[kde-linux] kubuntu 12.04 Problem: Cannot enable Desktop Effects

[Duncan]

Bumpymail posted on Sun, 13 May 2012 08:27:32 -0700 as excerpted:

> Tried to change the line "Option "Composite" "Disable" using
> bump at bumpykdeputer:/etc/X11$ sudo chmod a+rw xorg.conf
> bump at bumpykdeputer:/etc/X11$ sudo chmod 744 xorg.conf neither work, 
> (most unusual as I've done it many times previously)
> 
> Sure would appreciate any constructive suggestions for a newbie!

I stay away from proprietary drivers and thus from nvidia graphics 
entirely (tho I had an nvidia card when I first switched from MS over a 
decade ago now, never again... until they at least cooperate reasonably 
with the freedomware folks... like ati finally started doing again after 
amd bought them), so the help I could give you in that regard is rather 
limited, but...

Try looking in /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/ or the like.  Newer xorg can take 
multiple files dropped in there (or a couple of other locations, that's 
the usual local configuration default, tho, see the xorg.conf manpage for 
more), instead of the old single xorg.conf file.  Normally, each file in 
xorg.conf.d will contain a section or a couple related former xorg.conf 
sections, instead of the old everything in a single file method.

Also, AFAIK, the nvidia drivers don't do randr.  They use a different 
method.  Which is why that crashed.  But as I said my knowledge in that 
area is rather limited, and perhaps they are compatible with it now?  
You'll need to get better help elsewhere for that end of things.

The other option is to try the freedomware nouveau driver.  Performance 
on older nvidia chips is said to be comparable to the proprietary drivers 
and it uses all the new kernel mode setting, randr, etc, standards, tho 
performance on newer chips isn't as good and on the newest it doesn't 
have opengl/egl/etc support at all, for the gamers, etc.  But it's likely 
good enough for normal desktop use, as long as you don't have something 
so new there's no opengl/egl/etc support at all.  Since I don't do 
proprietary/servantware, if I did somehow end up with nvidia graphics 
(computer given to me or some such), that's what I'd use, but YMMV.  It's 
your computer, not mine, and your decision to make.

-- 
Duncan - List replies preferred.   No HTML msgs.
"Every nonfree program has a lord, a master --
and if you use the program, he is your master."  Richard Stallman