chronos00's questions

There is still no way to install a native Linux application for whatsapp, so I always use whatsapp's webapp with my daily browser (chromium based brave-browser).

Everything works [mostly] fine, except when I need to click on a whatsapp link in a web site, that is supposed to open a conversation with a certain new cell phone number. Here's an example on BOSE's site when you click in the button "message us".

When I click on a button like that one, I get redirected to api.whatsapp.com and then I get a popup prompt on my browser asking:

Open xdg-open?
https://api.whatsapp.com wants to open this application.

If I proceed, nothing happens.

I would expect to have a new whatsapp web tab opened to be able to message the new contact.

I have tried to use xdg-mime but I can't understand how to use it.

I regularly use an external monitor, connected through USB-C/thunderbolt to my laptop. It usually works flawlessly, but every now and then (between a few weeks or a few days), the monitor starts blinking (turns black for 1~2 seconds, and this repeats every 10 to 30 seconds). Technically what is apparently happening is that the monitor losses video signal sync on the Displayport connection through the USB-C cable.

I don't think this problem is specific to my devices, as I have read in many places about this behavior on completely different USB-C monitors and laptops. But for the record, I'm having this problem with a viewsonic vp2771, and a System76 Lemur Pro laptop (lemp9). It has an Intel CometLake chipset, with i915 video interface:

~$ sudo lspci -v -s 00:02.0

    00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation CometLake-U GT2 [UHD Graphics] (rev 02) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
    DeviceName: VGA compatible controller
    Subsystem: CLEVO/KAPOK Computer UHD Graphics
    Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0, IRQ 137
    Memory at b0000000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=16M]
    Memory at a0000000 (64-bit, prefetchable) [size=256M]
    I/O ports at 1000 [size=64]
    Expansion ROM at 000c0000 [virtual] [disabled] [size=128K]
    Capabilities: [40] Vendor Specific Information: Len=0c <?>
    Capabilities: [70] Express Root Complex Integrated Endpoint, MSI 00
    Capabilities: [ac] MSI: Enable+ Count=1/1 Maskable- 64bit-
    Capabilities: [d0] Power Management version 2
    Capabilities: [100] Process Address Space ID (PASID)
    Capabilities: [200] Address Translation Service (ATS)
    Capabilities: [300] Page Request Interface (PRI)
    Kernel driver in use: i915
    Kernel modules: i915

I don't see any changes in the logs when these blinks happen. I have checked with journalctl --follow and with sudo dmesg --follow, and nothing new is shown during the blackouts. I am not sure where else to look for logs or any sort of feedback.

Things I have tried:

• Swapping the cable for other USB-C cables with thunderbolt, shorter and longer, but the blinks keep ocurring.

• Dissabling the laptop's battery charging (thus lowering the current draw from 2A, to just 0,5A), but the problem persists.

• I have some things connected to the monitor's USB hub (like keyboard and mouse, printer, ethernet adapter), and I have tried disconnecting everything to check if this would solve the problem, but the problem persists.

• I usually use the monitor's audio, and on my laptop I select "HDMI / DisplayPort" as sound output. When the blinks started, I have tried using the internal speakers, but the external monitor still flickers.

• If I connect the monitor via HDMI, video works correctly. If I reconnect USB-C, blinking resumes.

• If I lower the resolution, the flickering becomes much less frequent, although it still happens every couple of minutes.

I can't figure out what triggers this behavior, but after rebooting the laptop, the problem seems to go away for a couple of days.

ODA Drawings Explorer (formerly Teigha Viewer) is a free (not libre) viewer for proprietary DWG files, developed by Open Design Alliance.

The developing company provides RPM and DEB packages for easy installation at their site.

I download the 64 bit DEB package, and install it using:

sudo dpkg -i TeighaViewer_QT5_lnxX64_4.7dll.deb

After that, the software is easily installed and I can run the software from Dash (windows key + typing Teigha) or from bash with the command

TeighaViewer

The software loads quickly and automatically prompts to open a file. This is where the trouble beings... and ends: the moment I select any DWG, TeighaViewer consistently crashes every time.

• Regardless if I select big or small DWGs
• Regardless of the location of the files I select or permissions.
• Regardless if the DWG file was generated with a new or old version of AutoCAD
• Regardless if I install the Windows version of Teigha with wine and run it

In all of these cases, Teigha systematically crashes.

