Epic Puck

It works!

But you need to do some of this ...

Video:
1) Install Drivers Manually following
http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=9211609&postcount=35
2) Add a auto-update script to automatically reinstall kernel modules upon kernel update/replacement: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=835573
OR
1) Instead simply add drivers from Nvidia from ppa: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1771806
(BOTH WAYS WORK)

WLAN:

wget http://wireless.kernel.org/download/compat-wireless-2.6/compat-wireless-2.6.tar.bz2
tar -xvf compat-wireless-2.6.tar.bz2
cd into_folder_that_was_created
./scripts/driver-select ath9k
make
sudo make unload
sudo modprobe ath9k

source: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1481983

Brightness Control Function buttons:
1) Go to Nvidia settings and save config into xorg.conf
2) In xorg.conf in the "Device" section for your GPU add
Option "RegistryDwords" "EnableBrightnessControl=1"
restart X and brightness works.

Enable Suspend
1)Follow steps from http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=9180298&postcount=7 followed by http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=9180693&postcount=8
very easy

Volume Control button:
1)http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=10997488&postcount=9

Keyboard backlight control buttons:
1) Install libnotify-bin (apt://libnotify-bin)
2) Install *.deb file at https://launchpad.net/~flozz/+archive/flozz/+build/2018614 from https://launchpad.net/asus-keyboard-backlight

Install Bluetooth Drivers
1)Install drivers following http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=11155156&postcount=4
both laptops use the same chip.

Card reader
Have not gotten a chance to use it yet so I don't know. But I suspect that if it is not working this will help: http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=11065709&postcount=7

Camera
Sorry I don't know and don't use it.

This will mostly apply to pretty much the entire line of G73 (some G73 use ATI video cards though) and G53 series of laptops including G73SW G73Jw G53SX G53SW G53Jw. G73Jh uses ATI video chip. I also suspect that above will apply to G74SX. Some of this may apply to G51Jx as well.

Finally!!  A wireless USB stick that works with 10.04 and works well.  I had been tirelessly trying to get the up/down on my DWA-160 to improve.  It wasn't happening.  So I did more research and found that the WG111 appeared to work out of the box, like the DWA-160 but didn't have the same problems with Ubuntu.

BestBuy had a few in stock.

I plugged it in and powered up the laptop.  Nothing.

/lsusb

gave me a good start because the device was recognized on the bus properly.

I did the following:

1. Install WINE.  Check the Software Center for it.
2. Put CD that came with the stick into the CD Drive
3. Double Click Setup.exe
4. Install ndiswrapper.  Also, Check the Software Center for it.
5. open the graphical frontend of ndiswrapper and install the driver from ./.wine/drive_c/windows/inf/WG111v3
6. in wicd, check your preferences for which port you are scanning.
7. refresh!
8. open firefox and surf!

I have a Compaq Laptop - 730us.  Yep, it's one of the laptops that people are saying not to buy.  The built-in wireless card went out on it last week.  It was working fine one day and then the next the on/off light stopped displaying the on position.

So off to Fry's I went.  Best Buy is good but Fry's gets the closest to Newegg's price including shipping.

I did some research and settled on the D-Link DWA 160.  It's compact and out of the box works with Ubuntu 10.04 which I have installed on this laptop.  Over the next few days, I began to notice that the connection speeds were unusually low.  Also, the connection would drop for no apparent reason.

I found the solution.

1. Grab the latest driver at: http://www.orbit-lab.org/kernel/.
2. Unpack it
3. Make
4. Sudo make install

That's it. If you don't know the name of your driver, reboot.

Happy surfing and working

After a little bit of learning, dd-wrt is finally up on the LAN on my WRT54G v6.1.  It is a CDFD neutered router so that did complicate things a bit.  It's up now and serving the wireless and wired packet monkeys.

For months now my WRV200 would freeze when I attempted to log in to it.  That is, when you logged into it, the page would "say" that it was loaded but there was nothing displayed in the browser.  I would reset the router and be on my way - surfing or gaming.

Today I flashed it to version 1.0.39 and it appears to have fixed the problem.  The throughput seems to be a but peppier but that is such a circumstantial term.

I will keep you posted.