Feedback on KubuntuPowerManagement

New applet!

http://vizzzion.org/images/blog/powermanager.png

Add feedback here:

• A small typo - "Mhz" must be "MHz". -Karthik Shivaji
• Really nice, Is it possible to put something more like "When battery remaining...... below ...xxx min " add another radio button for "Run this command" - Hint: kshutdown.sf.net . For example: I can run script for "mpg321 battery_low.mp3" (or somefile) and ask me to close applications accessing external drives, to unmount FUSE/sshfs filesystems/encrypted external drives using kdialog popups and hibernate suspend2 (Nigel's). Currently as it is available in suspend2/hibernate script suspending _fails_ if it cannot umount properly..... OK you might say suspend2/hibernate script guys must do this unmounting business but I would prefer this done by myself -user- (rather than root SUID) before running hibernate script as root suid. Further more, different distros handle suspend (using swsusp/suspend2) differently it would be easier to leave it to the end user (Makes sense to have an more customizations/flexibility). Sorry for the long message. Many thanks -- Karthik Shivaji - (Reply: Fine Sebas. You decide.)

  • I don't think it's a valid use case, it can *and should* all be done from the hibernate script. In fact, I'm using suspend2 myself, I just popped it into HAL. If you do not want to use HAL, change it in powermanage.py at the top (it's self explanatory). Please email me if you want to discuss it further (sebas@kde.org), as for different distros, that is exactly the reason to use HAL for it.

• I loved it! -- JonathanRiddell DateTime(2006-08-11T12:50:53Z)

• I like its simplicity and these are my notes -- LukaRenko DateTime(2006-08-11T20:12:45Z)

  • Lid close does not work due to dbus error (dbus_bindings.DBusException: No device with id /org/freedesktop/Hal/devices/acpi_LID) - FIXED in SVN

  • My laptop does not have SW brighness controls - [http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/5156/brightnesseh2.png applet shades the sliders], but it would be better if they would not be shown at all

  • Lid close is not linked with battery/main powered so it should probably be in own section and not under Battery Powered section
  • When I attach second (travel) battery it does not get shown in tooltip (HP nw8240)
    • TODO --sebas
  • Tooltip shows % full twice - in the bar and as text (fixed --sebas)
  • Icons: GNOME icons are ugly and would be nice if some icons (battery, display...) can be added to tooltip/dialog to make it more visually attractive; same for Suspend/Hibernate actions. (fixed, thanks to Ken --sebas)
  • We should disable klaptopdaemon (not even ship it) now that new applet is started by default
  • Key shortcuts for Suspend/Hibernate do not work yet - probably need Sleep/Hibernate/Power key configuration (as Lid close) as most laptops have only one (sleep or hibernate) key and users would like to decide what to do

• Great start, needs tweaking -NickGee

  • Lid close blanked screen but didn't send my system into suspend on a Dell 700M
    • HAL problem? Please confirm that HAL suspend works --sebas
  • Is it possible to have the same functionality of the ubuntu power manager and only display the battery icon when charging or when running on battery? No tray icon needed if we have Suspend/Hibernate on the logout menu like Ubuntu.

    • not sure if I agree, as from usability perspective it is good if functions are always available from same place -- LukaRenko DateTime(2006-08-12T14:03:12Z)

  • Suspend and hibernate worked great
  • Icons: need to fit in with the rest of Kubuntu -ie probably a blue powerup bar (fixed by new icons from Ken --sebas)
• Pretty nice app, I liked kpowersave even better though... -- ["Hunger"]
  • I need to turn of hibernation as that just does not work on my system and thus I do not want to offer that option to the user. How do I do turn it off?

    • HAL claims that your laptop has hibernate, this is why it is offered - submit bug in acpi-support and request that your laptop is removed from whitelist -- LukaRenko DateTime(2006-08-27T12:30:07Z)

  • The icons could use some polish... the plug shown when on AC is half cut of here, etc. (Please confirm if this still exists in the current version, if yes, tell me your panel size and send me a screenshot -> sebas@kde.org)

  • The mouse over window is HUGE for the little information it holds. (fixed --sebas)

• Looks good -- MachinShin DateTime(2006-09-04T10:30:00Z)

  • Will it support battery status for wireless keyboard / mouse? (planned, not implemented right now, and it's also not in HAL yet --sebas)
• I don't get it... Have I missed something? -- Marco Laverdière
  • With all the respect, I don't understand why there's a need to reinvent the wheel. Why not take Kpowersave (KP) and move it to HAL (I've read that the KP's devs are already working on this and want to collaborate) or at least, if realy there are majors technical obstacles, try to mimic (keep) the features of KP. I've tried the "Guidance Power Manager" utility on Dapper and it appeared to me (maybe I've missed somethig?) that, at least, these 2 obvious (and interrelated) functions are missing:
    • Hibernate/Suspend actions are not only for critical battery status or lid closed situations. They are for... power management/saving needs! One of the main power management/saving need is to have a system hibernate/suspend when it has been left unused for a period of time, because the user had to leave his machine for wathever reason (and forgot/didn't have the time/didn't want to bother to manualy activate hibernate/suspend or to close the lid). To be clear, we need at least an option to hibernate/suspend after a user's determined period of time (even Klaptop have this basic feature...).
    • If you introduce hibernate/suspend functions after a user's predetermined period of time, you need schemes, to make it easy to avoid hibernate/suspend in certain situations, i.e. when the system is left untouched but still used in the sense that the user has started Amarok to listen music, has started OO.o to make a slideshow presentation, etc.
      • Switching something on or off is a two-click action, I doubt introducing a scheme-based setup will make that easier --sebas
        • Thanks for your reply. Let me point out however that schemes, as they are implemented in Kpowersave (see my other comment below regarding KP) and elsewhere, allow the user to determine that if a specific application is running (like OOo presenter, Amarok, CD Buner, Adept, Synaptic, etc.), hibernate/suspend should not occur. This way of doing things suppose that once the list of these applications has been set, the user doesn't have to care anymore. So, schemes are not just a way to avoid a "two-click action". They are also a way for the user to not have to bother continually with hibernate/suspend features and, more importantly, to not have bad surprises when he forgot "two-click action" before a presentation and that hibernate/suspend occurs right in the middle of it...