I have even tried to open the DWG file directly from command line by issuing:

TeighaViewer myTestFile.dwg

But it still crashes. Note there are no spaces in the name of test DWG file being opened.

When running Teigha from command line, there is a hint of the problem though:

~$ TeighaViewer myTestFile.dwg 
QString::arg: Argument missing: Property Dialog, Teigha Viewer
QString::arg: Argument missing: Property Dialog, Teigha Viewer
terminate called after throwing an instance of 'OdError'
Aborted (core dumped)

I have googled everywhere for these errors, and came empty handed.

Could the be related to missing QT libraries?

My setup:

$ lsb_release -a
Description:    Ubuntu 17.10

$ gnome-shell --version
GNOME Shell 3.26.2

$ uname -a
Linux 4.13.0-36-generic #40-Ubuntu SMP Fri Feb 16 20:07:48 UTC 2018 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

$ cat /proc/cpuinfo | grep model
model       : 142
model name  : Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-8550U CPU @ 1.80GHz

If anyone was able to make TeighaViewer run on Ubuntu, I would like to know their setup (Ubuntu version, 32 or 64 bit, graphics card in use)

I can't make my laptop's onboard bluetooth to work correctly and permanently without disabling xHCI from BIOS.

Bluetooth is always shown as disabled after booting the computer. When trying to enable it from the bluetooth settings (click on bluetooth icon-> select "bluetooth settings") I get this from dmesg:

[  948.641625] usb 1-4: USB disconnect, device number 2
[  948.912013] usb 1-4: new full-speed USB device number 5 using xhci_hcd
[  949.041299] usb 1-4: New USB device found, idVendor=8087, idProduct=07dc
[  949.041305] usb 1-4: New USB device strings: Mfr=0, Product=0, SerialNumber=0
[  949.055380] Bluetooth: hci0: read Intel version: 370710018002030d00
[  949.057370] Bluetooth: hci0: Intel Bluetooth firmware file: intel/ibt-hw-37.7.10-fw-1.80.2.3.d.bseq
[  949.233672] Bluetooth: hci0: Intel Bluetooth firmware patch completed and activated

I can see the bluetooth "switch" become on and back off immediately, at the same time the above dmseg messages appear.

My system:

• Laptop Asus UX301LA
• wireless and bluetooth interface is based on Intel 7260 chipset.
• Ubuntu 14.10 with latest updates
• (kernel 3.16.0-31-generic at the moment, and regularly updated)

What other tried and discovered

Here is a very complete thread which documents a long investigation by the author, and everything that has been tried so far by him.

What is causing my Intel 7260 bluetooth device to disconnect when I unblock it with rfkill?

And this is a bug report on the subject:

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/1209124

What I have already tried:

Following comment #7 I can get bluetooth to temporarily work along with xHCI. But this is VERY hacky and does not survives reboots, nor resists basic use of the laptop (like switching wifi on and off).

I have tried setting the option asus_nb_wmi wapf=X to 0,1,2,3, or 4 (in the file /etc/modprobe.d/asus_nb_wmi.conf) seeing no change in the behavior.

I also tried blacklisting btusb, since it might be loading too early (as suggested by Jeremy31: echo "blacklist btusb" | sudo tee /etc/modprobe.d/btusb.conf). You can see here a snip from my dmesg.

• Up to second 90, the computer had just booted up. Bluetooth settings shows that bluetooth is disabled.
• At second 90, I click on the "switch" to enable bluetooth. The switch stays on, but bluetooth is obviously still not working (because we blacklisted it).
• At second 99, I click on the switch to disable it.
• Then on seconds 111, 118, 123 and 126, I repeat the last 2 steps, and get the same result.
• On second 145 I ran sudo modprobe btusb to load btusb module again.
• Finally, on second 157 I click on the switch again to enable bluetooth, but this time, it comes immediately back off.

So....

There could be a fix already released in newer versions of the kernel, which I don't know how to install nor try. If so, I am more than happy to try.

I would like to find a way to solve this problem definitely, in a way that survives reboots, and allows me to enable and disable bluetooth with the keyboard Fn buttons.

Thank you.