Force high gfx mode with UNITY_LOW_GFX_MODE == 0

[Sinclair Yeh]

While discussing bug #1491555, my colleague Brian Paul suggested that in addition to forcing low gfx mode with UNITY_LOW_GFX_MODE = 1, it would also be helpful to force it out of low gfx mode with UNITY_LOW_GFX_MODE = 0.

This way if Unity ends up in low gfx mode unnecessarily due to a wrong renderer string match, e.g. LLVM in the current case, there is a quick workaround to get out of it while a fix works its way through the release process.

The patch (signed-off-by: Sinclair Yeh <email address hidden>) attached adds this capability.

====

[Impact]
Running unity with UNITY_LOW_GFX_MODE=0 doesn't force it to use normal mode (if set from CCSM or requested by hardware)

[Test Case]
1. In CCSM go in unityshell settings, tick the option "Enable Low Graphics Mode"
2. Launch 'unity' from a terminal and it should be now in low-graphics mode
3. Launch 'UNITY_LOW_GFX_MODE=0 unity' from a terminal and it should be now in normal mode

[Regression Potential]
None

[Andrea Azzarone (azzar1)]

Here [1] you can find the MP containing this patch.

[1] https://code.launchpad.net/~azzar1/unity/lp-1491913/+merge/270349

[Ubuntu Foundations Team Bug Bot (crichton)]

The attachment "low-gfx-override.patch" seems to be a patch. If it isn't, please remove the "patch" flag from the attachment, remove the "patch" tag, and if you are a member of the ~ubuntu-reviewers, unsubscribe the team.

[This is an automated message performed by a Launchpad user owned by ~brian-murray, for any issues please contact him.]

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package unity - 7.3.2+15.10.20150910.1-0ubuntu1

---------------
unity (7.3.2+15.10.20150910.1-0ubuntu1) wily; urgency=medium

  [ Andrea Azzarone <email address hidden> ]
  * Add unit tests for unity::lockscreen::DBusManager.
  * Add/Update tests for gnome session manager.
  * Do not allow shutdown when screen is locked. (LP: #1460626)
  * Make sure we update the maximized window when "show
    desktop"/"restore desktop". (LP: #1485559)
  * Merge patch from https://launchpadlibrarian.net/216192448/llvm-
    fix.patch (LP: #1491555)
  * Merge patch from https://launchpadlibrarian.net/216276242/low-gfx-
    override.patch (LP: #1491913)

  [ Andrea Azzarone <email address hidden> ]
  * Properly hide decorations when on "Show Desktop" mode. (LP:
    #1485073)

  [ Marco Trevisan (Treviño) ]
  * UnityScreen: force shell to be on top when there's a window
    fullscreen and we've a menu open. (LP: #591189)

 -- Marco Trevisan (Treviño) <[e-mail]> Thu, 10 Sep 2015 15:37:46 +0000

[Chris J Arges (arges)]

Hello Sinclair, or anyone else affected,

Accepted unity into trusty-proposed. The package will build now and be available at https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/unity/7.2.6+14.04.20151021-0ubuntu1 in a few hours, and then in the -proposed repository.

Please help us by testing this new package. See https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Testing/EnableProposed for documentation how to enable and use -proposed. Your feedback will aid us getting this update out to other Ubuntu users.

If this package fixes the bug for you, please add a comment to this bug, mentioning the version of the package you tested, and change the tag from verification-needed to verification-done. If it does not fix the bug for you, please add a comment stating that, and change the tag to verification-failed. In either case, details of your testing will help us make a better decision.

Further information regarding the verification process can be found at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/QATeam/PerformingSRUVerification . Thank you in advance!

[Sinclair Yeh (sinclair-yeh)]

Thanks! Verified on trusty-proposed. This fix works for me. However, I've noticed that on 14.04, Unity seems to start in low graphics mode again.

This fix has been released, right?

https://bugs.launchpad.net/unity/+bug/1491555

Maybe there's something wrong with my configuration. I'll poke around a bit more.

[Mathew Hodson (mathew-hodson)]

In that bug you linked it says that the bug was fixed in the package unity 7.3.2+15.10.20150910.1-0ubuntu1, which was released for Wily not Trusty.

[Sinclair Yeh (sinclair-yeh)]

Ah, you're right.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package unity - 7.2.6+14.04.20151021-0ubuntu1

---------------
unity (7.2.6+14.04.20151021-0ubuntu1) trusty; urgency=medium

  * New upstream release

  [ Andrea Azzarone ]
  * Merge patch from https://launchpadlibrarian.net/216276242/low-gfx-
    override.patch (LP: #1491913)
  * Properly hide decorations when on "Show Desktop" mode. (LP: #1485073)
  * Do not handle events coming from viewports not actually containing the window.
    (LP: #1449654)
  * Make sure new icons are added to the model before calling SortAndUpdate
    (LP: #1458950)
  * GnomeSessionManager: Do not allow shutdown when screen is locked. (LP: #1460626)
  * GnomeSessionManager: Do not allow shutdown when screen is locked.

  [ Chris Townsend ]
  * When looking for the top-most valid window in a VP, also check if the window
    is focused if the window is set to Always on Top. This allows Launcher icon
    spread to work properly when a window is minimized an Always on Top exists in
    the group. (LP: #1131385)
  * Wait on Spread to be terminated before showing the Quicklist. (LP: #1441626)
  * If dragging an application:// uri type from the Dash to the desktop, change it
    to a file:// uri type so Nautilus can understand the type a make a copy of it
    on the desktop. (LP: #1241972)
  * Enable real page up/page down key navigation in the Dash. When using these
    keys the view scrolls the length of the visible view. (LP: #913612)
  * Save the active window when showing the Hud so the correct window is focused
    when hiding the Hud. Fixes issue when "Always on Top" windows are present.
    (LP: #1366583)
  * Save the active window when showing the Dash so the correct window is focused
    when hiding the Dash. Fixes issue when "Always on Top" windows are present.
    (LP: #1446634)
  * When using keyboard navigation in the Dash, skip category headers that are not
    expandable. Also, do not highlight the category header when the mouse cursor
    is over it. (LP: #1045933)
  * Also use the Compiz show() method when forcing an unmapped window to be
    visible when clicking on it's active Launcher icon. (LP: #989588)
  * Add option to enable and disable Unity low graphics mode on the fly in ccsm or
    via gsettings. (LP: #1412937)
  * UScreen, PanelService: get monitor at position, ignoring pre-
    multipled Gdk scale factor (LP: #1351591)

  [ Marco Trevisan (Treviño) ]
  * ResultViewGrid: wait for double-click event only if the relative result needs
    the Preview (LP: #1291950)
  * OverlayWindowButtons: trigger a queuedraw also when a child requires a redraw
    (LP: #1461618)
  * GnomeSessionManager: Request ScreenSaver (de)activation on VT changes (LP:
    #1405349)
  * UScreen, PanelService: get monitor at position, ignoring pre-multipled Gdk
    scale factor (LP: #1351591)
  * UScreen, PanelService: get monitor at position, ignoring pre-
    multipled Gdk scale factor (LP: #1351591)

 -- Marco Trevisan (Treviño) <[e-mail]> Wed, 21 Oct 2015 15:54:44 +0000

[Chris J Arges (arges)]

The verification of the Stable Release Update for unity has completed successfully and the package has now been released to -updates. Subsequently, the Ubuntu Stable Release Updates Team is being unsubscribed and will not receive messages about this bug report. In the event that you encounter a regression using the package from -updates please report a new bug using ubuntu-bug and tag the bug report regression-update so we can easily find any regressions.