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    #1

    Touchy laptops

    I posted this elsewhere but now realize it may depend on Linus-specific driver issues. Anyone got any ideas?

    If a laptop is advertised as "Touch screen," comes with Windows 7 or 8, i3, etc., the touch screen feature is OS-specific, am I right? The touch screen capability works only with the installed Windows OS? If I wipe windows, or install dual boot with a Linux (Kubuntu), the touch screen feature is irrelevant inside Kubuntu, correct? Any downside to buying a touch screen but not using it? Am I even making any sense whatsoever?

    Like this:
    http://www.bestbuy.com/site....cations
    An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way. An artist says a hard thing in a simple way. Charles Bukowski
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    #2
    Thanks for your feedback, Teunis.
    An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way. An artist says a hard thing in a simple way. Charles Bukowski
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      #3
      Originally posted by Teunis
      Unless you're trianing your Gorilla Arms the usefulness is not debatable, it is Zero
      and the laugh, LOL

      Please Read Me
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        #4
        This website lists what works on the G500S: http://www.linlap.com/lenovo_g500s
        Bottom line: Everything!

        There are a couple of caveats:
        UEFI-Boot works Before the first boot you need to exit the UEFI-Menu (press FN+F2) an import the UEFI-Key of your distribution.
        and
        The only bug I found, was that the backlight was set to zero percent when booting. To solve this problem, one
        has to add the following parameter to the default grub-command-line: acpi_backlight=vendor
        Furthermore, you can create the file /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-intel.conf with the following content to set the brightness automatically during the boot process.
        Code:
        Section "Device"
        Identifier  "card0"
        Driver      "intel"
        Option      "Backlight"  "intel_backlight"
        BusID       "PCI:0:2:0"
EndSection
        The distribution that I used for testing, was OpenSUSE 13.1.
        I suspect that Kubuntu 14.04 will work just as well. (Why not install the latest? )
        Last edited by GreyGeek; Mar 06, 2014, 10:14 AM.
        "A nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.”
        – John F. Kennedy, February 26, 1962.
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          #5
          Many thanks for the link and input!
          An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way. An artist says a hard thing in a simple way. Charles Bukowski
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            #6
            I'm not sure how I assess whether/how this laptop would be OK with Kubuntu (12.04):

            Lenovo G500s Touch - 59409532

            http://www.bestbuy.com/site/g500s-touch-15-6-touch-screen-laptop-4gb-memory-1tb-hard-drive/3668013.p?id=1219092665881&skuId=3668013&st=catego ryid$abcat0502000&cp=1&lp=9#tab=specifications

            Any ideas? Any reason it might not be? Word is (or seems to be) that Lenovo, ASUS, and Acers all work pretty well with Linux ... and this one looks to me to be pretty standard ... (famous last words, huh? )
            Thanks
            An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way. An artist says a hard thing in a simple way. Charles Bukowski
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              #7
              I heard reports that the Lenovo touchscreen works outta-da-box. The only real way to test it is a liveUSB bootup. Any chance a friendly geek works in the sales department near you? Whats their return policy? Some stores give you a 48 hr. "regret" return.

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                #8
                The below was a good attempt at trying to help in cases like this but it hasn't been expanded on in a while but maybe it will help a little?

                https://www.kubuntuforums.net/showth...highlight=inxi
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                  #9
                  Well, this is my first laptop, for the spousal unit (for Skype--important for communicating w/family, email, light word processing, browsing, and sports scores!). It comes with Windows, which I may keep but not use, and will partition around for Kubuntu.

                  Actually, I really don't plan to use the touch screen, but maybe you guys are implying that it might work even with Kubuntu anyway?

                  Return policy: I'm going to have it sent to my local Best Buy for pick-up, and I'm pretty sure it has their standard 15-day no-Qs-asked return policy.

                  Basically, I just need to get Kubuntu 12.04 on it, then Skype, and that should do it (her email is centurylink web-based). I'll keep Windows just for kicks, maybe for experimenting with bootloading w/UEFI+GPT, that sort of thing.

                  Btw, if I DID want to boot into Windows 8 for curiosity, is it safe to do so? I mean, is there some kind of virus protection that should be running immediately? I know when I build a desktop, I have to be real careful not to put it on-line even for a second if I'm in a Windows OS.

                  Thanks for any input.
                  An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way. An artist says a hard thing in a simple way. Charles Bukowski
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                    #10
                    I think windows 8 is a lot safer than the older XP or Vista or even 7. MS provides a good virus checker, but unless you're using it often, I doubt you'll have any problems. I have an XP VM that's four years old (upgraded Kubuntu 7 times - same VM!) and I never get any viruses because I only boot it up for 2 specific programs that I use once a month or less.

                    I still would not do any banking or downloading using Windows though...

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                      #11
                      Well, I did get that laptop--they had it in-store at Best Buy down the street, just came in today. A couple guys at Best Buy were quite familiar with GParted and Kubuntu & how "we" do things at Linux. However ... you can only return the unit within 15 days in its original state--no repartitioning, no Linux on it, only Windows 8.

                      So, nervous as I am about my 1st laptop and Windows (have built 2 desktops--no problems at all), I'm thinking I will read the manual and find out about a possible 1-key backup Lenovo may have on this model. And I'm also tentatively thinking--since this is not for me, it's for spouse's Skype and email--to simply let it boot up to Windows the first time, deal with it, and let it cruise that way through a certain test period. And then, later, some days, I can get into repartitioning and installing 12.04 on it. I offered her the option that I'd build a new desktop, but no, no ...

                      I think this will be fine. I just gotta get used to it and make sure it runs OK before radically messing with it. (I have not used Windows since XP, and then not since about 2006.)

                      As always, input greatly welcomed! :-)

                      Thanks.


                      Lenovo G500s Touch - 59409532

                      http://www.bestbuy.com/site/g500s-to...8013&st=catego ryid$abcat0502000&cp=1&lp=9#tab=specifications
                      An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way. An artist says a hard thing in a simple way. Charles Bukowski
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                        #12
                        You could run either the KDE desktop or the KDE plasma netbook on it since it has a touch screen. Personally, I don't like touch screens because I hate greasy, grimy displays. Perhaps there is a oleohobic sheet one could put on the screen to reduce smear of finger oils:
                        http://www.amazon.com/Green-Onions-A.../ref=de_a_smtd
                        "A nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.”
                        – John F. Kennedy, February 26, 1962.
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                          #13
                          Booting to a liveUSB to test the hardware doesn't require re-partitioning or formatting of any kind. I imagine it would take less than an hour to determine whether or not Kubuntu was a possible alternative OS. I would try out Ubuntu also to eliminate KDE as the source of any detected anomalies.

                          Please Read Me
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                            #14
                            Thanks. I'm trying the USB Live 12.04 Kubuntu now. The 32-bit didn't want to enable the wireless network. I'm trying the 64-bit 12.04 Kubuntu.
                            An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way. An artist says a hard thing in a simple way. Charles Bukowski
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                              #15
                              What's the model of the wifi?

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