Frame.work laptop

Just got mine. First the good news. Freebsd 12.2 installs on it flawlessly and yields a text-mode system that is as stable as I've come to expect from Freebsd. However, I found no way of getting the Iris Xe graphics that come with the Intel chip to give me any sort of X screen. I tried drm-kmod. I tried xf86-video-intel. Heck I tried VESA. Nothing worked.

On to 13.0. First, the hilarity:

The built-in graphics still don't work, but the i915kms module at least seems to find the hardware now. I guess it's missing some firmware:
Code:
drmn0: could not load firmware image 'i915/tgl_dmc_ver2_04.bin'
drmn0: Failed to load DMC firmware i915/tgl_dmc_ver2_04.bin. Disabling runtime power management.
drmn0: DMC firmware homepage: https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/firmware/linux-firmware.git/tree/i915

It does create a /dev/dri/card0 node, but all the console screen does is flash between black and slightly less black. I tried hw.vga.textmode=1 in /boot/loader.conf with no effect. This is not too surprising since support for this hardware was added in Linux 5.11, and the latest drm-kmod-devel is only up to 5.5.

I had some weird flakiness with the giant multi-function USB-C dongle I'm using to get network. I bought that thing to make my last Macbook Pro slightly less useless, so I was frankly surprised it worked at all with Freebsd. Anyone got recommendations for USB Ethernet and Wifi sticks to get? Yes, I want both.

I guess I'll try 14-CURRENT on that thing. I suppose they'll accept bug reports on that version if they are for new hardware?
 
There's good news: I got video with 14-CURRENT and graphics/drm-devel-kmod. Touching the touchpad does not cause the poweroff/reboot problem when Xorg is running. Now I'm working on setting up my desktop on it. Work was sped up considerably when I discovered there are precompiled packages for 14-CURRENT which is pretty damn nice.
 
I discovered that Startech publishes the actual chipset used in their adapters on their website. AFAICT, everyone else publishes "data sheets" that are just marketing fluff designed to be handed out at trade shows. I ordered one of these
And lo and behold, this is what 14-current reports:
Code:
 ugen0.2: <ASIX Elec. Corp. AX88179> at usbus0
I also ordered one of these
Code:
rtwn0: MAC/BB RTL8821AU, RF 6052 1T1R
Close enough as to make no difference. I'm buying from these guys from now on!
 
I discovered that Startech publishes the actual chipset used in their adapters on their website.
Yes, I have been buying different adapters from them for a while now, and I'm a happy customer...
I really wish the Framework Laptop had a slightly larger screen. My eyes are somewhat second hand, and I need all the screen real-estate I can get.
 
Yes, I have been buying different adapters from them for a while now, and I'm a happy customer...
I really wish the Framework Laptop had a slightly larger screen. My eyes are somewhat second hand, and I need all the screen real-estate I can get.
Yeah, the native 2256x1504 is crazy tiny and definitely out of the question for my middle-aged eyes. I futzed around with Xft.dpi to no avail, and finally ended up with this in my .xinitrc xrandr --output eDP-1 --scale 0.6. Still looks nice and I can actually read things on my screen now.
 
Thanks,

… Startech publishes the actual chipset …

A minor criticism of the web site: anchors don't work. <https://www.startech.com/en-us/networking-io/usb433acd1x1#tech--specs> neither opens, nor scrolls to, the Technical Specifications tab. The same problem with <https://www.startech.com/en-us/networking-io/usb433acd1x1#technical-tab>. With the required tab open, <https://www.startech.com/en-us/networking-io/usb433acd1x1#tech-specs-title> scrolls too far (makes the title invisible) … and so on.

PDF <https://media.startech.com/cms/pdfs/usb433acd1x1_datasheet.pdf> seems clearer. I can see the chipset without clicking.
 
Very useful info. Thanks!

Also, how does it "feel"? Does it feel fairly solid like a ThinkPad T60 or a little bit flimsy like an own-brand Walmart laptop? I.e Is it quite a thick plastic?
 
It feels nice. Not quite as nice as a Macbook pro, but solid and well-constructed. I have pictures. I can upload them just as soon as I find them.
 
Thanks for starting this thread - I have a framework laptop arriving soon as well. Please do keep posting your experiences/findings. I'll do the same once mine arrives.
 
I just received my framework laptop today, and got FreeBSD 14.0-Current installed on it. As Jose mentioned, the drm-devel-kmod package provides the working driver for the Iris Xe GPU. I'm using wayland with the sway compositor/window manager, and so far it appears to work perfectly.

The only thing(s) that I've noticed don't work are the function keys (i.e. screen backlight, volume control, and so on). Does anybody know of a solution for that?

I haven't tested the mic or webcam yet, so I can't comment on those. (Edit: both work!)
 
The only thing(s) that I've noticed don't work are the function keys (i.e. screen backlight, volume control, and so on). Does anybody know of a solution for that?
Maybe you have "function lock" on?

I also had to add hw.usb.no_boot_wait=1 to /boot/loader.conf. Did it work for you without this?
 
I didn't need to add `hw.usb.no_boot_wait=1`... what wasn't working for you without that? Sadly I tried the multimedia keys both with and without the function lock and in neither case does it work. I take it it's working for you, then?
 
I didn't need to add `hw.usb.no_boot_wait=1`... what wasn't working for you without that? Sadly I tried the multimedia keys both with and without the function lock and in neither case does it work. I take it it's working for you, then?
I think it would slow down boot considerably if I had a USB stick in one of the ports.

I haven't messed with the multimedia keys, haha.

One other thing that might be useful. I created the file /usr/local/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/touchpad.conf with contents:
Code:
Section "InputClass"
     Identifier "touchpad"
     MatchIsTouchpad "on"
     MatchDriver "libinput"
     Option "Tapping" "on"
     Option "TappingDrag" "True"
EndSection
To give myself tap-to-click.
 
I think it would slow down boot considerably if I had a USB stick in one of the ports. …

Generally (not specific to Framework hardware): I should expect the time taken to be negligible.

There'll be detection of the device and its characteristics, but (assuming a storage device) no attempt to boot from what's stored.
 
I forget the exact kernel message but it was something about a USB time-out. I'll look into it when I get time.
 
If I read this correctly - 12.2 installs fine, X11 appears to work with graphics/drm-kmod? Anyone care to share their battery runtime experience?

If this thing would offer a replaceable battery like in my x260 I'd probably already ordered one.
 
If I read this correctly - 12.2 installs fine, X11 appears to work with graphics/drm-kmod? Anyone care to share their battery runtime experience?

If this thing would offer a replaceable battery like in my x260 I'd probably already ordered one.
No graphics on 12.2 or 13. You'll need 14-CURRENT for the development version of drm-kmod to get graphics. Battery life was fine for me, but I'm not much of a road warrior. I compulsively charge all my battery-powered devices whenever possible.

The battery (along with everything else) is replaceable. That's the point of these laptops. I think you mean "easily replaceable" like something you could do in an airplane seat. It's not replaceable in that sense.
 
Has anyone tried drm-devel-kmod with 13.0-STABLE on this hardware?
"This version is the development version and only works on FreeBSD CURRENT."
 
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