The following is a copy of a post to the newsgroup comp.sys.laptops, reproduced here by permission of the author. >Subject: Transmonde Vivante SE--The Ultimate Linux Laptop? >From: mageeol@mail.auburn.edu (Owen L. Magee) >Date: Tue, Jun 2, 1998 10:00 EDT >Message-id: > >I know there have been a few questions about using Linux on the new >Transmonde (Vivante SE/XL) laptops. I received my Vivante SE a week ago >now, and Linux is working great. If you're looking for an inexpensive >but really nice Pentium or Pentium-II notebook, where all the pieces are >supported (well, except for sound, but that should be fixed pretty soon), >then the Transmonde Vivante SE/XL fits the bill. See www.transmonde.com >for more information on their laptops. Note that the SE and XL are >essentially the same machine--the SE has a 13.3" screen and 2MB video >memory, and the XL has a 14.1" screen and 4 MB video memory (and room for >an optional internal modem). Both have 1024x768 active matrix displays. > >I got the Vivante SE with a Pentium-II 233, 64 MB RAM, 4.1 GB HD, floppy >drive, 24X CDROM, 2 MB video memory. I also ordered a Linksys Ethercard, >combo 10B2 and 10BT, $70, and a Simple Technologies Communicator 56K >modem with SimpleJack, $140, separately. See www.linksys.com and >www.simpletech.com for more information on those cards. > >Here's the full Linux installation report (note that this is pretty >Debian specific--you'll have to adjust for other distributions): > >I wiped all the partitions and then remade the suspend-to-disk partition >(instructions on doing this were provided, but make sure you do this >before making any more partitions!). > >I then started the Debian 2.0 (pre-release) install. I made the 7 >floppies I needed (boot, driver, and 5 base disks) from another machine. >The base install worked flawlessly. I couldn't activate PCMCIA support >in the base install though, since it used 3.0.0 of the pcmcia utilities, >and the TI 1220 chipset used in the SE wasn't supported until 3.0.1. > >So, since I was installing Debian over the net, my first big hurdle was >getting my Linksys Ethercard working. I compiled version 3.0.2 of the >pcmcia utilities on another machine. I had to answer the config >questions in "expert mode", since it couldn't get the answers it needed >from the running kernel or a local copy of the configured kernel source, >but that really wasn't too hard. I installed those utilities to an >alternate directory so that I could tar it up and copy it (via floppy) >to the SE. I extracted those utilities onto the SE. I started >/etc/init.d/pcmcia to start the card manager. I then ran >/etc/init.d/network to configure the network, and *gasp* it worked, >_first_time_! I completed my Debian install without a hitch. > >(There's actually a better way to set up the ethernet card with the >pcmcia utils, I discovered later. Edit /etc/pcmcia/network.opts with >the right info, and the network will be configured when it detects the >card--whether at bootup, or when you insert the card. It will >unconfigure the network when you remove the card. Spiffy.) > >Getting X working was very easy. It's a Chips & Technologies 65555, >which is pretty well supported by XFree86. The touchpad is PS/2 >compatible. After running xf86config, I edited /etc/X11/XF86Config >to remove the 32-bit modes (the display can only handle 16-bit) and to >make sure it used the 60 Hz 1024x768 mode (which looks great on the >active matrix display). I also edited /etc/X11/xdm/Xservers to make X >start in 16-bit mode. Started up X, and it worked. There is a small >glitch with the cursor in X, though. I find that sometimes, usually >when I close a window, the cursor will disappear, but moving the cursor >to another area where the cursor changes, or switching to a text console >and back again, will fix it. The XFree86 docs mention the problem (a >bug in the hardware cursor), and suggest enabling the software cursor >if it is too much of a problem. I haven't tried that yet. > >The CDROM works fine. Floppy works fine. The system only gets warm, >not hot, so it doesn't get uncomfortable on my lap. The display is >great, albeit somewhat brighter at the bottom than the top. That doesn't >really bother me, though. There's one dead pixel, but again, I don't >find that a problem. I am having a problem with the touchpad, though. >Sometimes it gets "stuck"--I can move the pointer but when I lift my >finger from the pad, it snaps back to where it was. It generally clears >itself up in a few seconds, but it is annoying. I'll have to call >Transmonde about that, I suppose (I just don't want to give this thing >up! :) . But, when the touchpad is working right, it works well. I >like it a lot more than I thought I would. With practice, I've gotten >almost as good with it as with a mouse. > >I also got the modem working in Linux, and that worked with no problems. >I just plugged it in, the card manager created the /dev/modem link for >me, and I started the PPP connection. No problem. > >I've yet to get sound working in Linux, but I haven't tried very hard, >either. The SE uses the ESS Maestro-2 sound card. I might try loadlin >from Win95 (after the sound card has been set up for Sound Blaster Pro >compatibility) and see if the sound driver will work then, but it's not >a big priority, especially since a beta OSS/Linux driver should be out >pretty soon for the ESS Maestro-2, anyway. > >Suspending the machine in Linux works (both from the console and from X). >That's a really nice feature. Why don't desktops come with that? > >I can't really comment on the battery life yet, since I usually run it >off the cord, but I hear it gets about 3 - 3.5 hours under Win95. > >Oh, and I reinstalled Win95 PCMCIA stuff disappearing and the headaches of trying to switch between >a network card and a modem for the net connection and extracting all >that Internet Explorer Active Desktop trash and it asking me _twice_ for >the location of the drivers for every driver I installed and...> > >If you've never heard of Transmonde and that worries you, then take a >look at previous posts about Transmonde (try a Dejanews search). I've >yet to find a single unsatisfied user. Their tech support is not >24-hour, but I hear that they are very responsive and knowledgeable >when you call. I also hear that if they need to service your laptop >under warranty, they'll have it back to you within 2-3 days (and will >pay shipping both ways). > >Well, I guess that's about it. Sorry about the length of this message, >but I figured that the people who were interested in this would want >_lots_ of details, and those who aren't would just ignore it. > >Have fun... > >Owen > >-- >Owen Magee Division of University Computing >mageeol@mail.auburn.edu Auburn University