Can't get compiz to work with arch64, gnome, and nvidia

gun26 · 2008-12-20 17:07:35

I've been an arch64 user for a little over 6 months now. I prefer the gnome desktop and I've successfully used compiz and compiz git (from luciferin's repository http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=42480 together with the binary nvidia drivers with my Nvidia 9600GT video card. Several weeks ago, compiz stopped working. I don't see any error message if I try starting compiz in a gnome terminal window: the metacity window decorations disappear but nothing replaces them. No error message appears in my terminal. I didn't find anybody else posting here with anything similar, so I assume compiz works with gnome and nvidia for everybody else on arch64.

Doing a tail -50 everyting.log, the only compiz related line I see is:

Dec 20 10:57:36 loriburk compiz[3444] trap stack segment ip:4102de sp:7fffeb6361e0 error:0

(loriburk is the hostname of my system)

No idea what the line means. Can anybody figure out what I'm doing wrong? I know compiz is mostlly eye candy, but I really miss some of its more practical features like scale. I've tried various versions of the nvidia drivers - nvidia, nvidia-173xx and even nvidia-beta from AUR with no luck.I do have the testing repository enabled on this installation, but as a sanity check I did a fresh Arch64 install on another partiton with just basic xorg, nvidia, gnome and compiz with no added repositories and compiz didn't work there either.

arch_nemesis · 2008-12-23 14:11:16

I can't offer you much in the way of help other than to tell you what worked for me.

I've got a few-days-old arch install on X86_64, with gnome and nvidia. My card is different than yours, but it's also inferior to yours (7150M).

Since you sound willing to experiment with a fresh install, here's all I've done:

I cookbooked the installation guide at install time, installing the nvidia proprietary driver at whatever point in the procedure it suggested doing so.

Then, I installed compiz-fusion-gtk (NOT -git) and the fusion-icon by cookbooking the wiki entry here: http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Compiz-Fusion

I use fusion-icon to start compiz-fusion.

Are there particular feature in the git version that you need? Mine's running quite smoothly, and doesn't seem to be lacking anything I'm accustomed to seeing.

-- Joe

Last edited by arch_nemesis (2008-12-23 14:11:44)

gun26 · 2008-12-27 22:17:25

Thanks for the ideas, arch_nemesis. Sorry for not posting back sooner - busy time of year, as it is for everyone else I'm sure. I'm certainly willing to try again with a fresh install on a spare partition, and I'll follow the docs closely this time to see what happens. No, I'm not wedded to anything particular in the -git version of compiz. The most useful thing in it is scale, which has always been in basic compiz. When I tried a fresh install before, though, I did try the release version of compiz first (with no joy) before I tried -git again. I'll stick to the release version this time, too. I'll post again about how the fresh attempt went.

amranu · 2008-12-27 23:50:49

make sure you have compositing enabled in xorg.conf

arch_nemesis · 2008-12-31 23:23:37

gun26 wrote:

Thanks for the ideas, arch_nemesis. Sorry for not posting back sooner - busy time of year, as it is for everyone else I'm sure.

No problem! I should check, as I suspect I've left at least one "help me" thread dangling since just before the holidays.

Since posting in this thread previously I've done a reinstall, and realized that although I must have forgotten it when previously replying to you, I did have to add the applicable composite entries to xorg.conf, as amranu mentions.

Section "Extensions"
     Option "Composite" "Enable"
EndSection

As noted here...

http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Beg … phic_Cards

I tested this before installing compiz (maybe it wasn't a valid test?) by noting that telling GNOME that I wanted a transparent terminal window background did nothing until I rebooted with compositing enabled.

I'm guessing you were already aware of this, but...

gun26 · 2009-01-03 06:26:53

Thanks to both of you for the help - actually I do have the extensions section enabling composite in my xorg.conf. I do remember reading somewhere that with Xorg 7.4 and current versions of the Nvidia drivers, composite is enabled automatically without a directive in xorg.conf.

Anyway, I've now done two separate reinstalls of Arch 64, with no success in getting compiz working, unfortunately:

Attempt 1, a few days ago: I installed from an Arch 64 Core cd, following the install manual and then the relevant articles on the Arch wiki to make sure I wasn't missing anything. I installed xorg, the Nvidia binary drivers (current release version, 177.82) and gnome, and then finally compiz (not fusion and not -git). Typing compiz --replace in a terminal window did exactly what it did before - the Metacity decoratons disappear but nothing replaces them. No error message in the terminal.

