Finally ATI released a new fglrx driver (8.42.3) that supports AIGLX. The good news, We no longer have to setup an separate XGL session just to have our fill of Compiz eye-candy. The bad news, its too slow when you compared it with previous driver releases. And the ugly part? Compiz runs quite well but some applications like Firefox is really slow when scrolling. I also got a few artifacts when I rotate the cube (which btw does not exist if I use XGL instead) . VLC and Totem had problems with fullscreen (you'll have to switch the output to X11). Ah yes the pains of upgrading...But if you can live with those problems then do the upgrade. I on the other hand have downgraded back to 8.40.4-1 it doesn't have AIGLX support but it was fast and responsive. I'm happy that ATI finally listened to what the community wanted but I'll just have to wait for ATI to fix the bug.
*UPDATE:
ATI released v7.11, and notice that fglrx drivers are now following Catalyst version numbers, I wonder why they didn't follow that numbering in the first place. Anyway I've upgraded to v7.11(8.43.3 internally) and it offered a little performance improvement over v8.42.3 but not enough to outperform v8.40.4-1 (XGL) however it 'seems' to be more stable (at least it didn't randomly conk out on me) but just like v8.42.3 it broke hibernate/suspend on my Gutsy install, still had problems with full screen video output, and still has artifacts when the desktop cube is rotated. The release notes indicate that the kernel module is now working on kernel version 2.6.23 (that at least is good news) but I haven' tested that yet.
Friday, November 23, 2007
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
monkeying.around.with.gutsy.and.fglrx
Val posted a followup on a promise a made in a previous blog, and here it is.
If you happen to own an ATI Radeon card, you might notice that Gutsy Gibbon's (Ubuntu 7.10) default setup makes use of ATI's restricted drivers, this will actually allow you to have a working desktop but note that it won't allow beryl/compiz to run. Being a desktop effect junkie, I find this unacceptable and as soon as I got the basic apps installed I started poking my way into configurations to find the best way to set things up. In the course of searching for a solution however, I managed to render my Ubuntu desktop useless a few times before finally finding the right mix. I also tried using envy but at that time the only fix I see for Envy on Gutsy was to replace the Linux Mint line into 'Gutsy' and cross one's fingers that it works...I crossed mine and it didn't :)
I hope to spare you guys the trouble of experimenting...so here goes.
first things first, make sure we are updated!:
download the official driver from ATI's site (ati.amd.com)
next step involves generating our own packages from the official driver
Install .deb packages
Remove old fglrx debs from /usr/src/...if any:
Compile the kernel module:
*note that you will have to do this every time the kernel is updated
Configure the driver:
according to the official wiki, you can replace the string "ati" with "fglrx" in the "Device" section. This way you won't lose your old "Screen and "Monitor" settings. Afterwards you can use aticonfig for setting overlay.
reboot and run fglrxinfo in the terminal to confirm installation.
*Note: Ubuntu's linux-restricted-modules includes the fglrx module from an old driver version. We need to blacklist his module to ensure that the new kernel module is used.
Edit the DISABLED_MODULES section to include fglrx:
You should be able to install and configure compiz-fusion easily after this, just don't forget to recompile the modules once you update the kernel. Btw some of the niftier improvements I've noticed with Gutsy is that it practically fixed the wireless issues I had with Feisty Fawn (7.04), network manager is working A-OK with my ralink card, another one is the screen tearing/flickering I experienced since my Dapper Drake days, where my screen tears/flickers on screen updates (window updates/object refresh) this time the refresh is handled well by the OS update. Lastly, Gutsy's XGL will automatically start the next time you log in after it is installed (no need to setup an XGL session).
