[xubuntu-users] Xscreensaver oddity

[MR ZenWiz]

On Wed, Jul 11, 2012 at 6:15 AM, Pete Flugstad <pete.flugstad at gmail.com> wrote:
:
> I believe this started when I installed the fglrx driver a few days
> ago (I seemed to have been running in VESA mode previously), so I'm
> pretty sure that that's the problem.   Did anything else change
> recently that might have caused this? (xscreensaver)
>
I'm running pretty much the vanilla install with the distribution
fglrx from Ubuntu.  If it is a problem with the driver, it's pretty
odd - it (most likely) has to do with grabbing window focus, not video
driver issues.

> dpkg reports:
>
> xserver-xorg-video-radeon  1:6.14.99~git20111219.aacbd629-0ubuntu2
>              X.Org X server -- AMD/ATI Radeon display driver
> fglrx-updates              2:8.960-0ubuntu1
>              Video driver for the AMD graphics accelerators
>
Yep, mine too.

> /var/log/Xorg.0.log reports:
>
> [    18.970] (II) LoadModule: "fglrx"
> [    18.970] (II) Loading
> /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/xorg/extra-modules/\
>        extra-modules.dpkg-tmp/modules/drivers/fglrx_drv.so
> [    19.630] (II) Module fglrx: vendor="FireGL - ATI Technologies Inc."
> [    19.658]    compiled for 1.4.99.906, module version = 8.96.4
> [    19.658]    Module class: X.Org Video Driver
>
> That version seems quite a bit different than what is on AMD's web
> site (12.6)?  Or is the version numbering all messed up and I'm
> running the open source version?
>
No, for whatever reason the driver on the ATI/AMD site is 8.97.100.3,
or something like that, and it has an annoying "test only" shadow
overlay in the bottom right corner.

AND it does nothing to change this behavior in xscreensaver/GLSlideShow.

> I can run the AMD Catalyst Control Center - I'm wondering if anyone
> has any clue on what I could tweak to try and get this fixed (nothing
> obvious jumps out).  Or should I talk to AMD about their driver.
>
I tried enabling the video tear feature, but that didn't help, and as
you said, nothing else looks obvious.

It's frustrating.

There's another issue I (we) found today.  My son occasionally logs in
on my machine (with his own id, not sudo-capable) and today he hit a
really ugly problem.

He was watching a video online and every ten minutes xscreensaver cut
in (as configured).  When he moved the mouse to recover the screen, it
blacked out with some white spots.  In order to get the screen back,
he had to type <ctl><alt><F7> <ctl><alt>F8> (switch to my xscreensaver
screen, then back to his).  This is more or less normal behavior (it
sucks, but that's what it does).

Then he went into xscreensaver to adjust the configuration not to come
on every 10 minutes, and it hung the machine.