy set up. So I set it up on both System 76 units, and Mint worked just perfectly. The best thing is this is a newer JBL, and so it is USB-C charging. I love USB-C.

Today, it seems everything is slow, I did an update, and it took almost five minutes to complete, which is odd. There was a linux firmware update, and the system seems to be choking on that. But then again Windows was slow and unresponsive this morning as well.
Okay,
now go to YouTube and play a video, let it stop, then select a new video from the side bar,
does the BT speaker still work?

mine won't.
I have to turn OFF the BT headphones, and restart them, so they can "find the video sound" and connect again.

.
It seems to be working so far, with no issues.... But I am always leery of gremlins.... I just wish we could get Kernel 5.14 or 5.15 so the slow shutdown issue could be resolved.
User avatar
MurphCID
Level 15
Level 15
Posts: 5895
Joined: Fri Sep 25, 2015 10:29 pm
Location: Near San Antonio, Texas

Re: Test report on new Darter Pro and Mint

Post by MurphCID »

Well I updated to the 5.13 Kernel on both my Mint System 76 laptops. I do have one small question for the devs which is; Why not 5.14? Just curious. Since I thought 5.13 was EOL. So far it runs fine, I am not seeing the laggy shut down that it had on 5.11. I am pleased so far, and battery life seems just as good, which makes me really happy. I have a four day weekend coming up (but I am on call so that sucks), so I plan on testing the 5.13 installation on both laptops to see if it makes a real difference. Thanks to the Mint Devs for this update feature.
User avatar
MurphCID
Level 15
Level 15
Posts: 5895
Joined: Fri Sep 25, 2015 10:29 pm
Location: Near San Antonio, Texas

Re: Test report on new Darter Pro and Mint

Post by MurphCID »

I've been using it (5.13) on both machines for several days and I don't see any issues. Shutdown is quicker than under 5.11. So far things are really stable. We shall see how long that lasts.
User avatar
farkas
Level 5
Level 5
Posts: 555
Joined: Mon Sep 21, 2015 6:10 pm
Location: Oregon

Re: Test report on new Darter Pro and Mint

Post by farkas »

If you really wish to try 5.14
https://<blocked blogspam>/how-to-install-li ... linux-mint
If you don't like it, delete it in the Update Manager's kernel view.
I tried it on my dell laptop and it slowed my shut down time to a crawl. Same problem with 5.8, 5.11 and 5.13
viewtopic.php?p=2082485#p2082485
Reverted to 5.4
On my home-brew desktop, which is three years (built in 2015) older than the laptop, 5.13 runs with no problems.

Code: Select all

steve@steve-desk:~$ inxi -Fxxz
System:
  Kernel: 5.13.0-21-generic x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: N/A 
  Desktop: Cinnamon 5.0.7 wm: muffin dm: LightDM Distro: Linux Mint 20.2 Uma 
  base: Ubuntu 20.04 focal 
Machine:
  Type: Desktop System: ASUS product: All Series v: N/A serial: <filter> 
  Mobo: ASUSTeK model: Z97-A-USB31 v: Rev 1.xx serial: <filter> 
  UEFI: American Megatrends v: 2501 date: 06/24/2015 
Graphics:
  Device-1: NVIDIA GM206 [GeForce GTX 950] vendor: Gigabyte driver: nvidia 
  v: 390.144 bus ID: 01:00.0 chip ID: 10de:1402 
  Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.11 driver: nvidia 
  resolution: 1920x1080~60Hz 
  OpenGL: renderer: GeForce GTX 950/PCIe/SSE2 v: 4.6.0 NVIDIA 390.144 
  direct render: Yes 
Shut down time about 3 sec.
The desktop has an Nvidia graphics card and I never had a problem with it. Other than having to revert to an older driver on a fresh install.
It may be that I'm lucky with my desktop hardware configuration!

PS.
You may have this
Making the Grub boot menu permanently visible.
You can choose which kernel to boot with
https://easylinuxtipsproject.blogspot.c ... .html#ID10

PPS
Need an even newer kernel? Try the latest OEM kernel
Even more risky: a bleeding edge kernel from the cowboys
https://easylinuxtipsproject.blogspot.c ... t.html#ID8
If your query has been resolved, edit your first post and add [SOLVED] to the subject line.
If you found a solution on your own please post it.
A generation which ignores history has no past and no future.
User avatar
MurphCID
Level 15
Level 15
Posts: 5895
Joined: Fri Sep 25, 2015 10:29 pm
Location: Near San Antonio, Texas

Re: Test report on new Darter Pro and Mint

Post by MurphCID »

I am going to give it a try today then.
User avatar
MurphCID
Level 15
Level 15
Posts: 5895
Joined: Fri Sep 25, 2015 10:29 pm
Location: Near San Antonio, Texas

Re: Test report on new Darter Pro and Mint

Post by MurphCID »

Ok, running 5.14 Ubuntu generic, and so far it seems stable, and no issues with Coreboot. I am wondering if and when it will blow up in my face....again. It seems to shut down about the same as 5.13 which is better than 5.11. I tried 5.4 but the darn System 76 Coreboot thing really, really wants a later model kernel.
User avatar
MurphCID
Level 15
Level 15
Posts: 5895
Joined: Fri Sep 25, 2015 10:29 pm
Location: Near San Antonio, Texas

Re: Test report on new Darter Pro and Mint

Post by MurphCID »

So far so good with 5.14. No apparent issues, system stable, battery life insane. Could this be the secret of System 76 coreboot? Use the most up to date Kernel you can get?
User avatar
Portreve
Level 13
Level 13
Posts: 4882
Joined: Mon Apr 18, 2011 12:03 am
Location: Within 20,004 km of YOU!
Contact:

Re: Test report on new Darter Pro and Mint

Post by Portreve »

I recently had updated to the latest of the 5.11 series on my HP Envy TE01-0014 tower, and it caused video issues (lots of little black stripes everywhere when there was movement on the screen) and so I had to revert.

So this sort of thing is definitely greatly influenced by the exact hardware you're running.
Flying this flag in support of freedom 🇺🇦

Recommended keyboard layout: English (intl., with AltGR dead keys)

Podcasts: Linux Unplugged, Destination Linux

Also check out Thor Hartmannsson's Linux Tips YouTube Channel
User avatar
MurphCID
Level 15
Level 15
Posts: 5895
Joined: Fri Sep 25, 2015 10:29 pm
Location: Near San Antonio, Texas

Re: Test report on new Darter Pro and Mint

Post by MurphCID »

Portreve wrote: Sun Nov 14, 2021 11:39 am I recently had updated to the latest of the 5.11 series on my HP Envy TE01-0014 tower, and it caused video issues (lots of little black stripes everywhere when there was movement on the screen) and so I had to revert.

So this sort of thing is definitely greatly influenced by the exact hardware you're running.
I agree, I think it is very much hardware specific. For whatever reason System 76 really needs a later kernel to work right unless you stick with Pop OS (which I refuse to do at this point).
User avatar
MurphCID
Level 15
Level 15
Posts: 5895
Joined: Fri Sep 25, 2015 10:29 pm
Location: Near San Antonio, Texas

Re: Test report on new Darter Pro and Mint

Post by MurphCID »

5.14 is running great on the Darter Pro! No issues so far, and I think that I will do the same for the Lemur Pro. I suspect since they both have new(ish) hardware they want the later kernels. I really like the keyboard on the Darter Pro, it feels very good. The battery life just is amazing, and that has been one of my wants in hardware for a very long time.
Locked

Return to “Open Chat”