If you happen to own an ATI Radeon card, you might notice that Gutsy Gibbon's (Ubuntu 7.10) default setup makes use of ATI's restricted drivers, this will actually allow you to have a working desktop but note that it won't allow beryl/compiz to run. Being a desktop effect junkie, I find this unacceptable and as soon as I got the basic apps installed I started poking my way into configurations to find the best way to set things up. In the course of searching for a solution however, I managed to render my Ubuntu desktop useless a few times before finally finding the right mix. I also tried using envy but at that time the only fix I see for Envy on Gutsy was to replace the Linux Mint line into 'Gutsy' and cross one's fingers that it works...I crossed mine and it didn't :)
I hope to spare you guys the trouble of experimenting...so here goes.
first things first, make sure we are updated!:
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install module-assistant build-essential
sudo apt-get install linux-headers-$(uname -r)
download the official driver from ATI's site (ati.amd.com)
next step involves generating our own packages from the official driver
sh ati-driver-installer-8.40.4-x86.x86_64.run --buildpkg Ubuntu/gutsy
Install .deb packages
sudo dpkg -i xorg-driver-fglrx_8.40.4-1*.deb
sudo dplg -i fglrx-kernel-source_8.40.4-1*.deb
Remove old fglrx debs from /usr/src/...if any:
sudo rm /usr/src/fglrx-kernel*.deb
Compile the kernel module:
sudo module-assistant prepare
sudo module-assistant update
sudo module-assistant build fglrx
sudo module-assistant install fglrx
sudo depmod -a
*note that you will have to do this every time the kernel is updated
Configure the driver:
sudo aticonfig --initial
according to the official wiki, you can replace the string "ati" with "fglrx" in the "Device" section. This way you won't lose your old "Screen and "Monitor" settings. Afterwards you can use aticonfig for setting overlay.
sudo aticonfig --overlay-type=Xv
reboot and run fglrxinfo in the terminal to confirm installation.
*Note: Ubuntu's linux-restricted-modules includes the fglrx module from an old driver version. We need to blacklist his module to ensure that the new kernel module is used.
sudo nano /etc/default/linux-restricted-modules-common
Edit the DISABLED_MODULES section to include fglrx:
DISABLED_MODULES="fglrx"
You should be able to install and configure compiz-fusion easily after this, just don't forget to recompile the modules once you update the kernel. Btw some of the niftier improvements I've noticed with Gutsy is that it practically fixed the wireless issues I had with Feisty Fawn (7.04), network manager is working A-OK with my ralink card, another one is the screen tearing/flickering I experienced since my Dapper Drake days, where my screen tears/flickers on screen updates (window updates/object refresh) this time the refresh is handled well by the OS update. Lastly, Gutsy's XGL will automatically start the next time you log in after it is installed (no need to setup an XGL session).
Friday, October 19, 2007
the.monkey.is.out!
start your downloaders gentlemen, Ubuntu 7.10 (Gutsy Gibbon) is officially released today :) ...I've been testing it since last month and the beta version running on my MSI s270 is working as expected. I'll blog about the details later and a warning for ati radeon x200m users like yours truly. In the meantime enjoy the upgrade.
Friday, April 27, 2007
Ubuntu.All.The.Way!
Ubuntu 7.04 Feisty Fawn was finally released last April 19...Edgy Eft (6.10) users frequently updating their distro packages won't be seeing anything new (some say its more stable but in my case I never had a problem with Edgy so I can't really say), but first time as well as casual Ubuntu users will surely enjoy trying out its features . Feisty is a more simplified Ubuntu experience, it removes most of the fuss associated with configurations and applications simply just works!
Compiz is now integrated and is referred to as "desktop effects", you will now be able to make use of the desktop cube and wobbly windows effects out of the box. You can also opt to install Beryl instead of compiz since it has more plugins plus the Beryl community is very active, highly recommended for eye-candy lovers like yours truly.
I've been using Ubuntu (starting with Dapper Drake) for almost a year now (basically the first OS i installed after I got my notebook) and I can confidently say that you won't miss Windows (except maybe for games :) )
To help out would-be Ubuntuers (I know it sounds corny, but thats the best I've come up for now) I'm putting out a list of apps that you can try out with Feisty to improve your computing experience.
Web Browsers. Ubuntu comes with Firefox by default, Opera on the other hand is another browser you can try out.
Email Clients. Ubuntu comes with Evolution Mail but I'm an avid Thunderbird user since its beta days and I find it to be better when it comes to mail handling. Evolution however is an excellent Outlook replacement if you're looking for one.
