the solution is to simply use another package such as light (although I will also be testing out some of the other ones listed in this wiki)
https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Backli … _utilities
xbacklight only works with Intel. Other drivers (e.g. Radeon) did not add support for the RandR backlight property.
xbacklight currently does not work with the modesetting driver [6].
https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/xorg/xserver/-/issues/47
make a file at /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-intel.conf
with the following contents:
#Section "Device"
#Identifier "Intel Graphics"
#Driver "intel"
#Option "AccelMethod" "sna"
#Option "TearFree" "true" # causes screen to go black
#Option "DRI" "3"
#Option "Backlight" "intel_backlight"
#EndSection
I commented everything out because I was having problems where, if I startx with just the basic identifier and driver uncommented with no options, my window manager goes crazy and stops honoring the 30-monitor.conf due to mismatched monitor identifiers DSI-1 vs DSI1.
Before the uncommented lines vs after: basically what looks like a mispelled monitor DSI1 which should be DSI-1.
(Before)
$ xrandr
Screen 0: minimum 320 x 200, current 1280 x 720, maximum 16384 x 16384
DSI-1 connected primary 1280x720+0+0 right (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 0mm x 0mm
720x1280 60.08*+
1280x720 60.00 59.99 59.86 59.74
960x720 60.00
928x696 60.05
896x672 60.01
1024x576 59.95 59.96 59.90 59.82
960x600 59.93 60.00
960x540 59.96 59.99 59.63 59.82
800x600 60.00 60.32 56.25
840x525 60.01 59.88
864x486 59.92 59.57
700x525 59.98
800x450 59.95 59.82
640x512 60.02
700x450 59.96 59.88
640x480 60.00 59.94
720x405 59.51 58.99
684x384 59.88 59.85
640x400 59.88 59.98
640x360 59.86 59.83 59.84 59.32
512x384 60.00
512x288 60.00 59.92
480x270 59.63 59.82
400x300 60.32 56.34
432x243 59.92 59.57
320x240 60.05
360x202 59.51 59.13
320x180 59.84 59.32
HDMI-1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
DP-1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
(After)
Screen 0: minimum 8 x 8, current 720 x 1280, maximum 32767 x 32767
DSI1 connected primary 720x1280+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 0mm x 0mm
720x1280 60.08*+
640x480 59.94
720x405 59.51 58.99
640x360 59.84 59.32
DP1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
HDMI1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
VIRTUAL1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
Note this "after" xrandr message is only possible to access because X or cwm stopped honoring 30-monitor.conf so it is able to use decent defaults and launch X.
So when X starts, it doesn't honor my 30-monitor.conf and thus my screen is incorrectly rotated/positioned unless I change the monitor to DSI1 from DSI-1.
But if I go in and change my otherwise functional 30-monitor.conf from DSI-1 to DSI1, the next time I startx, cwm (my window manager) has tons of graphical 'artefacts' and practically unusable. Add in the options and the screen goes absolutely black, even though cwm is still running and I can close it.
etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/30-display.conf
Section "Monitor"
Identifier "DSI1"
Option "Rotate" "right"
Option "Primary" "true"
DisplaySize 75 133 # this is the correct screen DPI
EndSection
But let's say I only enable the backlight option... just screen artefacts.
It turns out that the "tearfree" option is what makes the screen go completely black.
If I only leave it unconfigured, graphics are fine. But how do I get my xbacklight working?
There are my kernel modules unsupported by linux-libre before anyone asks:
~]$ doas dmesg | grep DEBLOB
doas (shorty@localhost) password:
[ 4.238607] iwlwifi 0000:01:00.0: Direct firmware load for /*(DEBLOBBED)*/ failed with error -2
[ 4.238624] iwlwifi 0000:01:00.0: Direct firmware load for /*(DEBLOBBED)*/ failed with error -2
[ 4.238638] iwlwifi 0000:01:00.0: Direct firmware load for /*(DEBLOBBED)*/ failed with error -2
[ 4.238650] iwlwifi 0000:01:00.0: Direct firmware load for /*(DEBLOBBED)*/ failed with error -2
[ 4.238664] iwlwifi 0000:01:00.0: Direct firmware load for /*(DEBLOBBED)*/ failed with error -2
[ 4.238678] iwlwifi 0000:01:00.0: Direct firmware load for /*(DEBLOBBED)*/ failed with error -2
[ 4.238691] iwlwifi 0000:01:00.0: Direct firmware load for /*(DEBLOBBED)*/ failed with error -2
[ 4.238705] iwlwifi 0000:01:00.0: Direct firmware load for /*(DEBLOBBED)*/ failed with error -2
[ 4.238709] iwlwifi 0000:01:00.0: minimum version required: /*(DEBLOBBED)*/22
[ 4.238711] iwlwifi 0000:01:00.0: maximum version supported: /*(DEBLOBBED)*/29
[ 4.238712] iwlwifi 0000:01:00.0: check /*(DEBLOBBED)*/
[ 4.558494] i915 0000:00:02.0: [drm] Failed to load DMC firmware /*(DEBLOBBED)*/. Disabling runtime power management.
[ 4.558495] i915 0000:00:02.0: [drm] DMC firmware homepage: /*(DEBLOBBED)*/
[ 4.642568] Bluetooth: hci0: failed to open Intel firmware file: /*(DEBLOBBED)*/ (-2)
[ 4.642579] Bluetooth: hci0: failed to open default fw file: /*(DEBLOBBED)*/
[ 926.008520] r8169 0000:02:00.0: Unable to load firmware /*(DEBLOBBED)*/ (-2)