Re: [GnomeMeeting-list] Gnomemeeting on notebooks under KDE

[Malcolm Caldwell <malcolm caldwell ntu edu au>]

On Tue, 2003-12-16 at 23:10, info wrote:
> 1.
> 
> Some weeks ago I wrote about problem with videocapture stopping, 
> and Damian answer me:
> 
> > Perhaps it is your videodriver... Have you tried with a
> > different camera? You could also check the debug output of
> > level 3 to see if you get errors. Also check the kernel
> >  messages.
> >
> > If both camomarama and gnomemeeting have the same problem, I
> >  think it is 99% a video driver problem.
> 
> I found problem. It was no videodriver or camera, but ACPI. 
> 
> Any read attempt from /proc/acpi/battery/BAT0/state (this is 
> battery charge info) causes stopping of videograbbing in any 
> v4l programm - gnomemeeting, camorama, and xawtv in debugging 
> mode. The last say:
> 
> v4l: timeout (got SIGALRM), hardware/driver problems?
> ioctl: VIDIOCSYNC(int=0): Interrupted system call
> v4l: timeout (got SIGALRM), hardware/driver problems?
> ioctl: VIDIOCSYNC(int=1): Interrupted system call 

There is a well known problem with acpi on some laptops - basically the
system takes AGES to respond when asked to check the laptop battery. 
This would very easily cause timeouts for things like video grabbing.

I don't know about KDE, but there is a patch for the gnome
battstat-applet that changes it to work with acpi events - this means
that the applet gets notified by the system of battery changes and the
applet no longer needs to poll.  Maybe there is an equivalent patch for
kde?

If not, something that *may* help is to run a recent kernel with
preemption turned on.  My impression is that my system seemed to be more
responsive while running an unpatched battstat-applet.  As I said, this
is just my impression, and even if it is true it does not necessarily
mean that v4l will work any better.

(Of course, even with a preempting kernel the unpatched battstat-applet
uses heaps of cpu)

I am no expert on acpi etc. but my feeling is this is your problem.

> This is not gnomemeeting bug, but if anyone will use 
> gnomemeeting on notebook, he will have the same problem. I 
> think that Damian as gnomemeeting's mainteiner must ask v4l and 
> acpi maintainers to correct this bug.
> 
> Workaround solution is to kill all battery-checkers before 
> starting gnomemeeting, i.e. gnomemeeting must to start from 
> shell script:
> 
> #! /bin/bash
> kill `ps -C "kdeinit" x | grep -v "grep" | grep "kdeinit: 
> klaptopdaemon" | cut -d " " -f2`
> kill `ps x | grep -v "grep" | grep "artsd" | cut -d " "  -f2`
> exec /usr/bin/gnomemeeting&
> 
> 
> 2. 
> Because my GUI is KDE, I had to kill artsd too. Of course, artsd 
> can to capture /dev/dsp from any application to himself (via 
> starting application as "artsdsp [--mmap] <application-name>"), 
> but gnomemeeting isn't a single process, so it takes no effect.
> 
> This means, for example, that if I start gnomemeeting,leave it 
> in tray for waiting incoming calls (I don't know who and when 
> call me)  - I can't listen my favorite mp3's. 
> 
> So, IMHO, gnomemeeting needs some start parameter (something 
> like "gnomemeeting --audioserver=[direct,esd,arts, etc...]") 
> for compatibility with another GUI's, not only with Gnome.
> 
> 3.
> The next problem is a bell when somebody calls me. As I 
> understand, it's gnome event, but my KDE doesn't proceed such 
> events. So, call-bell doesn't work...
> 
> 4. 
> As I see, when I switch-on my videocam by gnomemeeting's button 
> and then leave gnomemeeting in tray in "standby-for-calling", 
> videocapturing continues. It takes about 10% of processor's 
> time. 
> 
> IMHO, it will be better if videodevice opens only when 
> gnomemeeting's window on desktop exists, and automatically 
> closed when gnomemeeting is only in tray.
> Analogically, microphone must be muted when gnomemeeting is in 
> tray.
> 
> This is the first impressions of gnomemeeting's usage in a small 
> company for videoconferencing between workers via intranet. Now 
> we have 6 workplaces with gnomemeeting, and my boss can see my 
> face on my workplace when I drink bear...-)
> 
> Best regards.
> 
> George
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> GnomeMeeting-list mailing list
> GnomeMeeting-list gnome org
> http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/gnomemeeting-list