Subject: Re: apmd battery/line script names
To: None <current-users@netbsd.org>
From: John Kohl <jtk@kolvir.arlington.ma.us>
List: current-users
Date: 11/22/1998 10:11:26
>>>>> "Ken" == Ken Hornstein <kenh@cmf.nrl.navy.mil> writes:

>> This "extra" feature argues for a "powerstatus" script and it gets an
>> argument: line, battery, battery low, and other generic info about the
>> battery.  I might like to know when I'm at 50%.  On the otherhand,
>> maybe all of these are events.  Also, I want a transition when the
>> line fails and my desktop switches over to UPS battery.  What do
>> we call this?

Ken> APM doesn't have a way to do this.  It only knows about "line" and
Ken> "battery", so it's totally external to this discussion.

apmd does know about battery percentages, and it logs "significant"
changes in battery life.  So it could run scripts when there is
something "significant" to report.
However, my experience has been that battery percentage reporting is
dodgy (I have some different battery packs report the same lifetime as
different percentages), so I'd be leery of depending on such things.

If you really care, use a battery monitor program (e.g. I have an
ancient xbattery meter written in XForms which still works).

-- 
==John Kohl <jtk@kolvir.arlington.ma.us>, <john_kohl@alum.mit.edu>
Write a poem, share your heart!
Home page: <URL:http://people.ne.mediaone.net/jtk/>
Note new home zip code as of July 1, 1998: 02476