received mine yesterday - DHL just left it by the door, after 3 text messages stressing the need for a signature...
after trying things out some here are my observations:
default debian-mate build :
firefox crashes on startup, no fix found, not usable
chromium-browser - crashes in settings screen - fix: remove the user-agent setting from the default menu launcher
### summary - no working browser as delivered (chromium is a simple fix, no firefox fix found yet)
## not a problem: speakers are a bit weak - update depends on source? weak youtube, plenty loud in vlc
trackpad is (as previously reported) "drunk","laggy" - hoping for updates...
trackpad physically is crimped/bent - seems not to affect function though - ie works, but as poorly as others have reported...
a cheap wireless mouse works flawlessly
### summary - trackpad is a work in progress, currently not usable
no functioning local video player (smplayer crashes on startup, mpv does not even start)
installed vlc, works fine
mate lag - not as bad as some systems, but noticable - not a pinebook problem, mate is just slow
network :
connect to a wired network - network kept switching back and forth wired/wireless - disable wireless (pine-F11), within a couple of minutes the system hung (wpa-supplicant runaway proc), then crashed and rebooted
disable wifi while connected to wifi - shortly system will crash (runaway proc dhd_dpc)
disable wifi while not connected - runaway proc kworker/2:OH, eventually recovers, no crash
connect to wired (wifi disabled first) - connection bounces 3 or 4 times then seems stable (original pinebook sb-ethernet adapter - rock solid on original pinebook)
update - not stable, drops and reconnects randomly, often 2-4 times in sequence, then stays stable for a few minutes...
synergy (keyboard and mouse sharing) works as a client, but with terrible delays, seems like dropping packets?, - worked perfectly on original pinebook (wired and wireless both bad)
### summary - network is a work in progress, not stable, not reliable, OK for casual use where random drops and packet loss are acceptable
youtube on chrome video plays fine at 1080
keyboard drops keystrokes (trackpad?)
when inactive, screen dims, but randomly (every few minutes) brightens, with no input
does not seem to happen once screen is off
notification-area in the panel crashes on login, restartable from notification (annoyance)
-----
ayufan bionic-lxde build:
firefox works "perfectly" (very limited testing...)
no working battery monitor applet - deal breaker for a laptop
?possible fix - point config to /sys/class/power_supply/rk-bat/capacity ?
apt update reports: The keys in the keyring /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/ayufan.key.chroot.gpg are ignored as the file has unsupported filetype. (several times...)
bugreport filed since 2019-08-15 : https://github.com/ayufan-rock64/linux-build/issues/389
network problems as above - status change (disconnect wifi, connect new wired adapter, etc) causes system crash and reboot
wired networking does not work as delivered - may be possible to configure by hand
wireless "autoconnect" does not work - update : takes so long that it appears not to work (5-10 minutes from boot)
synergy on wifi works usually - some cases of apparent packet drop, much less than debian/mate
keyboard layout is US - does not match UK/iso keys (US touch-typist will be OK)
-----
ayufan bionic-mate build :
apt/gpg keyring problem as above
boot, login both have long delay with just a mouse pointer on screen
very annoying noises on menus etc. (mate setting, can be turned off)
windows minimize on their own - wtf?
new windows sometimes open behind/below other windows
synergy works mostly, occasional lagging, varies from good to hardly usable -- the original pinebook works flawlessly...
firefox:
web pages load very slowly (firefox)
youtube playback at 1080 works, but playback starts at very low res and stuttering
smplayer works, but opens a 1080p video in a tiny window ?
keyboard layout is US - does not match UK/iso keys (US touch-typist will be OK)
have not tried a wired connection yet
mate always rejects first password entry
-----
final software summary : ayufan bionic-mate is the most ready for use of the linux options, pre-installed debian-mate is the least ready, and makes a very bad first impression
hardware
metal case is very nice (my original pinebook plastic has not weathered the years of use well)
keyboard - nice feel for a compact/laptop keyboard, iso layout is not easy to get used to (my fingers know US/ansi, and have trouble with "\", "|", "~", "@" and the enter key ...)
screen - nice!, bright, matte finish so no glare, good control
trackpad - sucks, hopefully the promised firmware update will improve this
note - mine has a "crimp" in it, appears to be aesthetic only? but not a good look...
fit-n-finish - generally excellent, except for loose bezel around the camera area
battery - good, first charge seemed to be better even than the original pinebook, will update after more use (currently waiting for full charge...)
