Re: acpi package
On Fri, 3 May 2002, Alessandro Speranza wrote:
> Hi again folks.
> I've received this message twice, is there a transmission problem?
No, after losing some data to a filesystem corruption with a test
kernel, some mailer configuration was lost at my end and the package
sent a copy to both you and the list. Sorry.
> On Fri, 3 May 2002, Daniel Pittman wrote:
>>
>> Do you mean the package 'acpi'?
> That's right.
[...]
>> It would let you query the ACPI information on the command line, just
>> like the apm command does. Not much more than that, though.
>
> Hmmm. I don't know much about APM and I don't know much about ACPI
> either.
Right. In general, both "just work" and you don't need to do anything to
make them do the right thing. :)
> I've discovered aftere I bought my Compaq Presario 700 that it's ACPI
> and that the ACPI developement is a bit behind.
Yes. ACPI is (ahem) complex and, as a result, difficult to integrate
well into the existing OS.
> On the other hand it works fine, apart from the battery life. Ok then,
> I don't really understand what this package does. I've got acpi in
> /proc and all the direvotories related to the different acpi devices
> (battery and what else), but the event file is empty.
Sure. What it lets you do, today, is display the information on
remaining battery life, system temperature and AC power connection in a
convenient, standard way without needing to parse the content of the
ACPI /proc interface yourself.
In time it will also allow you to easily request that ACPI suspend the
system, at least in theory.
> SO...does anyone know how does one use the acpi (or the acpid)
> package?
Yes. With acpid you can make it respond to events. I just hacked the
script supplied to call 'poweroff' when I hit the power button so my
machine turns off under ACPI.
The command line tool I use very rarely to query system state, but I
just don't need it that much.
> Or do you know where I can read about them before I install them?
I would suggest just grabbing them and just reading the docs.
>> You are probably better off with APM if your system supports it.
>
> I've compile APM support as modules, so I guess I can load, but my
> computer is ACPI, so I don't know how that works...hmmmm I'm a bit
> confused
APM and ACPI both require BIOS support. If your system works with APM,
compiling that and not ACPI is a good idea at the moment. If you /don't/
have APM, which it sounds like, you are stuck, I fear.
Both APM and ACPI try to do the same thing but do it very differently.
ACPI requires the OS to manage power stuff, which will be part of the
battery life issue you see.
APM requires that the BIOS do so, which is easier on the OS author but
more prone to BIOS programming bugs preventing it working.
The various Debian packages allow you to have the system react
automatically to power "events" such as low battery and the like. You
don't need them to have either ACPI or APM function.
Clearer? More questions?
Daniel
--
An expert is a person who has made all the mistakes which can be made
in a very narrow field.
-- Niels Bohr
--
To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-laptop-request@lists.debian.org
with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmaster@lists.debian.org
Reply to: