AMD Catalyst 14.12 Linux Driver Released -- Huge Update!

[nanonyme]

This is why linux will never be popular on the desktop: matching driver with kernel version is a huge PITA. Linux world really needts to learn to play nice with closed source or else it will never have a chance.

This is basically the reason why out-of-kernel-tree drivers are a bad idea. Closed source drivers can please asap cease to exist on Linux so we can move away from nutty development models

[Ansla]

Linux is verry friendly towards binary blobs. You're just not using it right. RHEL Desktop is supported for 10 years, just like windows. And it will keep compatibility with binary blobs because the kernel version will not change until you update to a new version (released ~every 3 years, just like Windows). So grab you're subscription from here: https://www.redhat.com/apps/store/desktop/

[brosis]

You don't get it do you? You have to integrate the closed source development model, not tell them to go fuck themselves with their closed source stuff. That is not the attitude if you want market share.

People run from shit, called "closed source development model" and create GNU, develop Linux, GPL/BSD software.

Tells people to integrate closed source dev model to gain market share.

Clinical idiot.

[TheBlackCat]

Yeah but can I install the latest driver version on the day it gets to the amd website?

Yes, of course.

[matszpk]

No changes in OpenCL for Radeon HD 7000.

I installed new driver on OpenSUSE 13.2. It works fine. Unfortunatelly only OpenCL 1.2 supported for older gfx cards. Also, no performance changes in the OpenCL apps. I am crunching Primegrid (one of many BOINC projects) and I didn't observe any changes in performance speed for PPSieve .

[gamerk2]

Hey windows fanboy. Tried to start virtualbox today on a fully updated Windows 7? :-) https://www.virtualbox.org/ticket/13677 <- "Windows world needs to learn to not release updates, that stops it playing nice with other closed source software or nobody will use it in the future".

It happens even on OSS; someone changes something, some application is reported as breaking, either app or source get updated to fix the problem.

[Vamp898]

I think the "Linux Kernel Version" discussion is aboslutely useless because

1. On good distributions, you can choose whatever Kernel Version you like
2. The old driver worked fine on Linux 3.18 as the new one does. What AMD says with "up to 3.17" is just that they tested up to this Kernel Version.

As far as i tested with my HD 6670, everything runs faster now. I didnt seen anything running slower. Also i can not reproduce the phoronix benchmarks where sometimes it runs slower than before, but i dont use Ubuntu and i can just hope that nobody who takes performance serious does.

Just my two cent.

[gamerk2]

So I'm guessing that I've done something wrong:

After upgrade zsnes no longer works - segfaults immediately. However, if I run it as root it runs without segmentation faults.

VAAPI decoding a 1080p high profile h264 video seems to take 100% of the cpu time - the previous driver version with the xvba va api bindings was more like 30%...

Anyone else observed this and/or is there something obvious I've missed?

-bms20

Silly question, why ZSNES? It was great in it's time, but Snes9x (or more specifically, forks like Snes9x GX) and BSNES/Higan have passed it by.

[przemoli]

Yeah but can I install the latest driver version on the day it gets to the amd website? Or do I have to wait for Red Hat to release it as an update? Also, can it run photoshop?

Yes. Yes.

Not that Photoshop is golden standard of anything resembling Normal User Desktop!

[grndzro]

Silly question, why ZSNES? It was great in it's time, but Snes9x (or more specifically, forks like Snes9x GX) and BSNES/Higan have passed it by.

There are still games that only work with Zsnes. For compatibility it is still king.