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Subjects Author Language Messages Last message
[Locked] It's time to blacklist some GPU
matttbe English 11 lylambda [Read]
13 August 2013 à 23:07

matttbe, Monday 29 July 2013 à 13:16


Subscription date : 24 January 2009
Messages : 12573
Yes, it's time to blacklist some video cards...
I think it's a bit ridiculous but it's needed! I'm sure that most users which have this bug will just say "Oh, Cairo-Dock is broken" and they will not check the non-OpenGL backend.

If these bugs are not quickly fixed in the video drivers, it's annoying to always say: "I guess you've this card... this bug has been reported X months ago and it's still not fixed, please go there: http://(...) and disable the OpenGL backend".

Currently (rev 1591), only the Intel 4000HD Ivybridge is blacklisted due to this bug: https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=55036

Note: if a GPU is blacklisted, two messages are displayed in the terminal but it's possible to force the use of this OpenGL backend by launching the dock with this command:
cairo-dock -o


Is it a good idea? If yes, maybe we can add more video cards but which one? Please report any bug that you have with the OpenGL backend

fabounet, Tuesday 30 July 2013 à 14:37


Subscription date : 30 November 2007
Messages : 17118
but then when the driver is fixed, we'll have to keep up to date, and old versions of the dock won't be correct compared to the drivers
I think it's too much of a pain for us, and we could just use the function gldi_gl_backend_is_safe (which returns FALSE if the opengl is not completely available) ; this will force the question on the user, who can then know the potential problem, and choose himself.

Edit: morevoer I don't think it's specific to GLX, so it should probably be in cairo-dock-opengl.c

matttbe, Tuesday 30 July 2013 à 18:26


Subscription date : 24 January 2009
Messages : 12573
but then when the driver is fixed, we'll have to keep up to date, and old versions of the dock won't be correct compared to the drivers
Yes but currently, only the Intel 4000HD is blacklisted because the bug has been reported one year ago and it's still there. It's an ugly bug
Note that it's still possible to force the use of the OpenGL backend and this card is used by many many people: I'm sure that some of them can regularly test the OpenGL backend (Hello lylambda ). And if people use an old versions of the dock, I guess they also use an old version of these video drivers (It's easier to install the latest version of the dock than the latest version of the drivers!)
It's just too bad that due to this bug, many people think that the dock is buggy :-/

we could just use the function gldi_gl_backend_is_safe (which returns FALSE if the opengl is not completely available) ; this will force the question on the user, who can then know the potential problem, and choose himself.
Yes but this macro returns FALSE for many GPU (all Intel video cards I think ; with my GPU card this macro returns FALSE but it works fine ). (and this macro is used before that the OpenGL is initialised and the widget is realized --> see bellow)
Here we know that there is a very annoying bug when using this specific card. And even with the warning message, I'm sure that (1), many people doesn't read it carefully and (2) they will see the ugly bug and will not check the non-OpenGL backend, Google, this website, Launchpad, etc.. Just see all these people who have reported this bug while a quick search on Google or here shows that the bug is known and there is a solution/workaround.

As I said, I think it's a bit ridiculous but it's needed! And other programs do that too: Gnome-Shell, Compiz, etc.

Edit: morevoer I don't think it's specific to GLX, so it should probably be in cairo-dock-opengl.c
Yes I wanted to implement it there but we can only do that only after having initialised the backend (when the widget is realized), this is why I had to do that there (and the problem is maybe due to X11 hard to know )

fabounet, Wednesday 31 July 2013 à 16:28


Subscription date : 30 November 2007
Messages : 17118
I understand, but still ...
maybe the Help applet could check that (since it's enabled by default), and propose a small dialog, as it already does for composite

also, renaming the 1st entry in the menu from "Cairo-dock" to "Cairo-dock (safe mode)", since the dock is probably launched from the menu the first time, it would make more obvious that there is a fallback.