    • A lot of applications are working in support for the [https://wiki.ubuntu.com/GnomePowerManagerInactiveSleep

  Gnome-Power-Manager Inhibit Command]. Given that this application is also DBus, why not get the applet to listen to that channel and interpret those Inhibit commands. That would mean that application writers would only have to do the inhibit code for GPM and they would get KPM inhibiting for free.
  • Please, make sure that this initiative will give Kubuntu the basic and modern power management functions that can be found in all other OSs... Thanks anyway to all the contributors for their work.
    • If you want kpowersave, then just use it. A fundamental discussion whether power-manager should be there or not does simply not make any sense *at_all* at this point. It's not productive critique either, and is most likely ignored. If you want a well-working solution fast, start sending patches. If you don't think it's the right solution, come up with a working one that fits your need. Idletime detection is on the TODO list, though I'm not promising anything. Again, patches welcome. Nobody forces particular solution upon you. --sebas
      • Thanks again for your reply. Here are some aditionnal considerations that I want to submit:

        • Kpowersave & Kubuntu's power management features: You're right, I could use Kpowersave if I want. However, the fact is that I wish that my favorite distro comes, out of the box, with all the basic power-management features that can be found in other distros and OSs, without having to install third-party application... I don't really care if the solution is KP or not. If for whatever reason (that are still not clear to me...) the Kubuntu devs team decides that KP should/could not be integrated, fine. But I continue to think that if the choosen solution does not come with basic features (at leat idle time detection..), it would, at the end, appears to be a significative flaw with respect to Kubuntu's power-mangement features. I also think that "more advanced" features, like schemes, (although they are not so new and are very useful for modern usages - see my other comment above) should be considered and eventually be included. Also, on a sidenote, KP is not so well integrated in the Kubuntu distro, as for its installation, you have to be willing to deinstall some other packages, like kde metapackage (unless you compile KP I guess).

        • Submitting a (solution, patch, etc.) myself: I thougt this page was meant to be a place to submit some feedback regarding Kubuntu power management? Do I have to be a developper to submit feedback? I'm a long time Linux user and contributor in various ways (bug reports, translation, financial, etc.), but I'm not a developper. I do however try to take some time to submit ideas and suggestions, at appropriate places, in a respectful way, even when I disagree with an idea or an approach... Again, I thank all the devs for their work on Kubuntu's power management's features.
• I really like the new powermanagement applet in edgy, but I have one issue. I still own an laptop with a radeon 7500 graphicscard which requires switching to a text console before entering suspend, otherwise X wiil be totally screwed up until the next reboot. Using kpowersave/powersaved i could just edit the scripts under /usr/lib/powersave. Is there a similiar script vor the new powermanager and if yes where is it? Otherwise, since I think I am not the only one having this porblem would it not be possible to change to a text console by default? All users which arent affected by this grapics/driver bug wouldn´t mind i guess, and for others like me it would increase the "works out of the box" experience. Just my 2 cents. Keep up the good work ! -- Christian Funke
• I find the applet very useful on my Dell D600. Especially love how it's written in Python! Couple small suggestions to make UI a bit smaller:
  • Since it can detect if there's a second battery or not, why not hide the second batter meter if there isn't a second battery.
  • For the laptop lid part, I tend to work in a docking station a lot, so my laptop lid starts out closed. Would it be possible to add a bit of logic to check for that, e.g. if the laptop lid was closed when the applet started up, don't do anything with lid events for that session. --Paul Collins

• On Dell 700m, fresh Kubuntu 6.10 Beta and it looks great! Suspend works great (Fn key doesn't work), only it seems powermanagement always thinks the laptop lid is closed (it says so in a notification on login). I thought this was due to having all K/X/Ubuntu Edgy installed at once, hence the fresh Kubuntu install to verify. If I set suspend on lid close, the moment I login, the system will suspend (half of the time causing my ipw2200 wireless to be not detectable by knetworkmanager until a restart of NetworkManager). As an aside, Ubuntu Power Manager has no problems with suspend and properly detects my lid state and the Fn key. -- mrvw0169

Hi, really nice app. But on my pentium4 i get the message that cpu scalling is not supported --mmaric

Some Feedback and Issues I encountered (GrinGEO)

• 1. I liked the icon of the first version more than the black one with flash.
• 2. It seems that Suspend works like 30seconds after aktivating it. First it shows you the login screen, than it makes the Suspend
• 3. Suspend and Hibernate works well also on laptops with ACPI mistakes
• 4. After some suspend modis one of the CPU Cores does not has any more speedstep. One is at 1 GHz, the other at 1,8GHz. It looks there is a bug

* 5. Is there any way to implement the Work of this Powermanager and KPowersave (nice feature the different modi)