AMD Catalyst 8.3 Linux Driver

[benwick]

compiz

By the way I came across this note in the Gentoo compiz howto and I wanted to share it here because I don't think anyone had mentioned it.

If you get: "GLX_EXT_texture_from_pixmap" or "No GLXFBConfig for default depth, this isn't going to work"

If you see one of these errors and you are using ati-drivers with aiglx you should also check wether the links

libGL.so -> /usr/lib/opengl/ati/lib/libGL.so
libGL.so.1 -> /usr/lib/opengl/ati/lib/libGL.so.1
libGL.so.1.2 -> /usr/lib/opengl/ati/lib/libGL.so.1.2

are set in /usr/lib.

At present, eselect sometimes only sets the first link. http://bugs.gentoo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=199633

I found this to be indeed the cause of headaches with compiz (I also had two different versions in my path, oops). So hopefully posting this here will help someone. Correct the links and the GLX_EXT complaint disappears.

[legume]

Also not working on RV530 AGP (nforce-2 mobo).

Ok I retract that - it does work.

I have to set GART to 512 in bios and preload nvidia-agp.

I don't know why that failed before. I did notice fglrx_uninstall.sh doesn't clean /etc/ati so have started removing that manually between driver installs.

It doesn't seem to matter that ATI GART still reports 256 in logs (I know I can tweak that with an Option - it works either way).

Currently my config has no Device options, Screen set at 1280x1024.

Xv works - thanks Devs.

[benwick]

Honeymoon is over

After two days of use I still love this driver release. XVideo is good, and this is the first time I've gotten compiz to work, too. But in reality it is not without some minor (IMO) problems.

1) Fullscreen 3D stuff and compiz has a separation, a horizontal line around 1/4 of the way down the screen. It's just like the old diagonal line-- not a line of color but a jump between one frame of 3D and the next I suppose. Amdcccle retrace options have no effect. I see this in any GL app including fgl_glxgears. In glxgears I also still see a diagonal line...! When not in fullscreen mode, the problem becomes noticeable when the window gets bigger than about 900x900 pixels. (Glxgears is also a little "stuttery" even in small mode.)

2) returning to console mode, there is a weird screen flicker: on the right side of the screen, everything jitters a few millimeters-- e.g. it's correct one half of the cycles, wrong on the other half. It looks like a timing issue-- I can see from the console splash/background image that it's actually somehow got the resolution subtly off (parts of the image that would be 95% to the right normally are now 100% to the right, but only half the time). If that doesn't make sense, well, it is a very difficult problem to describe! There is probably a general class of return-to-console errors that I'm sure other people will report. I would call this the "After-X console jitterbug problem".

3) The diagonal tearing and blockiness are gone with xv playing-- BUT, I must add, there are still two types of flicker. One I see as a patch of horizontal lines when (for example) a character is moving around within a still frame. The other is a general "wobbliness" when the entire view changes-- e.g. when the camera is panning to the left. It's not so noticeable on the LCD but I use my laptop with a projector, too, and on the "silver screen" it can be a little unsettling... causing some headaches.

In the case of #3 I am pretty sure I'm not imagining the bugs, and they're happening on several DVDs so I don't think it's the encoding. But I'd hate to report a bug that doesn't really exist, so I'd like to know if anyone else can confirm this, or the other problems.

Anyway I'm still fairly happy... 8.3 is a huge release which removes the "un" from "unusable".

This is on: Thinkpad z61m, ATI x1400, Gentoo, kernel 2.6.24, Xorg 1.4, Mesa 7.02, 1680x1050 resolution; uvesafb+gensplash on the console in 1400x1050 (I couldn't ever get 1680x1050 to work in the framebuffer console).

[Extreme Coder]

The second nVidia releases a GeForce 8- or 9-series AGP Card, I will be gone too.... back over to them ...

Well, I think you will be waiting a tad too long for them.. Kinda, like forever?

[Slegge]

Have anyone had any success using mythtv with this driver?

mplayer works fine with XV but mythtv displays wrong colors on playback using XV. (and mplayer gets the same problem too, if i start it after having used mythtv to playback a file; restart X and mplayer works like a charm)


This is listed as a known issue in the release notes, but i was wondering if it could be something with my config, or just a mythtv problem. Also, why does it affect mplayer?


I'm using xorg-1.3 and stuck with an RS690

[pjjanak]

After having upgraded to Hardy (which uses the 2.6.24 kernel branch) suspend works fine with Compiz. But there are a few other problems: using Xv output I still get flickering with Compiz enabled. This is no good. I guess I'll just have to stick to X11 output for now. I'm just happy I can suspend and have pretty effects.

Peter

[Swoopy]

I have:
MB - gigabyte 8IPE1000-G/L - intel 865PE
Procesor - pentium 4 northwood 3.2
Ram 2x512 MB
I run 32 bit linux with kernel.2.6.24.3-1
On my AGP card is 512 MB ddr2.

Thanks, that might explain why fglrx 8-3 works for you but not for me: your other PC hardware and Linux kernel version are vastly different.

[wojak]

I have:
MB - gigabyte 8IPE1000-G/L - intel 865PE
Procesor - pentium 4 northwood 3.2
Ram 2x512 MB
I run 32 bit linux with kernel.2.6.24.3-1
On my AGP card is 512 MB ddr2.

My xorg.conf: http://pastebin.com/m18d3cc63

My Xorg.0.log: http://pastebin.com/m34997760

[Swoopy]

The second nVidia releases a GeForce 8- or 9-series AGP Card, I will be gone too.... back over to them ...

[sid350]

Is this what they did all last months? There is still a lot of childish bugs - I can not work with this hardware.
I'm fed up. Good bye ATI. Hello Nvidia.