Subject: NetBSD on Asus's EeePC
To: None <netbsd-users@netbsd.org>
From: Quentin Garnier <cube@cubidou.net>
List: port-i386
Date: 11/19/2007 10:05:49
Hi all,

For those wondering about the Eee [1], I've been playing with the one I've
bought on Thursday, and here is the status of using NetBSD on it.

The things that don't work out of the box in -current are the Ethernet
interface and the wireless interface.  That's a bummer.  I haven't tried
X yet, though, but I expect X.org and the Intel driver to work somewhat
well.  (Maybe I'm a fool.)

I had ACPI-related trouble with NetBSD 4.0 RC2, which means it migt very
well be fixed in 4.0 RC4.  Now that I have networking on it, I'll be
able to test kernels more easily.

I also have trouble with apm@acpi.  I'll check in a fix/workaround for
that which consists in delaying its enumeration of sensors to a later
time (when interrupts are enabled).  My (now two) Asus laptops have
trouble with apm poking at envsys stuff before interrupts are enabled,
and I know of some other people having trouble with it.

As for the Ethernet device, I now have a working driver.  It's not
complete yet and needs some clean up, but the real trouble is that the
only documentation I had was a Linux GPL driver.  I'll try to reach
Atheros about it, but in the meantime I won't publish it.

David Young told me that an update of net80211 and ath(4) from FreeBSD
should allow the wireless device to be used.  If anyone wishes to work
on it, please be my guest.  I will probably have a try at it, but I was
lucky enough to have this week-end almost completely free, that might
not reproduce before long.

That pretty much sums it up.  All in all, the Eee is a nice device.

[1] http://eeepc.asus.com/

-- 
Quentin Garnier.