network performance is not good, this is the real "deal-breaker", not ready for prime time problem that needs fixed
I will try installing xfce tomorrow (mate is annoying)
after trying things out some here are my observations:
default debian-mate build :
firefox crashes on startup, no fix found, not usable
chromium-browser - crashes in settings screen - fix: remove the user-agent setting from the default menu launcher
### summary - no working browser as delivered (chromium is a simple fix, no firefox fix found yet)
## not a problem: speakers are a bit weak - update depends on source? weak youtube, plenty loud in vlc
trackpad is (as previously reported) "drunk","laggy" - hoping for updates...
trackpad physically is crimped/bent - seems not to affect function though - ie works, but as poorly as others have reported...
a cheap wireless mouse works flawlessly
### summary - trackpad is a work in progress, currently not usable
no functioning local video player (smplayer crashes on startup, mpv does not even start)
installed vlc, works fine
mate lag - not as bad as some systems, but noticable - not a pinebook problem, mate is just slow
network :
connect to a wired network - network kept switching back and forth wired/wireless - disable wireless (pine-F11), within a couple of minutes the system hung (wpa-supplicant runaway proc), then crashed and rebooted
disable wifi while connected to wifi - shortly system will crash (runaway proc dhd_dpc)
disable wifi while not connected - runaway proc kworker/2:OH, eventually recovers, no crash
connect to wired (wifi disabled first) - connection bounces 3 or 4 times then seems stable (original pinebook sb-ethernet adapter - rock solid on original pinebook)
update - not stable, drops and reconnects randomly, often 2-4 times in sequence, then stays stable for a few minutes...
synergy (keyboard and mouse sharing) works as a client, but with terrible delays, seems like dropping packets?, - worked perfectly on original pinebook (wired and wireless both bad)
### summary - network is a work in progress, not stable, not reliable, OK for casual use where random drops and packet loss are acceptable
youtube on chrome video plays fine at 1080
keyboard drops keystrokes (trackpad?)
when inactive, screen dims, but randomly (every few minutes) brightens, with no input
does not seem to happen once screen is off
notification-area in the panel crashes on login, restartable from notification (annoyance)
-----
ayufan bionic-lxde build:
firefox works "perfectly" (very limited testing...)
no working battery monitor applet - deal breaker for a laptop
?possible fix - point config to /sys/class/power_supply/rk-bat/capacity ?
apt update reports: The keys in the keyring /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/ayufan.key.chroot.gpg are ignored as the file has unsupported filetype. (several times...)
bugreport filed since 2019-08-15 : https://github.com/ayufan-rock64/linux-build/issues/389
network problems as above - status change (disconnect wifi, connect new wired adapter, etc) causes system crash and reboot
wired networking does not work as delivered - may be possible to configure by hand
wireless "autoconnect" does not work - update : takes so long that it appears not to work (5-10 minutes from boot)
synergy on wifi works usually - some cases of apparent packet drop, much less than debian/mate
keyboard layout is US - does not match UK/iso keys (US touch-typist will be OK)
-----
ayufan bionic-mate build :
apt/gpg keyring problem as above
boot, login both have long delay with just a mouse pointer on screen
very annoying noises on menus etc. (mate setting, can be turned off)
windows minimize on their own - wtf?
new windows sometimes open behind/below other windows
synergy works mostly, occasional lagging, varies from good to hardly usable -- the original pinebook works flawlessly...
firefox:
web pages load very slowly (firefox)
youtube playback at 1080 works, but playback starts at very low res and stuttering
smplayer works, but opens a 1080p video in a tiny window ?
keyboard layout is US - does not match UK/iso keys (US touch-typist will be OK)
have not tried a wired connection yet
mate always rejects first password entry
-----
final software summary : ayufan bionic-mate is the most ready for use of the linux options, pre-installed debian-mate is the least ready, and makes a very bad first impression
hardware
metal case is very nice (my original pinebook plastic has not weathered the years of use well)
keyboard - nice feel for a compact/laptop keyboard, iso layout is not easy to get used to (my fingers know US/ansi, and have trouble with "\", "|", "~", "@" and the enter key ...)
screen - nice!, bright, matte finish so no glare, good control
trackpad - sucks, hopefully the promised firmware update will improve this
note - mine has a "crimp" in it, appears to be aesthetic only? but not a good look...
fit-n-finish - generally excellent, except for loose bezel around the camera area
battery - good, first charge seemed to be better even than the original pinebook, will update after more use (currently waiting for full charge...)
network performance is not good, this is the real "deal-breaker", not ready for prime time problem that needs fixed
I will try installing xfce tomorrow (mate is annoying)