Media Players. Although Totem is installed as the default player you might want to grab and install VLC player from videolan.org. VLC player allows you to play most media files without the need to install additional codecs. ( Windows and Mac versions are also available). RhythmBox is an excellent iTunes counterpart...and it syncs your iPod as well.
Update: Exaile! is my current favorite audio player...its like Amarok but uses GTK instead so performs better in Ubuntu. It gives you statistics, fetches artist info via wikipedia, provides lyrics, album cover art and even tablature! man I love this software! :)
Torrent Client. Azureus is my tool of choice...the default torrent client is too plain for my needs...but then again if it works right?
Office Suite. Ok, Microsoft Office is still the best...but trust me, most of what you need is already in OpenOffice. Aside from that I'd like to plug my personal favorite word processing apps, AbiWord. Its got less features but its lean and fast...exactly what I need. Gnumeric is also an excellent Excel replacement, I haven't done programming on it, but for usual needs I'm sure it will suffice.
Project Management. Planner is the best open-source project management app I've seen, but I would love for it to be better.
Photo Apps/Image Manipulation app. Photoshop is king but until it goes open-source GIMP gets my vote for the best Image manipulation app for Linux. Another app that might strike your fancy is F-Spot but I'm urging the developers to come up with something close if not better to Picassa.
Application Launchers. I can only think of two effective application launcher interfaces and thats
1. Application Dock (like in OSX). In this case Avant Window Navigator might
just be what you need
2. Search-based launchers like Quicksilver. KDE already have their Katapult,
but if you want to keep it clean (meaning less KDE based apps as possible in
Ubuntu), you might want to try gnome-launch-box.
Its a simple yet very effective way of launching apps that got its roots from the
original MacOS-based app Quicksilver. I'll post my configuration on the next
blog.
Take the time to try this apps out, I'll blog about a list of other cool utilities to enhance your computing experience on the next blog as well as their corresponding configurations. Until then happy Ubuntu-ing. :)
Compiz is now integrated and is referred to as "desktop effects", you will now be able to make use of the desktop cube and wobbly windows effects out of the box. You can also opt to install Beryl instead of compiz since it has more plugins plus the Beryl community is very active, highly recommended for eye-candy lovers like yours truly.
I've been using Ubuntu (starting with Dapper Drake) for almost a year now (basically the first OS i installed after I got my notebook) and I can confidently say that you won't miss Windows (except maybe for games :) )
To help out would-be Ubuntuers (I know it sounds corny, but thats the best I've come up for now) I'm putting out a list of apps that you can try out with Feisty to improve your computing experience.
Web Browsers. Ubuntu comes with Firefox by default, Opera on the other hand is another browser you can try out.
Email Clients. Ubuntu comes with Evolution Mail but I'm an avid Thunderbird user since its beta days and I find it to be better when it comes to mail handling. Evolution however is an excellent Outlook replacement if you're looking for one.
Media Players. Although Totem is installed as the default player you might want to grab and install VLC player from videolan.org. VLC player allows you to play most media files without the need to install additional codecs. ( Windows and Mac versions are also available). RhythmBox is an excellent iTunes counterpart...and it syncs your iPod as well.
Update: Exaile! is my current favorite audio player...its like Amarok but uses GTK instead so performs better in Ubuntu. It gives you statistics, fetches artist info via wikipedia, provides lyrics, album cover art and even tablature! man I love this software! :)
Torrent Client. Azureus is my tool of choice...the default torrent client is too plain for my needs...but then again if it works right?
Office Suite. Ok, Microsoft Office is still the best...but trust me, most of what you need is already in OpenOffice. Aside from that I'd like to plug my personal favorite word processing apps, AbiWord. Its got less features but its lean and fast...exactly what I need. Gnumeric is also an excellent Excel replacement, I haven't done programming on it, but for usual needs I'm sure it will suffice.
Project Management. Planner is the best open-source project management app I've seen, but I would love for it to be better.
Photo Apps/Image Manipulation app. Photoshop is king but until it goes open-source GIMP gets my vote for the best Image manipulation app for Linux. Another app that might strike your fancy is F-Spot but I'm urging the developers to come up with something close if not better to Picassa.
