fglrxKonf

[Michael]

This is a Kommander frontend for ATI fglrx video card driver utility "aticonfig".

It can be used to configure the newly installed fglrx driver, setup tv-out and different screen configuration options. It also reads and displays the fglrx configuration from /etc/X11/xorg.conf file.

It is tested on Ubuntu Dapper Drake (6.06) system with fglrx 8.26.18 version, but should also work with older fglrx versions, that provide "aticonfig" utility. I created it since I found that fglrx-control gui tool, installed with fglrx driver, is constantly diminishing in features and basically useless.

IMPORTANT: fglrxkonf has to be started as root to work. You can use command line command "kdesu kmdr-executor fglrxkonf.kmdr" to start it.

Please send comments or bug reports to the author of the program. I could enhance the program to use more of aticonfig options, but I will need volunteers who would advise me on the use of aticonfig. I can use it just for setting up TV-out, eiter in single head clone mode, or dual head.

http://www.kde-apps.org/content/show.php?content=43612

Has anyone tried this out? Any thoughts?

[rinthos]

Does not appear to offer any functionality making it worthwhile.

Control Panel should offer options that users want to use/adjust often.

This control panel utility seems to offer functionality that would normally be accomplished by running a 1-time command.

I.e. adjusting FSAA quality settings, adjusting powerplay settings, adjusting clockspeed, adjusting quality settings should all be incorporated into a control panel.

Having an aticonfig --initial being replaced by having to run a control panel, find a screen, and click a button isn't practical.

GUIs are supposed to make things easier and faster!

I like the initiative being taken, and maybe in the future it will be useful, but until then, not worth it.

[dgvirtual]

Originally Posted by rinthos

Does not appear to offer any functionality making it worthwhile.

Well, have you tried this script?

I wrote it to ease up some of the things I do with fglrx driver, which is performing initial setup and setting up tv-out, adjusting video settings, specifying which screen the video overlay is displayed on. So it does (for me) more than was said here. Besides, it reads and displays various settings from /etc/X11/xorg.conf file.

All of it and much more could be done using command line, but it is annoying to go to command line for "aticonfig -ovon 0" and then typing aticonfig --help to see why it did not work.

I wrote it since the fglrx-control panel for me was useless, and it's features have been diminishing. I could not set up tv-out with it (well, once I could, with an older version, but not now).

I will try to improve fglrxKonf, though many of the things might be too hard for me, a casual Kommander user. Still, any suggestions welcome, and I would appreciate anyone actually contributing for this project.

BTW, I would like to see the fglrx-control improved, so that my script would not be needed at all, but I certainly cannot contribute to the development, I am no programmer.

[dgvirtual]

Originally Posted by rinthos

I.e. adjusting FSAA quality settings, adjusting powerplay settings, adjusting clockspeed, adjusting quality settings should all be incorporated into a control panel.

Could you elaborate on these things: where can I find information on how aticonfig is used to adjust these settings?

Besides, the old fireglcontrol panel had a place where it was possible to adjust (move left, right, up, etc.) the tv-out screen by pushing buttons. Could something like this be done by using aticonfig? Or, how do I edit xorg.conf file to get this effect?

[Michael]

aticonfig --help

For the TV-out, it's --tv-geometry and you can get the current information from --tv-info there are also the options to change the TV format, etc...

If you have any additional questions, just post.

[rinthos]

Well, have you tried this script?

yessir

I wrote it to ease up some of the things I do with fglrx driver, which is performing initial setup and setting up tv-out, adjusting video settings, specifying which screen the video overlay is displayed on. So it does (for me) more than was said here. Besides, it reads and displays various settings from /etc/X11/xorg.conf file.

True, but the purposes of a GUI are typically:
1) Replace a series of command-line entries with a simple click.
2) Allow various perspectives to be viewed at the same time easily without need for scrolling and various commands to display the info.
3) Organize info in a well designed menu.

Looking at the functionality for setting up an xorg.conf file,
aticonfig --initial

That is 1 command. It's not complicated. it takes longer to launch your program, click on the correct tab, and click the button etc.
And being as it was one of the main 'purposes' of the program, it seems to just be more difficult than a command line! Now, I would keep it included if the panel had alternate functionality etc.
But remember, An Initial Config is created 'only once'. So that option likely won't get used often.

Once again, the TV functionality is very practical for the app, but needs other features such as the ones previously specified to make it worthwhile.

I wrote it since the fglrx-control panel for me was useless, and it's features have been diminishing. I could not set up tv-out with it (well, once I could, with an older version, but not now).

I hear ya. The Ati Control Panel supplied with the drivers is not a control panel at all. It's a very weak dev-util type app.

Could you elaborate on these things: where can I find information on how aticonfig is used to adjust these settings?

As Michael pointed out, they are all listed under aticonfig --help


Do realize, I am currently using scripts to toggle features such as powerplay on/off. wrote them and created launchers and tossed them on my desktop. So I double-click and boom, powerplay enabled. Click again, powerplay disabled, etc. Now I do not have the desktop space nor the patiance to create them for every single option, but I will say, combining MORE functionality into the single program makes your program more valuable.

I mean no disrespect, but in it's current condition, it's more of a pre-prototype. But I'm sure once you go through all of the functionality etc, and add it, the program will quickly become usefull!

A snippet from the help re: fsaa:

FSAA Options:
  --fsaa={on|off}
        Enable/disable full scene anti-aliasing.  Enable this option to enhance
        photo-realism in 3D rendering.  Disable it to get the most accurate 3D
        image.
  --fs, --fsaa-samples={off,0,2,4,6}
        Set the number of FSAA samples per pixel or 2, 4, 6.  off is the same
        as setting 0 samples.
  --fsg, --fsaa-gamma={on|off}
        Enable/disable FSAA gamma.
  --fmsp, --fsaa-ms-positions=x0,y0,x1,y1,x2,y2,x3,y3,x4,y4,x5,y5
        Change the FSAA Multi-Sample Positions for x0,y0 to x5,y5.  You must
        specify exactly 12 real number values separated by commas.

[dgvirtual]

Ok, thanks everyone for criticism and suggestions. I will soon post a mockup of the next version, which will have much more functionality. I will expect your comments then.

[dgvirtual]

Here is the alpha of the new fglrxKonf 0.8.

Most functions in the tabs up to Screen Related tab do work (except for the tv out adjustment, which does not work on my computer at least because aticonfig does not work in this respect).

PLEASE LOOK AT IT AND POST SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT - LAYOUT AND FUNCTIONS, ETC.

If anyone would post a bash one-liner, that gives as output the fglrx driver version or the card memory size - would appreciate that a lot.

[Michael]

One easy way if you wanted to access the driver version could be through the X log... See below example

cat /var/log/Xorg.0.log | grep "(II) ATI Proprietary Linux Driver Version Identifier:"

[Michael]

Oops, and for the card memory size, you could do something like...

cat /var/log/Xorg.0.log | grep "VideoRAM"

If you have any other questions, just post.