[GEM-dev] [Gem]: very unstable on my box

[Roman Haefeli]

hello

since i try running gem under linux on my laptop, gem doesn't run as
'smooth' as i'd like to. i tried to compile myself, but also some
binaries from hcs' pd-extended. though i managed to compile gem myself
without troubles anymore (by using -with-glversion=1.5), the self
compiled binary (cvs checkout from today) loads, but it crashes, as soon
as i create the gemwin.


the binary i got from pd-extended does work better, though still not
satisfying. it is quite difficult and time consuming to track down
specifically, what does work and what does not. for example, i am
working on a patch, that creates about 400 geos (most of them are
cuboids and some are models), that i can open, when running fluxbox, but
when i open the same patch with the same pd/same options under gnome, i
get the error:

fglrx: Failed to map depth buffer!

as soon as i start the rendering and the gem window stays blank. also
using an usb-cam with [pix_video] does only work each second time i
start pd, though i do exactly the same steps each time. when i send
[device 1( to [pix_video] on loadbang, i get quite a lot of errors like:

VIDIOCMCAPTURE1: Invalid argument
VIDIOCMCAPTURE2: Invalid argument
VIDIOCSYNC: Invalid argument

and after about 30 times the above lines:

verbose( 1):opened video connection F
fglrx: Failed to map back buffer!

after this, i need to restart pd in order to be able to use gem again. 

also, some gem-patches do work, when loaded without any other patches,
but crash pd/gem, when opened together and gemwin is created. the most
simple example for this behaviour, i could track down,  are these two
patches.

1)                      2)

[gemhead]               [gemhead]
|                       |
[pix_image]             [pix_video]
|                       |
[pix_texture]           [pix_texture]
|                       |
[rectangle 5.33 4]      [rectangle 5.33 4]

both chains work, when loaded solely, but when merged into one patch, it
crashes gem, when turning rendering on.
also [pix_record] can be loaded and does work, but out of 5 trials, i
can effectively record something once, the other four times pd/gem
crashes, as soon as i turn rendering on, while [record(ing is active.
there are sure more issues that don't come to my mind just now.  

i know, it is a pitty for developpers to get such inaccurate information
(like: it does work sometimes and sometimes not), but unfortunately this
is how things are on my computer. since it takes me more time to figure
out, what does work and what not, than spending time with patching, i
will be forced to decide, whether i will continue to use gem on this
computer/system or not. but before that, i really want to try
everything, that could fix my problems. i know too little about opengl
and the inner  coherences of gem, therefore i cannot say, if it is an
issue of gem, of the fglrx driver or both or.... 
many other opengl-apps like xscreensaver, wings3d, blender, armagetron
do work without any problems. 
also would i like to be able to compile gem myself (respectively: be
able to use my self compiled binary), since i believe, that very likely
the gem.pd_linux from was linked against libs with different version
than i have. 

searching the gem-dev-list archives, showed me that there are other
people running a very similar setup without all these problems:
http://lists.puredata.info/pipermail/gem-dev/2007-01/002491.html
this keeps my hope alive....



my specs:

pd-extended gem:
GEM: ver: 0.91-cvs
GEM: compiled: Jan  5 2007

gem from cvs:
GEM: ver: 0.91-cvs
GEM: compiled: May  7 2007

pd 0.40.2

ubuntu dapper

fglrx

ati mobility radeon 9600

pentium M 1.7GHz

glxinfo:
http://www.romanhaefeli.net/glxinfo.txt

output from ./configure:
http://www.romanhaefeli.net/gem_configure.txt



any hint on that is _very_ appreciated. the fact, that other apps from
the ubuntu repository work well, makes me think, that something is wrong
during compile time (wrong headers?) and let me hope, that it is not
generally impossible to have a working gem on my computer. to get rid of
this issues would be like x-mas for me. 


roman




	
		
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