The Final Zone project

Following the previous blog and some investigation, it turned out the kernel package from Mystro256 COPR repository based on agd5f kernel branch (one of AMD developers) resolves the blank screen issue. That could trigger a problem for users having a new AMD graphic hardware so perhaps a warning should be written on the release. Perhaps having one of contributors be part of kernel team bringing these improvement until those patches arrive to the mainline kernel for a better user experience. Past the issue, the desktop experience with Radeon RX 560 was tremendously improved compared to the retired GTX 460 v2. Gnome on Wayland on Fedora runs smooth showing how far the open source amdgpu driver went through compared to previous years. That was also the opportunity to run a vulkan based smoke test demo on RADV, which is a counterpart of glxgears. Overall the card is excellent once missing software are installed.

I bought a Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 560 4GB to replace the broken Nvidia GTX 460 v2 after a long years of service. It is then my first ever dedicated AMD based video-card for a desktop. The boot sequence on Fedora 27 hit a problem: a plain blank screen suggesting the card is not yet supported. Looking at Phoronix website revealed one of possible requirement missed: LLVM 5.0 which is currently not available to Fedora repository save a failed built . I filed a bug report to address the issue. Hopefully that will land on time for the official release of Fedora 27.

My Nvidia GTX 460 v2 card just died after six years of service after attempting to restore it. It was the last known Nvidia card that could work out of box with open source driver. I have used Nvidia for a long time but the behaviours from the company prompt me to no longer consider that option. Currently the GPU market is very expensive to afford a good AMD card. Additionally, the nine years old motherboard needs a replacement as the venerable AMD Phenom II 940X shows its age. The onboard Geforce 8300 is troublesome to run. For now, I use a laptop until I can afford a powerful custom built desktop this time will full AMD hardware.

Ctrl key buttons refused to work on laptop? Tried pressing Ctrl + Alt + Fn? Mixed result. Reboot hardware? No dice. Pressing Ctrl + Left click on Touchpad? Worked I am not sure what exactly caused the problem as the issue surprisingly affects more models than expected.

I updated a status report for aiming a full out of box experience for ASUS X550 family laptop . It is a AMD Kaveri powered laptop featuring Dual Radeon GPU. Known issues are missing functional hotkeys (Fn), broken webcam support and lack of optimized power management.

Task done so far: Replaced Windows XP by Fedora 11 on a client's Toshiba Satellite that works out of box except media hotkeys. Completed an article of Fedora 11 for a small magazine editor. Installed Fedora 11 on LG Xnote LT20. Installing Fedora 11 on LT20 note had some trouble start like DVD freezing on first try after doing the test. A second try went smoothly. For the first time, I was able to see the smooth transition of boot process to the login screen unlike my Nvidia powered desktop. Power management works well although the battery consumption seems to be higher than usual (maybe I need to replace it). Suspend and Hibernate flawlessly work. The screen made from Wacom technology works out of box, I only need to set up Gimp and Inkscape to support screen mode although I wish the support is done automatically. Rotating screen was the problem because of the transition went flaky as the width went off screen. The button for rotation will not be recognized and will not work at all...

I got a tablet pc (an LG XNote LT20) as a gift for graduation. That tablet is in very good shape and just need to upgrade both hard drive (40GB) and memory (512 MB). After doing research, it looks like the cost will be around CAD 200.00. I am planning to dual boot the system as I need Microsoft Windows for making Flash design along with Fedora 11. I would like to test tablet support on Fedora 11 as it turned out the screen uses Wacom technology. With that notebook, it appears design will be much easier.

English After four years in service, Epson Stylus CX4600 printer was retired due to mechanical issue. It participated to the evolution of Gutenprint, a universal printer driver. HP Photosmart C4180 is the new printer faster and better support thanks to HP for releasing their drivers under open license. French Après quatre ans de service, l'imprimante Epson Stylus CX4600 est rétirée en raison de problème mćanique. Elle a participé à l'évolution de Gutenprint, le pilote universelle pour imprimante. HP Photosmart C4180 est son succésseur plus rapide avec un meilleur support courtoisie de HP.