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Open-Source GPU Drivers Causing Headaches In KDE 4.5

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  • It seems to be mostly older Intel drivers causing issues. Does everything work with the current git master?

    The main reason they want to start using OpenGL2 is so they can port KWin to OpenGL ES and run on mobile devices. Sounds like FBOs are one of the main OpenGL3 features they'd like to use, but they will retain backwards compatible code for it. Other stuff like geometry shaders might be used in advanced effects only, or with alternative lower-quality backups in place.

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    • @Monraaf,
      I'm pretty hamered right now, but that's fscking funny

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      • Originally posted by Hephasteus View Post
        I'm going to have to disagree with ya just a bit. GL 1.4 DX 7, GL 1.5 DX8 is dead. Disable or pop up you don't have necessary hardware to run this menu items that want to use that on the desktop. GL 2.0 and 2.1 should be the bottom lines.
        ATI have never released a GL2 GPU. Some GLSL features are not supported by hardware, the GL2 non-power-of-two textures are not supported at all. R300 up to R400 don't fully support separate stencil. NV30 has similar limitations (like separate blend equations are not supported).

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        • But a lot is good

          Hi all

          I am just a user who likes free.. I think this thread could be very valuable.

          As for the discussion, I think blame-game is some usefull, but in this regard maybe it have done its task. Yes, drivers listed as support for feauture OGL2, should have support for OGL2, or be very clear on the exeptions. Also developers are responsable for their own software working, also KDE.

          I am a user. I have KDE 4.5.1 on Ubuntu Lucid and free radeon driver for my hd3450(r600 series). I will like to thank all parties for outstanding work, because this is the most slick I have ever seen. Not perfect, but very very good. Do not forget the good things during the critics. . So opengl does not work for the desktop effects, but xrender works very well. I have a more responsive system than I ever had with unfree Catalyst.. I lack a bit speed in some games, but hey I can play Nexuiz with high resolution and low effects settings at good speed... I did go from Nvidia about a year ago to AMD because of these free drivers. Finally the free drivers are becomming usefull for me. I really want to upgrade to an Evergreen card, but waiting a bit for the drivers(or are they usefull yet with free drivers?)

          Maybe KDE should have gone for older GL-spesifications, but they have not. I wonder if it really is much lacking for good support in GL2*. If current drivers are allmost there I think KDE are on track. Bugs can maybe be sorted out within few weeks. If we are talking about lot of lot coding maybe KDE should at least make a fallback option to older GL-spesifiction. Anyway it sounds like a idea good idea if it not takes too much work. Can anyone tell about the volume of these bugs(say for my very own radeon r600)??

          Then the opening article prospects long long time before the free Linux stack is ready for full OpenGL 3. It sounds like a good idea to make good collabration on how to get there and priority of the features. Maybe Involving Xorg, Gnome, KDE, Blender(?), Nexuiz(?), other(?).

          Also it is clear that manpower should be increased in driver development. I may suggest:
          - More lobbying/meetings/speeches toward the card companies. They should know that free drivers are a good selling point, and will be ever more important as Linux booming in small consumer devices. We should get to the point were good free drivers are released with the new cards.
          - Speeches and seminars at the top relevant universities for atracting young coders.
          - Good/better documentation when major rewrite is ready. (In this thread major rewrite of code was argument for not putting effort in documentation right now)
          - User petitions for more investments in free drivers from the big companies.
          - Maybe bug reporting could be made more easy, for instance with a unified report system between big distros, desktop environments, and important parts like Xorg and Linux. Could we make people file more reports, better reports, and increase the flow of relevant reports between the communities.

          Anyway. Big thanks for all the good work. I know I can not contribute a lot. I can not do much more than Hello World or a little snake game in c++/glut. Hope my post was a bit constructive.

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          • @Risotto77;
            Very constructive post, but bugs are not just errors reports or mistakes in the free software world. Dealing with GPU drivers is a very complex umdertaking. However with the new driver architecture things are a changing. For all graphics cards only one API needs to be made once. One API to rule them all. This architecture, called Gallium3D, makes sure that once a base driver works; every API works on that GPU. Writing a driver that works 100% correctly with all these API's, called State Trackers (State Machines), appears not to be easily done. The foundation for this architecture is so new that bugs can be realy severe ones.

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            • I own an intel atom D510 with integrated GMA 3150 graphics.

              - KDE 4.4 with composite and blur effect disabled work flawlessly!! totally smooth
              - KDE 4.4 with default options works at 0.1 fps real *pain*
              - KDE 4.5 composite can not been activated because driver is blacklisted ?? WTF !!

              I am sure KDE have their reasons to blame open source drivers. Anyway, a workarounds exists and if KDE has more testers and communication with community they should have implemented them until open source drivers totally support opengl 2.1.

              KDE has failed in testing and communication.

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              • You can disable function checks, you know that or not?

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                • Originally posted by Kano View Post
                  You can disable function checks, you know that or not?
                  No, doesnt' work. I already tried. Opengl composite is totally disabled, at least on kde 4.5.1 ubuntu maverick. And it was working superb! on 4.4 once u disabled blur.

                  The solution seems pretty simple to me, disable blur on intel integrated drivers, and TA-DA ! it works, but KDE only test on nvidia hardware, pfff.

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                  • Well i would suggest to try Kanotix Hellfire then Ask in irc://irc.freenode.net/#kanotix .

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                    • Originally posted by Kano View Post
                      Well i would suggest to try Kanotix Hellfire then Ask in irc://irc.freenode.net/#kanotix .
                      Thx for suggestion , I don't believe that distribution matters, I think that kde 4.5 has enabled aditional checks to make sure that only "fair" drivers can activate opengl composite.

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