Video Resolution....the Achilles Heel of Linux ???

[ozark_hillbilly]

Well it's been 2 or 3 weeks now that I have tried to resolve my video res problem. Several people have given suggestions but no actual fix action has come out of it. I have wandered around the web looking at Linux sites and it seems that video interfacing and resolution in particular seems to be a reoccurring problem with Linux distros.

Now I am new to Linux and thus far have been impressed with it's capabilities BUT it has been a sobering realization that some things are not going to be easy in Linux. I hooked my Kodak camera up to the USB port and Ubuntu jumped all over it. After several minutes downloading all the jpegs are on the hard drive now. But when it comes to something like resetting one's screen resolution from 800 x 600 to 1440 x 900 it is a lesson in frustration and futility.

IF Linux plans on seriously garnering a bigger piece of the worldwide homeuser OS pie then things like changing video res have got to be as easy as changing your desktop theme. People just aren't going to screw around for weeks trying to do something.

I give up. I'll stay at 800 by 600 on Linux and boot up under Microsoft when I want to see 1440 by 900.

It's disappointing because I had high hopes for Linux.

[4Orbs]

Are you unable to install the correct driver for your graphics card? If you've been working on this for two weeks, I presume you know which card you have and which driver is required to work with your card. Which version of Ubuntu are you using?

Is this on a wubi install, in a virtual machine or a physical installation on a real partition?

[ozark_hillbilly]

if your wanting to get your feet wet on this problem, here you go:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1083325

P.S. NO VIDEO CARD; onboard nvidia 7050 630i chipset

Ed

[lykwydchykyn]

If I may suggest another point of view...

Your graphics chip is made by Nvidia.

Nvidia makes a proprietary driver for Linux. This means that Nvidia has chosen to be solely responsible for the way their hardware functions with Linux.

Should you be disappointed in Linux, or in Nvidia?

Think about it:

IF Linux plans on seriously garnering a bigger piece of the worldwide homeuser OS pie then things like changing video res have got to be as easy as changing your desktop theme. People just aren't going to screw around for weeks trying to do something.

I could go on for pages about what the Linux development community is doing to address the hardware compatibility issues still out there, not the least of which is the Linux driver project, but that isn't the point.

The point isn't what Linux wants. The point is what you want: do you want to run this OS?

If you do, then as far as I can tell from reading your other thread and doing some searching, your chipset is not very Linux-friendly. You can either wait for Nvidia to make it so, or drop a bit of cash on a seperate video card that does work with Linux.

[stalkier]

I have a XFX 8500GT video card that runs very nicely on Linux. You can get one for like $50 or so right now. It is a 512MB card (PCIe). Check TigerDirect.

[LowSky]

I know this might sound odd but try the 9.04 aplha... I know its normally a no no for me to even suggest to someone, but its worth trying. You shouldn't even have an issue as nvidia usually work awesomely

It has the newest Nvidia driver availible and works decently (It can break so be careful)

[4Orbs]

OK, I took a look at that thread you linked. On your last post you posted the current xorg.conf.nvidia file. Now I want to know, is that file identical to your /etc/X11/xorg.conf file? Also, when you open the nvidia settings manager, do you have any options at all to change screen resolution?

[ozark_hillbilly]

4Orbs,

The nvidia conf file becomes the xorg.conf when I cp in terminal. When the screen locks up I have to revert in recovery mode back to the xorg.conf.bak file.

Interesting enuf is that when I go to the menu screen on the monitor before signing on and check the resolution it says 1440 x 900. As soon as I sign on the monitor locks to a black screen with the out of range error message.

Also I cannot activate the nvidia drivers under Hardware Drivers with the nvidia xorg file installed. It says the xorg file is invalid.

Going to Screen and Graphics preferences is a "ring around the rosy." Nothing locks in when you change settings. It reverts back to Plug n Play 800 x 600. You can select LCD 1440 by 900 Generic or LG (my namebrand) and do a detect. But then it wants a driver file location. I have the LG driver on the desktop. But it's for a DOS environment I believe. Configuration test alwways fails as well. Even with the Plug n play 800 x 600 setting.
Things are not linked up right somewhere.

[ozark_hillbilly]

I see the point your making. Unfortunately no one bothered to tell me that when you build your latest/greatest computer MAKE SURE there is no graphics compatibility issues with the mobo and LINUX. If you don't know you can't ask.

Now it's being suggested to spend more money on the computer to get graphics working.
If the proprietary drivers work under Win XP (which they do on my other partition) why is there so much difficulty on the Linux side. Is this a plot by nVidia to support MS and not Linux?

[mrbiggbrain]

IF Linux plans on seriously garnering a bigger piece of the worldwide homeuser OS pie then things like changing video res have got to be as easy as changing your desktop theme. People just aren't going to screw around for weeks trying to do something.

Im not trying to jump all over you, not at all, but rather exsplaine something which i have come to know as wholely true. 99.99% of linux users could care less about a bigger piece of the pie. why does linux appeal to me? linux is free open source fotware, and not in the sense that it costs nothing at all, but rather that most of its code is freely distributable, modifiable, and redistributable.

I could care less if i wake up tomorrow and im the last ubuntu user on the planet, i love to hack apart my OS, write code, scripts, play with functions, and contrubute my best to the community.

id find that linux is improvable in any way, but to say its not easy to change resolutions is odd, iv done it quite a bit. many times people find linux hard becuse they wont give up windows ideals, they say when i do this, isnt this suppose to happen, instead of, ok that makes sence.