The Debian Mach64 X server works well. (Except that a workaround is required to prevent corruption after hibernating; see APM.) However, it seems as though the Debian server has been patched to include support for this hardware. According to the HP-HOWTO the stock server from XFree86 3.3.6 doesn't work unless you apply a patch; follow this link for the patch and a precompiled server.
The XFree86 4.0.x ati server works on this machine, and requires no patching. Additionally, when using this server, the screen is not corrupted after hibernation. However, Debian won't support this server until the next release, so I've back-ported XFree86 4.0 packages from Debian unstable.
Here are a few different XFree86 configuration files:
| File | XFree86 | Resolution | Author | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| XF86Config | 3.3.6 | 1024x768 | Chris Hanson | Supports USB mouse |
| XF86Config | 3.3.6 | 1400x1050 | Chris Hanson | Supports USB mouse |
| XF86Config-4 | 4.0.2 | any size | Chris Hanson | Supports USB mouse |
| XF86Config | 3.3.6 | 1024x768 | Douglas Arnold | |
| XF86Config-4 | 4.0.1a | 1400x1050 | Al Stone | |
| XF86Config-4 | 4.0.? | 1024x768 | Darragh Sinnott | Supports external monitor at 1280x1024 |
To my eye, the LCD screen's color temperature is too high and doesn't seem to be adjustable. (This is a nit, not a real issue.) Most analog monitors allow the color temperature to be adjusted, and I prefer a fairly low temperature like 7000°K. My other laptop, an IBM ThinkPad 600, has a temperature that looks about 6000°K. The OmniBook's screen seems much too blue to me. Jarno Huuskonen suggested putting
Gamma 0.95 0.95 0.77
in the Monitors section of the XF86Config file; I agree that it looks better.
Copyright © 2001 Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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Last Modified: 26 June 2001 (revision history)