X Server 1.6 Beta 2 Now Available

[phoronix]

Phoronix: X Server 1.6 Beta 2 Now Available

Following a slight delay, Keith Packard has now tagged the second beta for X Server 1.6 in its git repository branch. Recent the 1.6 server has received updated documentation (just man pages), an upgraded dependence on dri2proto for the continued DRI2 work, and various X Input and XQuartz improvements...

http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=NjkwMA

[bulletxt]

just a question: does current fglrx driver have support for DRI2? or will we have to wait for AMD to implement it?

[bridgman]

No support for DRI2 today as far as I know. DRI2 is still really in early development today, although that's good 'cause it means "past the prototype stage"

The open source drivers are being used to help work out what the final API details will be; fglrx work will probably only start once the API has settled down.

[val-gaav]

a tricky question ....

Any more or less acurate date when I can try radeon (or radeonhd) driver+ DRI2 ? ... and as try I mean worish state for enduser :P

[cjr2k3]

Hoping for DRI2 + FGLRX in Ubuntu 9.04!

The new X structure will affect driver performance? (If yes for better or worst?)

[TechMage89]

DRI2 works for the radeon driver, but you wouldn't want to use it yet, because the devs are still working on making performance and reliability acceptable (refactoring things to work nicely with DRI2), so the work is still in separate trees.

FGLRX probably won't have DRI2 until sometime next year, and will likely miss the merge window for Ubuntu 9.04. That's why I like distros with rolling releases better.

DRI2 will mean *slightly* worse performance when the dust settles, because it involves an extra step to copy the offscreen buffers to the screen. That said, the impact will probably not be very noticeable.

[Michael]

FGLRX probably won't have DRI2 until sometime next year, and will likely miss the merge window for Ubuntu 9.04.

The fglrx driver will likely not be adopting DRI2.

fglrx work will probably only start once the API has settled down.

Matthew has said something a bit contradictory to that a few days ago.

[FunkyRider]

So if fglrx won't implement DRI2:

We R7xx user will have to wait for the OSS driver as the last resort. And even if it somehow get out the door, game performance will suck for a long long time (no experience in game 3d driver writing anyone?)

nVidia will surely have its binary driver support DRI2 soon after it's out. So gaming performance won't be affected.

This means Linux gaming == nVidia, just like always


I've been using OSS radeon driver on my X1600XT system and up running for a week it leaks memory like crazy, I will have to force reloading X to get better visual responsiveness, not happy.

IMO if the OSS driver sucks, I'd rather have a binary blob driver that doesn't suck.

[BlackStar]

So if fglrx won't implement DRI2:

We R7xx user will have to wait for the OSS driver as the last resort. And even if it somehow get out the door, game performance will suck for a long long time (no experience in game 3d driver writing anyone?)

nVidia will surely have its binary driver support DRI2 soon after it's out. So gaming performance won't be affected.

If I understand correctly, the closed drivers implement their own memory managers and DRI infrastructure (at least in part). This means Nvidia won't be adapting DRI2 any more than AMD will.

[some-guy]

Nvidia doesn't use DRI, they have their own system which already supports what DRI2 will bring

Fglrx does use DRI, but doesn't use the mesa 3d stack
Also gaming with OSS drivers will improve with gallium