Updated and Optimized Ubuntu Free Graphics Drivers

[RussianNeuroMancer]

Fair enough, but why do I still get that very same error message even though I've installed olbaf's git versions of Mesa v11?

Please post output of "glxinfo | grep string" command.

[andyman]

Sure...

server glx vendor string: SGI
server glx version string: 1.4
client glx vendor string: Mesa Project and SGI
client glx version string: 1.4
OpenGL vendor string: VMware, Inc.
OpenGL renderer string: Gallium 0.4 on llvmpipe (LLVM 3.6, 128 bits)
OpenGL version string: 3.0 Mesa 11.1.0-devel (git-d6a41b5 2015-09-27 trusty-oibaf-ppa)
OpenGL shading language version string: 1.30

[RussianNeuroMancer]

Gallium 0.4 on llvmpipe

Because you installed driver from PPA on unsupported distribution, you are running software rendering now. So there is no VDPAU, no hardware accelerated OpenGL, etc.

[andyman]

No need to tell me that, the slowness and sluggishness perfectly gave it away with a short film

You mean that only because I'm on Wily and not on Vivid I'm back to S/W rendering? I can hardly believe that. And if you have noticed, I DID install the LLVM v3.6 (not ending in "v5") meant for Vivid and ditched the gcc5-compiled one. So I am beginning to believe the problem must be elsewhere.
And besides, you others, you too could contribute a little to the discussion. This is not meant to become a private chat between .ru-NeuroMancer and me, with the audience listening in silence

After digging through some older posts (also on other forums), I now understand that for h/w rendering to work, my VGA *must* be mentioned in the "OpenGL renderer string" line. Though looking fine, the current string is not good at all...

My gfx card is a GeForce FX 6200, by the way. Not the dernier cri, but once h/w rendering works, "even" compiz will run pretty smoothly on it. Internal code number is (iirc) NV44A.

This was another very good read: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1943814

However, running Linux 4.2, I'm going to reconsider the deeper sense of a "kernel update"

Oh, before I forget: I am forced to use NOMODESET kernel flag, because otherwise there will be a "GPU lockup" and I get a color mess instead of my beloved lightDM:

[ xxx.yyyyyy] nouveau E [drm] GPU lockup - switching to software fbcon

Maybe nouveau just has a very poor support for NV44(A)?!

[oibaf]

Hi, I added mesa package for wily. Will be uploaded in a hour or so.

[johnny99]

Hi, I added mesa package for wily. Will be uploaded in a hour or so.

Thanx. SHould be less than a month for 3.7.1 packages. Reversion of the abi breakage is already in the branch.

[andyman]

Hi, I added mesa package for wily. Will be uploaded in a hour or so.

Thank you SOOO much! (and also for your past work)
Even though I am still not believing that this is only a release problem on my side. But we'll see...

Installed wily drivers, removing all vivid-related remains - good.
But glxinfo output is still the same. (as I would have made a bet)

So I have to ask again, as nobody responded:
Am I breaking this function with my nomodeset kernel parameter?

Again, nouveau won't let me access my graphical login if 'nomodeset' is off (garbled monitor screen).
So if the absence of nomodeset is really a requirement for these drivers to run, I can consider myself in a CATCH 22.

vdpauinfo
display: :0.0   screen: 0
Error creating VDPAU device: 23

I had to delve through a foreign-language post which - when translating - said basically that error 23 might indicate an "insufficient memory" issue. However, physical mem + swap space easily exceed the 3 GB...so that should do.

Last note: There are no wily-specific versions for xserver-xorg-video-* available yet. (just spotted)

[oibaf]

Am I breaking this function with my nomodeset kernel parameter?

I think mesa requires modesetting enabled since some years.

Last note: There are no wily-specific versions for xserver-xorg-video-* available yet. (just spotted)

There are also those now!

[andyman]

I think mesa requires modesetting enabled since some years.

If you're right, that would be a devastating information!!
Because then, to be able to use your drivers, I would either have to change my VGA or install the proprietary NV drivers!
No more buts!
Because, as I told before, nouveau will complain about a GPU lockup and mess up the gfx at the time of the graphical login screen! (lightdm/gdm...)
nomodeset is the ONLY way I have so I can make it to the lightDM login screen with that card!!

[RussianNeuroMancer]

Save dmesg and X.org Server log when you boot without nomodeset, make photo of the screen when you boot without nomodeset, report issue to nouveau developers (don't forget to include relevant information, like kernel version, Mesa version, distribution version, the fact you are using Oibaf repository, etc.)