Attempt 2: just happened earlier tonight. I installed from an Arch 64 ftp cd (my favourite method since it saves the need to update afterward). Pretty much the same thing happened, except that this time, after xorg but before Gnome I installed the SVN version of KDE 4 from markc's packages http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=44507. KDE 4's built-in compositing works fine, and it did even without the extensions section enabling composite in xorg.conf. Still no joy with Gnome and Compiz, though.

I should note that KDE 4's compositing works on Arch, and I have other distros installed in separate partitions with Gnome. All of them are x86_64, and compiz and gnome work fine on all of 'em. The list includes Debian Sid, Ubuntu 8.10, Fedora 10, and others. So the problem I have is specific to Gnome and Arch 64. I guess it's time to admit defeat on this one. My best guess is to blame the binary Nvidia drivers - hey why not, everyone hates blobs, don't they?

For now I'll mostly live with KDE 4 on Arch, although I still like Gnome better. But KDE 4 has come a long way from the disastrous 4.0 release. 4.2 is shaping up to be a great release, once they have enough bugs squashed.

azleifel · 2009-01-03 20:13:03

gun26 wrote:

Attempt 1, a few days ago: I installed from an Arch 64 Core cd, following the install manual and then the relevant articles on the Arch wiki to make sure I wasn't missing anything. I installed xorg, the Nvidia binary drivers (current release version, 177.82) and gnome, and then finally compiz (not fusion and not -git). Typing compiz --replace in a terminal window did exactly what it did before - the Metacity decoratons disappear but nothing replaces them. No error message in the terminal.

Typing "compiz --replace" in a terminal windows does exactly that - no window decorations - but typing "compiz --replace ccp" in a terminal window invokes compiz with window decorations. At least, that's what happens here on Arch x86_64 with nvidia 177.82, gnome and compiz-git. More at http://wiki.compiz-fusion.org/Troublesh … ight=(ccp).

gun26 · 2009-01-04 14:14:54

Thanks for the suggestion: Here's what happened when I tried adding ccp to the command line:

$ compiz --replace ccp &
$ compiz (core) - Error: Couldn't load plugin 'ccp'

And no window decorations. But I didn't have the dreamzbox.de repository for compiz-fusion-git installed so my version was:

[gun@loriburk ~]$ compiz --version &
$ compiz 0.7.8

So I enabled the repository, and then:

$ sudo pacman -Sy compiz-git

$ compiz --version &
$ compiz 0.7.9
$ compiz --replace ccp &
$ compiz (core) - Error: Couldn't load plugin 'ccp'

and still no decorations. Finally I installed the full compiz-fusion-git and tried again:

$ compiz --replace ccp &
$ Backend     : gconf
Integration : true
Profile     : default
Adding plugins
Initializing core options...done

And still no decorations, I'm afraid. But it looks like ccp only comes with compiz-fusion and not plain compiz or compiz-git. I read through the rest of the troubleshooting article and tried some other options like --sm-disable with no good effect.

azleifel · 2009-01-04 17:39:52

Going gitwise on gnome, the minimum installation is going to be compiz-git, libcompizconfig-git for ccp and, because window decorations are not necessarily enabled by default and may need to be configured, compizconfig-python-git, compizconfig-backend-gconf-git and ccsm-git. To get a little more functionality, installing compiz-bcop-git and compiz-fusion-plugins-main-git is going to be worthwhile. That's nearly everything If you're going to do the lot then the recommended compilation/installation order is:

    "compiz-git"
    "compiz-bcop-git"
    "compiz-fusion-plugins-main-git"
    "compiz-fusion-plugins-extra-git"
    "compiz-fusion-plugins-unsupported-git"
    "libcompizconfig-git"
    "compizconfig-python-git"
    "compizconfig-backend-gconf-git"
    "ccsm-git"
    "emerald-git"
    "emerald-themes-git"
    "fusion-icon-git"

Edit: In ccsm, "Window Decoration" is under the Effects category.

