No matter how much you optimize embedded Linux boot time, it always remains too long. If your device has a screen, a typical workaround is to display something on it until the user application starts. There are several ways to do that with various unexpected gotchas.
Continue readingSuprisingly long time ago I wrote a post about the sorry state of fingerprint authentication on KDE. This post could be summarized as “don’t even bother”. I gave up on this enterprise and actually the situation got even worse later as the fingerprint sensor of my next computer – Dell 7210 – was not even supported by Linux drivers and fprintd.
So after abandoning this topic for some time I got another shot at checking out the topic again very recently.
I wrote a post about updating KDE Neon without entering your password before. Since then the authentication system has changed a bit and a different approach is necessary. This post will explain what to do on Kubuntu 23.10 – however it should work on other distros using PackageKit (and recent Polkit).
Continue readingRecently this error showed up on my Kubuntu 23.10 while trying to run applications using QtQuick, such as QtDesignStudio or just a new QML project with QtCreator. The application either outright does not run or has serious GUI issues.
Turns out this is probably an issue related to software and distributions switching from Qt5 to Qt6.
Continue readingLua is a simple, fast and embeddable scripting language. Capability to run Lua scripts can be relatively easily added into C and C++ applications. Due to it’s ease of use and performance it’s being used in computer games (Crysis, Garry’s mod, …), general software (Wireshark, Neovim, …) and also embedded devices (Logic Machine). Let’s take a look how to create a very simple Lua console GUI with Qt.
Continue readingDespite its hardware being somewhat dated in 2024, the first generation of LattePanda can still find its use. It’s a cheap, fanless x86 single board computer that can just be good enough for your use case.
Continue readingKDE Neon is build on Ubuntu LTS (currently 18.04) with up-to-date Qt and KDE libraries. Updates tend to arrive pretty much every other day and it gets annoying to enter your password every time you launch Discover to install an update.
Continue readingNote: This post was first published on the Mevisys website.
When we talk about environment monitoring, temperature monitoring is one of the most ubiquitous use-cases and makes for an illustrative example as well. The measurement side of the process is not an area that would offer many exciting innovations in this day and age – today it is all about how you process the collected data.
Continue readingI have recently gotten involved in setting up both latest Gnome (Ubuntu) and KDE (Manjaro) environment on two X230 Thinkpads with fingerprint sensors and the question of how to make them work appeared.
If you want to take good care of your lithium-based battery, you should not charge or discharge it completely, but stick just to a part of the total range. This way you can increase the number of charge-discharge cycles it survives and thus prolong it’s life.
Certain laptops offer ways to set battery charging thresholds.