Application Launchers. I can only think of two effective application launcher interfaces and thats
1. Application Dock (like in OSX). In this case Avant Window Navigator might
just be what you need
2. Search-based launchers like Quicksilver. KDE already have their Katapult,
but if you want to keep it clean (meaning less KDE based apps as possible in
Ubuntu), you might want to try gnome-launch-box.
Its a simple yet very effective way of launching apps that got its roots from the
original MacOS-based app Quicksilver. I'll post my configuration on the next
blog.
Take the time to try this apps out, I'll blog about a list of other cool utilities to enhance your computing experience on the next blog as well as their corresponding configurations. Until then happy Ubuntu-ing. :)
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Bolshoi Booze, Feisty Fawn, White sands and 4D Puzzles
Its been quite a while since i've updated this blog. fact is, work has eaten so much of my time, that i can't even blog about it even if I wanted to. The only time I can remember having a well deserved break was during the Holy Week (and its not even a full week). I'm not going to talk much about tech stuff today but rather blog about my period of "pseudo-vacation" a.k.a "refuel-my-work-mojo".
Bolshoi Booze...You just gotta watch Prison Break!(thank God for torrents)...Heroes (The Fox TV-series) took a break, and for lack of anything fun to watch (Korean Telenovelas just won't appeal to my viewing habits...sorry Flo :P ) I grabbed a copy of Prison Break Season 1 and 2 and had a grand time watching it from start to finish... *note to self: don't ever do that again or lose sleep in the process.
Feisty Fawn...Although it won't be officially released until April 19, I couldn't wait that long so I went ahead with downloading and eventually installing Ubuntu's latest incarnation. Just a quick review guys, its the best Ubuntu release yet (the perfect linux desktop is just around the corner I guess) but I would recommend you wait for the official release date before you zap your beloved desktop's OS...unless of course you're the type that can't control your inner geek and subject yourself to a bleeding edge version's sadistic nature...but then again only the brave gets the fair right?
White Sands...Ever been to Chemas? (weird name for a resort). Its a small resort in Samal Island that appeals to those who want to relax or have a quite time while having the beach and the sun as their background. It's relatively new so only a few people actually go there, so you end up having the whole beach to yourself or in my case my family. The food is great btw, and priced just right.
4D Puzzles...Getting the chance to own one was actually one bloggable experience but I'll spare you the gory details for now. Let's just say that the 8-yr old in me woke up the moment I saw a 4D puzzle of a Dragon and a Gryphon...now can anybody tell me where I can find a 4D puzzle of a Unicorn? ;)
Bolshoi Booze...You just gotta watch Prison Break!(thank God for torrents)...Heroes (The Fox TV-series) took a break, and for lack of anything fun to watch (Korean Telenovelas just won't appeal to my viewing habits...sorry Flo :P ) I grabbed a copy of Prison Break Season 1 and 2 and had a grand time watching it from start to finish... *note to self: don't ever do that again or lose sleep in the process.Feisty Fawn...Although it won't be officially released until April 19, I couldn't wait that long so I went ahead with downloading and eventually installing Ubuntu's latest incarnation. Just a quick review guys, its the best Ubuntu release yet (the perfect linux desktop is just around the corner I guess) but I would recommend you wait for the official release date before you zap your beloved desktop's OS...unless of course you're the type that can't control your inner geek and subject yourself to a bleeding edge version's sadistic nature...but then again only the brave gets the fair right?
White Sands...Ever been to Chemas? (weird name for a resort). Its a small resort in Samal Island that appeals to those who want to relax or have a quite time while having the beach and the sun as their background. It's relatively new so only a few people actually go there, so you end up having the whole beach to yourself or in my case my family. The food is great btw, and priced just right.
4D Puzzles...Getting the chance to own one was actually one bloggable experience but I'll spare you the gory details for now. Let's just say that the 8-yr old in me woke up the moment I saw a 4D puzzle of a Dragon and a Gryphon...now can anybody tell me where I can find a 4D puzzle of a Unicorn? ;)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)