Discuss ATI Proprietary Linux Driver Installer here (June 9, 2005)

redsolar

This is a thread where you should discuss any problems you are having with the installer, or share your opinions about it, aside from the rating opinions.

Rate Installer here

Discuss the driver here

Rate the driver here

Where to get installer and drivers

UberLord

Ohhhhh a nice shiny bling bling installer.
Although the bling is sadly lacking and so is the need for an installer imo.

<rant>I just want to install drivers - why *click* must *click* I *click* *click* so much? *click</rant>

That applies to the Windows drivers too. The windows installer they use is ancient (or at least looks it) and looks very unprofessional which leads me to believe that the Linux one will do no better.

cdc

I believe it's a step in the right direction. After all, if Linux is to ever make it into more homes, then it will have to have something like this in order to keep people from being afraid to go near the OS.

However, after my one attempt to use it (with SUSE 9.3), things appeared to go alright. It told me to reboot my system in order for the changes to take affect (restarting X, in other words.) I rebooted anyway, just to go through the motions, but after I was back in X, there was no 3D acceleration. I had to manually remove the driver, then manually install it in runlevel 3 in order to get 3D acceleration working.

On the positive side, at least it loaded the new driver (albeit, without 3D acceleration enabled). It could have been much worse (X not restarting at all, for example.)

UberLord

Argument!

I think it's things like this that make people afraid. Think - with windows each program you install has

1) different interface (some are same, some are not)
2) asks you complicated questions (where do you want to install, do you want directx)
3) You sometimes get software you don't want (like bonzai buddy)
4) Reliant on the un-installer included by the supplier actually working

Whereas with each distro supplying it's package manager of choice you get

1) the same interface
2) no questions - do you want it installed or not? (it's not a question - you told the package manager to install it )
3) distros are normally quite moral and don't install software you don't want (like bonzai buddy)
4) uninstaller should work fine as it's part of the package manager and not 3rd party

mtippett

I went through a lot of carefuly thought with the installer. I came to the realization that there were two types of users.

o The users that just want to install the drivers in any way that they can.

o Users who understand Linux and want to have packages that can be installed and removed cleanly.

With the installer, I feel we have covered both off. At startup you have the option of doing an install that just overlays over the filesystem - with all the potentially bad effects. But you can also create a package. That is presented to the user right at the start.

The ability to create packages is an important part of the installer. ATI will not be able create and stabilise the creation of packages for all distributions. But we have created the infrastructure to allow users to create packages that can be used natively. If you unpack the installer then you will find the distribution directories. All that ATI cares about is that the script atipackager.sh can be invoked correctly to get supported packages and generate the packages.

If you want to add a package generation option to the installer, contact me and I get you on the beta program to allow it to be integrated.

Regards,

Matthew

Kombatant

What I would like to see (and I am certain that I will see it sooner or later, just a matter of time) is an indication that something went wrong when something does. Finding and reading a log that is stored somewhere in the filesystem may be Ok by me, but not for the amateur Linux user.

UberLord

o Users who have their OS update all their software to stable in the background

Now this may come as a shock, but I really do not care about having to goto company A, download an updated driver, install it, then goto company B and repeat process just to get a new game to work. Why should I jump through all those loops when my computer is perfectly capable of doing it for me?

And if you disagree with that, then surely you don't like Windows Update which does the same thing? But then maybe you don't like it as MS WHQL certified drivers don't appear on it - or at least I've never seen them.

So really - this is actually a tool for Distro's to use to create their RPM's, DEB's, ebuilds, whatever and not for Joe User. Maybe even get them ATI Certified? heh

No thanks - I know that the Gentoo ebuild for ati-drivers works as advertised.

UberLord

What went wrong?

File didn't install? Config file isn't correct? The key "A" doesn't work due to spilt coffee?

They are all valid reasons why something went wrong.

But Linux isn't alone here - when I first got a new ATI 8500, 9500 then a 9700 pro all three cards had a similar issue. Namely the drivers would refuse to install - and if they did install they didn't work for any games. Fortunately, a new driver was normally release a while later which solved this issue (needed the 2nd driver for the 9700 pro). Touching wood, I've not seen this with my current 9800 pro.

With the 8500, the error was on screen and easy to see. It was something like memory violation 0x06004468 which means a something to me as a programmer, but zlitch to a user. Not that I could fix it or debug it - no source you see And that's the installer.

With the 9{5,7}00's at least IF the driver installed it gave me a sensible error about no hardware found. Which of course was a load of BS - the hardware was plainly there for all to see.

Kombatant

I would settle for "The driver did not install successfully; read the log for details" (and providing a link or button that I would click and it would open the log) instead of a "The install completed successfully" regardless of the outcome for starters