Improve general Beelink support quality?

[datenimperator]

I’m running Manjaro on a Beelink GTR5 5900HX and after a few updated BIOS releases the experience is pretty smooth. However, I’d love to see a more solid approach to software updates from Beelink, and since Manjaro has a working partnership with them I was wondering if there could be any help from Manjaro. In particular, I’d rather

• not be required to ask for an update via email every time
• not download unverifiable binaries from generic hosts like beelink.oss-cn-hongkong.aliyuncs.com (no MD5 hash or else)
• see a changelog detailling the changes coming with that release
• have a way to flash the BIOS from Linux, without resorting to a Win10 installation that I keep on an USB stick for that very reason. Heck, I even need to install WinRAR because lately they changed to RAR format instead of ZIP.

Beelink support and download section is somewhat biased. There are hardware drivers for Windows, but no BIOS releases. They offer to download Ubuntu, but why no Manjaro, and… why at all? Is there someone at Manjaro able to talk to them?

[spikerguy]

@datenimperator

There are hardware drivers for Windows, but no BIOS releases. They offer to download Ubuntu, but why no Manjaro,

For ubuntu they just have generic image.
Manjaro they only have for the devices we released with manjaro pre-installed and that is only ser4 device and others were never released with manjaro pre-installed.

@datenimperator

not be required to ask for an update via email every time

They say this is too prevent users for flashing wrong bios and it is true cause models seems same but there may be differences based on the serial number.

@datenimperator

not download unverifiable binaries from generic hosts like beelink.oss-cn-hongkong.aliyuncs.com (no MD5 hash or else)

This they should improve. I will put forward this points.

@datenimperator

see a changelog detailling the changes coming with that release

I think they do in forum release.

@datenimperator

have a way to flash the BIOS from Linux,

For this their bios engineer should prepare a flashable bios from efi shell that could solve linux bios update problem so there will be no need for Windows.

@datenimperator

but no BIOS releases

As said above they used to keep it public but then users flashing wrong bios and returning the device is a lose for them. So now Bios is shared after email verification of the serial number.

@datenimperator

Is there someone at Manjaro able to talk to them?

Yes we will discuss these topics with them.

[datenimperator]

Thanks, much appreciated.

@spikerguy

They say this is too prevent users for flashing wrong bios and it is true cause models seems same but there may be differences based on the serial number.

That’d be some really weird software engineering, IMO. However, a web page verifying the serial number would do the same.

Or even some sort of communication about new releases, so people know when to ask.

@spikerguy

I think they do in forum release.

None that I’m aware of.

[spikerguy]

@datenimperator

However, a web page verifying the serial number would do the same.

I agree but that depends on them, we can only recommend.

They are currently working on new website design which might have this function.