AMD/ATi 8.42 Driver for Linux (Compiz-Fusion support)

Kizo · Oct 23, 2007, 06:37 PM

Quote:

Today it's now time where the fglrx driver reaches yet another milestone. Not only does today's release address many of the outstanding bugs for the earlier GPU generations while also introducing a few new features, but it also delivers AIGLX support! Yes, you read that right. You can finally run your ATI graphics card with the fglrx driver and run Compiz, Beryl, or Compiz Fusion without using XGL! This is coming 13 months after NVIDIA had introduced its AIGLX support, but now just days after the release of Ubuntu 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon it's here for ATI hardware. Granted, if you were using an older ATI GPU with the open-source Radeon driver, you could have been benefiting from AIGLX already.

More at: [Phoronix] AMD 8.42 Driver Brings Fixes, AIGLX!

Download link: https://a248.e.akamai.net/f/674/9206...x86.x86_64.run

RealBorg · Oct 30, 2007, 10:36 AM

I can only hope that the new driver is a very bad joke.

NVIDIA had AIGLX support more than a year ago. ATI announces AIGLX and delivers a completely broken driver, that does not work on linux-2.6.23 / x86_64. Please don't tell me that this kernel is to new, it has been released three weeks ago. Plenty of time for them to catch up.

How much longer is AMD going to tolerate this incompetence? If I were them I would lock up the developers in their office until at least the current kernel any my flagship x86_64 architecture is supported. Maybe they should really consider to fire the entire linux development and either replace them or finally open source the driver.

Tom

Kizo · Oct 30, 2007, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RealBorg

I can only hope that the new driver is a very bad joke.

NVIDIA had AIGLX support more than a year ago. ATI announces AIGLX and delivers a completely broken driver, that does not work on linux-2.6.23 / x86_64. Please don't tell me that this kernel is to new, it has been released three weeks ago. Plenty of time for them to catch up.

How much longer is AMD going to tolerate this incompetence? If I were them I would lock up the developers in their office until at least the current kernel any my flagship x86_64 architecture is supported. Maybe they should really consider to fire the entire linux development and either replace them or finally open source the driver.

Tom

They did "open source" them: [Phoronix] Introducing The RadeonHD Linux Driver (xf86-video-radeonhd)

And while this fglrx driver is not the best they can do, it certainly is a big improvement, since they did it in 2 months. They are releasing fglrx monthly now and every month its geting better and better.
[Phoronix] ATI: Linux vs. Windows Vista

So, I don't understand why you hope it's a bad joke, but you sound very angry in you letter. As if you have something personal against ATi and/or their driver.

RealBorg · Oct 30, 2007, 04:18 PM

In fact they did not open source their driver, but started the development of a new open source driver once again based on closed source specifications. They also vented some hot air that they would release specifications for their graphics hardware.

I have heared that kind of promise before, after Logitech swallowed Connectix and vowed to support the development of open source linux drivers. Unfortunately nothing ever followed that promise.

Oh wow, they did AIGLX support in two month after they ignored it for one and a half year. That makes them to heroes. Maybe doctors should also wait until their patients are on the verge of death before they begin to treat them.

I have already wasted many hours trying to get compiz / beryl / Xgl to work, just because ATI is incompetent to create a decent driver or release the specifications for their graphics hardware. I guess that gives me some right to be "pissed off".

Tom

H3X4D3C1M4L · Nov 3, 2007, 08:29 PM

Any true ATI user expects crappy driver support, especially in Linux

The Windows drivers are aloooot better than they were when ATI first started... but Linux drivers almost always sucked.

I'm hoping the open source drivers mature fast, then maybe we'll actually see decent 3D in Linux

jpark · Nov 4, 2007, 10:23 PM

I am using the current drivers on Debian etch with a Mobility Radeon x1400. Tried generating a debian specific driver, but that didn't work. Using the stock driver.

Just a note. If you are getting artifacts (hatch marks) in the lower right corner of the display and perhaps on the mouse pointer, the following seems to stop that:

In the fglrx device section, add: Option "XaaNoOffscreenPixmaps" . I found that on the wiki for a different problem, but it seems to work for this as well.

DarkFoss · Nov 29, 2007, 12:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RealBorg

I can only hope that the new driver is a very bad joke.

NVIDIA had AIGLX support more than a year ago. ATI announces AIGLX and delivers a completely broken driver, that does not work on linux-2.6.23 / x86_64. Please don't tell me that this kernel is to new, it has been released three weeks ago. Plenty of time for them to catch up.

How much longer is AMD going to tolerate this incompetence? If I were them I would lock up the developers in their office until at least the current kernel any my flagship x86_64 architecture is supported. Maybe they should really consider to fire the entire linux development and either replace them or finally open source the driver.

Tom

Actually 3 weeks was too new to make the 8.42 drivers due to the release cycle.

I doubt very much the old fglrx drivers would ever have been able to support AIGLX..They reminded me of ATI's windows drivers Pre-Catalyst..Fix one thing break 3 others

I think AMD has been doing a descent job since buying ATI..At least they seem dedicated to turning things around..might be a little too late for some.

I'm still hanging on to my x800pro for now..It works well with the 8.42 driver and I'm running compiz-fusion with AIGLX ....it's nice being able to fire up U2K4 without disabling compiz .