matttbe, Wednesday 31 July 2013 à 17:30


Subscription date : 24 January 2009
Messages : 12573
I understand, but still ...
maybe the Help applet could check that (since it's enabled by default), and propose a small dialog, as it already does for composite
I understand your reaction and I agree that it's not our job to do that but the main problem (for me) is that this GPU card is not an exotic card (it's used in many computers, most notebooks/netbooks have a Intel GPU card and Ivybridge cards are now cheaper thanks to the new Haswell cards).
Here the bug seems to be only linked to Ivybridge cards and I'm not sure that this bug will be fixed soon... So I think after one year without any progress we have to disable it

But the Help applet can display a warning for new videos cards that we know there is a problem with them but this bug will be fixed "soon".

also, renaming the 1st entry in the menu from "Cairo-dock" to "Cairo-dock (safe mode)", since the dock is probably launched from the menu the first time, it would make more obvious that there is a fallback.
Yes, good idea! or 'fallback mode'? (I don't know why but 'safe mode' is linked to Windows for me )
And the other launcher can be renamed to 'Cairo-Dock'. Just to have 'Cairo-Dock' and 'Cairo-Dock (Fallback Mode)' (or 'Safe Mode')?

fabounet, Thursday 01 August 2013 à 15:29


Subscription date : 30 November 2007
Messages : 17118
Just to have 'Cairo-Dock' and 'Cairo-Dock (Fallback Mode)' (or 'Safe Mode')

yep

I don't know why but 'safe mode' is linked to Windows for me

I had the same feeling when typing it but then it may sound clearer for many people

matttbe, Thursday 01 August 2013 à 18:11


Subscription date : 24 January 2009
Messages : 12573
but then it may sound clearer for many people

But 'fallback' is used by Gnome and Unity, maybe for this reason!
And Cairo-Dock's 'safe mode' is not like Windows' 'safe mode'!!! It's more like Unity and Unity-2D (fallback mode)

fabounet, Sunday 04 August 2013 à 09:34


Subscription date : 30 November 2007
Messages : 17118
ok well, both are ok for me

matttbe, Sunday 04 August 2013 à 10:05


Subscription date : 24 January 2009
Messages : 12573
French translation or 'fallback mode' in GNOME is 'mode restreint' which is different than 'safe mode' (mode sans échec) but is it better?

It's maybe more a fallback mode than a safe mode. (Or the opposite? ) It's a detail

fabounet, Friday 09 August 2013 à 16:05


Subscription date : 30 November 2007
Messages : 17118
je dirais plus un mode sans échec (puisque le dock pose la question au départ dans tous les cas) qu'un mode restreint (qui laisse penser qu'on désactive certaines fonctionnalités)

matttbe, Friday 09 August 2013 à 19:39


Subscription date : 24 January 2009
Messages : 12573
un mode restreint (qui laisse penser qu'on désactive certaines fonctionnalités)
ah, justement je pensais à "mode restreint" car il y a moins de fonctionnalités (pas tous les effets, pas aussi fluide, pas les décorations de pochettes avec MP, etc.)

Mode sans échec, pourquoi pas, c'est juste à cause de Windows
(et les crashes sont rarement causés à cause de l'OpenGL, c'est le visuel)
Mais au final, c'est un détail, je te laisse le choix

(PS: les .desktop sont maintenant générés depuis le script update-desktop-files.sh )

lylambda, Tuesday 13 August 2013 à 23:07


Subscription date : 06 September 2009
Messages : 1635
J'aime bien le switch anglais -> français mine de rien

I'm sure that some of them can regularly test the OpenGL backend (Hello lylambda )

Pas idiot cet idée de liste de GPU non compatible. L'idéal serait tout de même que ce soit réglé pour l'unique qui nous pose problème :/

Git Version | Version Git

Subjects Author Language Messages Last message
[Locked] It's time to blacklist some GPU
matttbe English 11 lylambda [Read]
13 August 2013 à 23:07


Glx-Dock / Cairo-Dock List of forums Git Version | Version Git It's time to blacklist some GPU Top

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