Last edited by azleifel (2009-01-04 17:44:02)

xstaticxgpx · 2009-01-04 18:57:19

you should have the following options under your screen section in xorg.conf

Option         "AddARGBGLXVisuals" "True"
Option         "AllowGLXWithComposite" "True"

azleifel · 2009-01-04 19:50:47

xstaticxgpx wrote:

you should have the following options under your screen section in xorg.conf
Option         "AddARGBGLXVisuals" "True"
Option         "AllowGLXWithComposite" "True"

I'm not sure that these two options are necessary with recent versions of the nvidia driver. Here's part of my xorg.conf:

Section "Monitor"
        Identifier      "Acer P223W"
EndSection

Section "Device"
        Identifier      "GeForce 8500 GT"
        Driver          "nvidia"
        Option          "UseDisplayDevice" "DFP"
        Option          "TripleBuffer" "True"
        Option          "DynamicTwinView" "False"
        Option          "RandRRotation" "True"
        Option          "UseEdidDpi" "False"
        Option          "DPI" "96 x 96"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
        Identifier      "Default Screen"
        Device          "GeForce 8500 GT"
        Monitor         "Acer P223W"
        DefaultDepth    24
        SubSection      "Display"
                Viewport  0 0
                Depth     24
        EndSubSection
EndSection

The only real optimisation is the TripleBuffer option.

xstaticxgpx · 2009-01-04 21:42:54

azleifel wrote:

xstaticxgpx wrote:

you should have the following options under your screen section in xorg.conf
Option         "AddARGBGLXVisuals" "True"
Option         "AllowGLXWithComposite" "True"

I'm not sure that these two options are necessary with recent versions of the nvidia driver. Here's part of my xorg.conf:

Section "Monitor"
        Identifier      "Acer P223W"
EndSection

Section "Device"
        Identifier      "GeForce 8500 GT"
        Driver          "nvidia"
        Option          "UseDisplayDevice" "DFP"
        Option          "TripleBuffer" "True"
        Option          "DynamicTwinView" "False"
        Option          "RandRRotation" "True"
        Option          "UseEdidDpi" "False"
        Option          "DPI" "96 x 96"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
        Identifier      "Default Screen"
        Device          "GeForce 8500 GT"
        Monitor         "Acer P223W"
        DefaultDepth    24
        SubSection      "Display"
                Viewport  0 0
                Depth     24
        EndSubSection
EndSection

The only real optimisation is the TripleBuffer option.

I have those too, but the two options i posted earlier should make compiz work.

gun26 · 2009-01-05 16:45:42

I think azleifel's right on this one. With current versions of the Nvidia drivers and xorg-server you don't need any directives to enable compositing - it's automatic. Remember, I do have compositing working for me with KDE4 (currently markc's SVN builds). I didn't have the two lines

Option         "AddARGBGLXVisuals" "True"
Option         "AllowGLXWithComposite" "True"

in my xorg.conf but I just tried them and they made no difference either way. Compiz is a no go on gnome but kde4 built-in compositing is still ok.

Arch Linux

#1 2008-12-20 17:07:35

Can't get compiz to work with arch64, gnome, and nvidia

#2 2008-12-23 14:11:16

Re: Can't get compiz to work with arch64, gnome, and nvidia

#3 2008-12-27 22:17:25

Re: Can't get compiz to work with arch64, gnome, and nvidia

#4 2008-12-27 23:50:49

Re: Can't get compiz to work with arch64, gnome, and nvidia

#5 2008-12-31 23:23:37

Re: Can't get compiz to work with arch64, gnome, and nvidia

#6 2009-01-03 06:26:53

Re: Can't get compiz to work with arch64, gnome, and nvidia

#7 2009-01-03 20:13:03

Re: Can't get compiz to work with arch64, gnome, and nvidia

#8 2009-01-04 14:14:54

Re: Can't get compiz to work with arch64, gnome, and nvidia

#9 2009-01-04 17:39:52

Re: Can't get compiz to work with arch64, gnome, and nvidia

#10 2009-01-04 18:57:19

Re: Can't get compiz to work with arch64, gnome, and nvidia

#11 2009-01-04 19:50:47

Re: Can't get compiz to work with arch64, gnome, and nvidia

#12 2009-01-04 21:42:54

Re: Can't get compiz to work with arch64, gnome, and nvidia

#13 2009-01-05 16:45:42

Re: Can't get compiz to work with arch64, gnome, and nvidia

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