Bug#578406: embedded checks and fallback: apparently wrong solution
Package: compiz
Version: 0.8.4-3
Severity: normal
0.8.4-1 (debian version) dropped compiz-manager script and implemented
everything in compiz binary. I mean the patch taken from ubuntu,
debian/patches/060_move_checks_to_compiz.patch .
Now, there are 2 problems with this approach:
1. It is not possible to specify the fallback window manager. The
guesswork done in launchFallbackWM() is childish, there should be
some option to actually specify what to run, if at all. Maybe for
some default it's remotely acceptable, but not for a ultimate
solution. For example, I'm running LXDE, and it is opening me
xterm, and there's no way to specify what to run instead (and
no, I don't want to run metacity or kwin).
2. There's a limitation of max texture size in most radeon cards,
which is 2048. Which means that in case a (virtual) resolution of
the screen is >2048 (which is not uncommon), new compiz will refuse
to start. Previously compiz-manager has a feature to SKIP_CHECKS
and run compiz anyway. Now that feature does not exist anymore.
Just today we were discussed this problem on irc with some ubuntu
user, -- the prob was nautilus trying to display background picture.
The solution for that user was to recompile compiz without the
above-mentioned patch and specify SKIP_CHECKS. (It is because
almost all radeon cards actually works just fine with larger
texture sizes).
For the case "1" above, I'm not sure that running a fallback WM is any
good idea at all, at least from the compiz binary itself (I'm not
talking about the case "2" here). How about just exiting with some
known exit code, and have a small wrapper script that does all the
guesswork (if needed) and can be modified and is at least transparent
for the users? Note that it took me quite some energy (and several new
non-friends in #compiz) to figure out that the problem is actually in
debian changes and not in original compiz...
Some background on all this: I run diskless workstations (X terminals)
here off a single image, and they're run compiz if available, so there
should be a way to fall back to a _specified_ WM in case compiz does not
see enough hardware support. Also, when logging in remotely compiz
refuses to start and i'm getting WM-less environment as the result, and
I'm logging in remotely to my home machine quite often -- from a
notebook which I use just as an X terminal, because all my files and my
other environment is on my main PC and it is multi-user machine.
So in both this scenarios, I need reliable fallback. Which does not
exist in debian version but is quite easy to get in official compiz.
Thanks!
-- System Information:
Debian Release: 5.0.4
APT prefers stable
APT policy: (990, 'stable'), (60, 'testing'), (50, 'unstable'), (1, 'experimental')
Architecture: i386 (x86_64)
Kernel: Linux 2.6.33-amd64 (SMP w/2 CPU cores)
Locale: LANG=ru_RU.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=ru_RU.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8)
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/bash
Versions of packages compiz depends on:
ii compiz-core 0.8.4-3 OpenGL window and compositing mana
ii compiz-gnome 0.8.4-3 OpenGL window and compositing mana
ii compiz-gtk 0.8.4-3 OpenGL window and compositing mana
ii compiz-plugins 0.8.4-3 OpenGL window and compositing mana
compiz recommends no packages.
Versions of packages compiz suggests:
ii compizconfig-settings-manager 0.8.4-2 Compizconfig Settings Manager
-- no debconf information
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