[lug] Ubuntu users: request for topics for articles

[Zan Lynx]

Michael J. Hammel wrote:
> On Mon, 2009-06-08 at 06:38 -0600, Jeffrey Haemer wrote:
>> Mike,
>>
>> Compiz fusion.  
>>
>> When I'm on an Ubuntu desktop, and other people are around, it's the
>> thing that makes them say, "How can I get that on my computer?"
>>
>> You can get it under other distros but for Ubuntu, it's the default
>> window manager.
> 
> Ugh.  I hate that thing.  Lots of eye candy chewing up my CPU/GPU.  But
> I know lots of people like it.  I tried the workspace manager thing but
> I prefer GNOME's workspace switcher because I can have 12 workspaces (6
> for home stuff on the top row, 6 for work stuff on the bottom row).
> 
> I'll think about that one.  Problem is I'm running Ubuntu in a VM under
> Fedora and I'm not sure how well the 3D stuff will run under that.  Just
> have to try it out and see.  
> 
> Thanks!
> 

The 3-D stuff will not work at all under VM, at least when I tried last. 
  VM's can barely do it for Windows DirectX.  The virtual graphics 
driver has to do all sorts of complicated interpretation at the DirectX 
or OpenGL layer so the VM programmers have to write not only a virtual 
driver but also a DirectX or OpenGL driver on the guest *and* a 
complicated 3-D client on the VM host.  It also has to perform 
acceptably which is really difficult to manage through all the context 
switches.

Also think of all the 3-D state that has to be saved in a suspend or 
snapshot and the problems in rebuilding that, especially if someone 
tries to restore the VM on different hardware.

I doubt a small market segment like Linux OpenGL will ever get supported 
commercially and I don't see any projects around with the skill and 
manpower to do it for free when the free open-source community can 
barely manage to write efficient 3-D drivers for real hardware.

You could always use a Ubuntu live CD instead of a VM.
-- 
Zan Lynx
zlynx at acm.org

"Knowledge is Power.  Power Corrupts.  Study Hard.  Be Evil."