gpm freezes console

[Alessandro Rubini]

> - start notebook.
> - start gpm in debug mode and trace it:

Please note that the problem may not be gpm-specific. The ps/2 stuff
is a real mess, and it's common for ps/2 chipsets to lock up when
accessed under Linux. This is the typical case of hardware vendors
building stuff that's not compliant to the specs but it works for
windows. It's pretty common for linux kernels to lock up ps2
controllers, and the pc_keyb.c file is one of the most modified ones,
just for this reason.

Obviously, none of us has the windows code the chipsets are built
against, so it's a very hard game to win. Personally, I find the 2.0
driver the best, and whenever I have to decode a new ps2 device I boot
2.0 to be sure I don't lock up the laptop :)
</rant>

So Nico is right that it may be 2.4.9 and your laptop that don't match.
Actually patch-2.4.9 has a big change to pc_keyb.c.

/alessandro