Using XGl to get beryl working with ATI cards, fglrx

Apparently there is a rather sketchy way to get beryl working with ATI cards and the proprietary driver...vampirefo posted this on another thread, and I got it to work for me (pretty darn unstable, admittedly), but the point wasn't for me to get it working to actually use because it gets boring pretty quickly, but just to show people what linux is capable of.
the thread where vampirefo posted is:

http://www.mepislovers.org/forums/showthread.php?t=5646


now creating an XGL login for me hasnt worked, so I've created the scripts to launch it from an existing session which is kinda buggy...first of all if I use alt-tab, it uses a non beryl alt-tab, showing XGL as a actual program to switch to (so I can switch back and forth between beryl and non beryl, which is kinda cool... when it doesnt crash)...second;y, alt-F2 still launches programs in non XGL windows, third of all its just really buggy in general (mouse/keyboard issues, huge CPU use for movies, etc.), but its still cool just as a demo, so if you really wanna try it...then by all means go for it I guess


as saist has said, the MEPIS kernel is not a stock kernel, which accounts for the bugginess, and he will warn you, as I am...its sketch (but fun).

[Saist]

well, one of the main problems with that setup is that you are using XGL as an application... which it isn't.

What you want to have happen is that when Mepis starts up, it loads the XGL X-server rather than the X.org X-server. With that configuration, you are loading up the X.org X-server, then running the XGL X-server on top...

which is just asking for problems.

yeah, thats kinda what I thought was happening...has some interesting implications if it werent so unstable.

Originally Posted by trashcat

yeah, thats kinda what I thought was happening...has some interesting implications if it werent so unstable.

This method works really welll in pclinuxos, Mepis as stated uses it's own kernel so I will compile XGL for Mepis kernel and see if It works as well as in pclinuxos.

If it does then Mepis should compile XGL and offer it for download for their users, shouldn't take Warren more that 20 minutes to compile it and rpm it for his users.

Hopeful, that's all that's needed to make beryl work correctly in Mepis is to compile XGL.

[Saist]

um... I highly doubt Warren would do RPM anything...

Ubuntu is a .deb based system.

Also, it's highly doubtful that Warren will add XGL at all considering that:

A: It's going to be merged into X.org anyways

B: it takes up more space on the disc to offer the current X.org AND a completely seperate X.org Server

C: It's not a simple task to install a new X-server, even with Synaptics Aid. It wouldn't be worth the time to package a Mepis Specific XGL server.

D: Beryl is looking to merge back into Compiz, which means that XGL's party piece will disappear as AIGLX and Beryl/Compiz mature.

E: Beryl isn't ready for day to day use. End of Story.

F: The only holdout on AIGLX support, AMD/ATi, has already roadmapped AIGLX support for their new OpenGL driver. The driver will be here well before Beryl is ready for use.

So... from all points, spending any time on XGL as a Mepis package is a bad idea to Warren and his team.

LOL, yeah I forgot Mepis uses deb, lol we all forget sometimes you know. I used mepis for 2 years, so you would think I would remember that lol.

anyway your points are interesting, and appreciated.

vampirefo