[YLUG] Laptops and the repeating keyboard bug

[Zoe Stephenson]

On Mon, Jan 24, 2011 at 04:20:04PM +0000, James McLaughlin wrote:
> Hi everyone,
> 
> I'm using Ubuntu Hardy Heron on an old-ish Compaq laptop, and would welcome some advice.
> 
> Basically, every later version of Ubuntu (from Intrepid to Maverick) I've installed on it has been 
> affected by a bug whereby every so often, when I release a key, the computer doesn't realise that 
> this has happened and endless keypress events occur - like thissssssssssssssss.
> 
> (Same symptoms as kernel bug 9147, but a different cause as it occurs even with ACPI switched off.)
> 
> If the problem persists on Ubuntu Natty, I'll have to replace my laptop, and wondered if any of my 
> fellow York-based Linux users could provide me with some advice? If anyone is using Lucid or 
> Maverick on a laptop that's not affected by this, please could they tell me the manufacturer/model 
> number of the laptop?

I have an old Lenovo 3000 C100 that is still going strong - no key repeat
issue there.  Similarly, my Samsung Q320 is pretty happy (although I dropped
it and now the optical drive is a grinding-sound drive).  I only seem to
get key repeat issues over NX, where I sometimes get a single repeat (so
'q' becomes 'qq') or at home with my old KVM switch.

As for how to choose a laptop, you're essentially looking for the sweet
spot between what the distros support and what the hardware is capable of.
Broadcom wifi support is improving with the new driver (already in ubuntu,
from what I hear), nvidia graphics support is still a little bit of a
minefield and if you're serious about battery life you might want to
investigate further on the compatibility of power management options with
particular laptops.

More information online:
  http://linux-wless.passys.nl/index.php
  http://www.fsf.org/resources/hw

Also, if your German is good:
  http://wiki.ubuntuusers.de/Hardwaredatenbank

-- 
 -- zoe