Guide/Experiences: Ubuntu Linux @ Latitude E series (highly experimental!)

Hi boys and girls,

for the linux nerds amongst us a short guideline on how to get Ubuntu Linux running on our precious new Latitudes.

01 Warning:

But beware! This guide is only experimental due to the operating system still being in alpha stage of development. I don't recommend this to be used for unexperienced linux users; they'd better wait for the final version, which will be released on 2008-10-30.

This version is still under development, so it's far from stable and might break anytime.

02 Get the right version of Ubuntu!

Due to the new hardware incorporated into the new Latitude E series (Intel GMA X4500MHD, Centrino 2 chipsets, new WiFi chipsets, ...) we're forced to use the very latest version available. This also means, that the current stable version of Ubuntu Linux, Hardy Heron 8.04, won't work, since it's lacking these drivers.

Even some of the alpha versions are too old, since they're missing the latest xorg-video-intel driver for the integrated GMA X4500 and mesa3d and xorg 7.4!

Go for the latest release (which is as of now the alpha 5, which has been released yesterday):
http://www.ubuntu.com/testing

Be sure to read the 'Known Issues' section and burn the image of choice (I went for -desktop-64bit version) on CD/DVD.

03 Installation

Installation is rather straight-forward, as with previous versions, so I won't cover this.

04 Actual usage

What works, what doesn't?

Hardware:

Tested:
- Display: Resolution has been detected automatically and correctly.
- Intel GMA X4500MHD: Works flawlessly out of the box; even with Compiz-Fusion and glxgears running smootly.
- Touchpad: works
- Externanl mouse: works
- Ethernet: works
- Hotkeys for display brightness: works
- Hotkey for keyboard backlightning: works
- Sound: works

Not tested, yet:
- Bluetooth
- WiFi
- Webcam and mic
- Standby modes (these are most likely broken!)

Software:

General problems:
- X11 doesn't seem to be robust, yet -- you may experience random artifacts on the top of the display when shutting down or killing X11
- gnome-power-manager commits suicide every now and then (seems to happen more frequently when using Compiz-Fusion)


I hope this helps so far!

Enjoy, folks!

 

Nice, thanks for testing and writing this.
Good to see that it will be mostly functional when I get mine (around the middle of October I think).

Would you be so kind and answer a few questions?

I'm very interested in the wifi - did you choose the Dell card or the Intel 5300? As I have read so far the Intel one is working, after a little bit of handish work - but, well, it'll be work for me anyway since I'll be using Gentoo, will just have to use Ubuntu to have a bootable and working live CD from which to install Gentoo

Can you tell me what HDD you got? Is is quiet, fast?

And which battery size did you choose, and how is its lifetime with Linux?

 

I opted for the Intel card. But I didn't to the handish work yet, so I can't provide more information on how to get WiFi working correctly.

But with Gentoo you most likely wouldn't have to go through all the hassle dealing with alpha versions either, since Gentoo is normally way faster in terms of integrating bleeding-edge application versions to the repository.

I got a Samsung HDD with 7200 RPM and the free fall sensor thingie, which is surprisingly quiet (think of regular 5400 RPM HDDs) and fairly fast.

It's the 9-cell battery and according to 'acpi -V' it's about one hour less (4:32) than with Windows Vista (5:38h). But I didn't get the chance yet, to really try it out and measure it for more reliable and realistic numbers.

 

Thanks for that info. It's very useful hearing that from you since you also went for the high res wuxga screen, as I'll do too. I hope we will hear more numbers from you soon

I would have hoped to get around four or five hours out of the 6 cell, but if that isn't possible I'll have to go for the 9 cell too... Did your display run at full brightness or did you darken it a bit?
And how is the quality of the high res display anyway, is it nice?

That's true, but instead I'll have all the hassle of the whole compiling thing
But, well, that's fun and I'm doing that for years now and I'm happy with it, and my desktop will help with the compiling too

 

I did darken it (or more like: the OS did it for me automatically), but the numbers are only so reliable as they can be when using the laptop off the battery only for a few minutes and reading the numbers provided by the OS. A _real_ test has yet to come.

It's nice and bright but the background lighting is naturally slightly uneven, due to the monstrous resolution of the screen. The colours are somewhat cold and blueish (compared to my Eizo TFT, which has warm colours) and the resolution itself is great -- I don't even think of going back.

Yes, it certainly has it's benefits (apart from getting familiar with the system itself) and it's nice to hear, that you're happy with it. I was, too. Mostly.

 

Thanks for testing for us
I'm plaining to order a M4400 soon... Which is pretty similer hardware so I'm guessing most of this will go for it too
Why is it Windows tends to be batter with battery life then Linux when Linux uses less cpu, gpu, ram ect...? I never have understood that
What kernal version is it that starts to support all this?
It's the newer kernal that adds the support right?
and please let us know how the other things work I would really like to know about them as well

 

Except you'll have to grapple with nVidia drivers.

Because Linux's power handling isn't so advanced yet, but it has been getting attention recently and will improve over the next year or so, by cutting interrupts, powering off idle circuitry, lowering clock rates when idle etc.

 

That's the main reason I went for X4500 instead of nVidia (if Dell had an Radeon option I'd have gone for that).

 

Yes I know the gpu is differnt thats why I choose the M4400 Linux for most things, xp for gaming...
And ohh that makes sence now that you've explained it, Thanks

 

Yes, that was my motivation, too. That and the slightly longer battery life.