Author Topic: Two assumptions about hardware users may not have  (Read 2909 times)

jeward

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Two assumptions about hardware users may not have
« on: May 09, 2017, 02:19:36 PM »
I use Microwatt R10 on a vintage ThinkPad (X40). It lacks both a Windows key and a scroll wheel.

Lack of a Windows key caused me to have to install with an external keyboard that has a Windows key as I could find no other way to get in to change the default mod key to Mod1. Other i3 distros I have tried have you select the mod key on first run. I recommend that solution.

I think I read somewhere that you need a scroll wheel to adjust the volume? I'm using alsamixer. I may try and install a tray volume control from xfce.

Just a couple of thoughts.

PLxxx

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Re: Two assumptions about hardware users may not have
« Reply #1 on: July 24, 2017, 10:31:29 AM »
I second that. I have an X200 which has a Windows-Key, so I don't have this issue, but I have the same issue with the mouse wheel controlling sound volume. The sound keys of the Thinkpad also don't work, which would make the issue about the mouse wheel controlling the sound volume obsolete. They worked fine on Debian Jessie, though.

Apart from this and other little issues, I must say that I quite like wattOS (Microwatt) and I will probably stay with it if I can fix the few issues I have with it.


cheiron

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Re: Two assumptions about hardware users may not have
« Reply #2 on: July 24, 2017, 04:16:13 PM »
Thanks for the suggestions folks.


Microwatt, as you may or may not know, is still an experimental version of WattOS which has enabled us to do stuff we couldnt with the full fat version so there are bound to be niggles and bugs here and there. Without these feedbacks and suggestions, we could never have gone forward and as successfully as we have over the years without your , the public's, help :)


Stay tuned for more updates and stuff as they occur and keep these feedbacks coming in

PLxxx

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Re: Two assumptions about hardware users may not have
« Reply #3 on: October 30, 2017, 02:51:45 PM »
Hello, I just wanted to give an update on my experience with microwattOS. Concerning the hardware assumptions mentioned, I think generally the remapping of the keys from the default i3 mapping is not a good idea since one of i3's advantage is that it can be used very efficiently from the keyboard and microwatt's settings is eroding that advantage. So personally, I changed a lot of the bindings. In my opinion microwatt should have users that want to use multiple screens and rely mostly on keyboards (as opposed to mice) in mind.

This is also why I think binding the volume to a mouse wheel is not a good idea.

Speaking of which, i don't know if I should open an own thread about this or not, but here it is:
Sound works out of the box on my X200, but as soon as I click on the volume thingy in the i3bar, sound is muted even when I turn it back on. I figured out how to put it back on, namely by going into the alsamixer in the terminal: At the bottom of the volume columns, some would have "MM" where there should be "00", so I have to go to those columns and press "m" to switch them from "MM" to "00". It is a reproducible error. I think maybe I'll take the volume bit out of the i3bar and replace it with an applet (like the one for the battery or the NM)? (Does microwatt maybe already have an applet for that included?)

Apart from that, I must reiterate that I think Microwatt is really awesome! Thanks for doing this! :-)