A running description of activity related to DragonFly BSD.
Remember my post about a new upgrade script? tse, the author, has happily added in a bunch of suggestions. I’m intermittently traveling and can’t do anything to test it for days yet – but I’d love to see others try it out.
The bugs issue tracking versions is here: #3197. Can you, dear reader, try it out? Do an in-place upgrade on your version, or even a test install with a VM? I want to see what happens in the wild.
Sepherosa Ziehau has an update for em(4)/igb(4) network cards, for you to test if you have the matching hardware. It looks like this is an update from the vendor, Intel, going by the version numbers.
If you are running DragonFly in a virtual environment, ‘ddegroot’ has put together a virtio_balloon driver for handling memory usage. (An explanation of the term) Try it if you can; he wants testers.
Mixed in with the other documentation on the DragonFly website is a “how to build a release” explanation. I use it every time there’s a new DragonFly version. If you were wanting to build a DragonFly ISO/IMG with changes or different preinstalled dports, I’ve added some notes about what’s relevant for non-release building.
We used to have “GUI” releases of DragonFly which were based on the nrelease process installing pkgsrc packages and adding some configuration files. It doesn’t happen now mostly because nobody has had the time to reconfigure for dports; if you were looking for a project this weekend, may I suggest…?
I’m far enough backlogged that Sepherosa Ziehau’s igb(4) update is already in, but as a side effect, a PC Engines apu2b4 is a good DragonFly machine.
However, if you have em(4), here’s your chance to help test.
The DragonFly Go builder needs a new maintainer, and an update to a newer builder. Are there any people out there interested in Go who want to do the work? I do not have time.
Are you on DragonFly-master? Are you using a Realtek network device? Sepherosa Ziehau has an update he would like you to test.
There’s a new version of re(4), the driver for Realtek network cards. Sepherosa Ziehau put it together for testing. He has it on a separate branch, so give it a try if you have appropriate hardware. This will hopefully fix some of that hardware’s quirkiness.
karu.pruun has been trying to get a Macbook’s hybrid graphics card to work in DragonFly. He’s been working on a gmux driver, but it needs a framework like Linux’s switcheroo. If this topic interests you, help him out.
The’Errata 793‘ issue is apparently a bug where an AMD CPU can hang under very specific circumstances. Sepherosa Ziehau has a fix – please try it if you have the appropriate hardware.
This is a specialized use case, but Mono 4.x has some issues on DragonFly. Some minor testing has been done, but if you are already using it, please contribute.
Not older people that use DragonFly, but people of any age using an older release of DragonFly: Bezitopo is Pierre Abbat’s topographical program, and he needs testers on versions 4.4 of DragonFly or before. Please give his open-source program a run if you are on the appropriate versions. Trying other BSDs, even though not requested, can’t hurt.
Sepherosa Ziehau has a new version of drivers for em/emx(4) and igb(4). The initial versions had trouble, but testing is ongoing. Try it if you have the correct hardware.
Update: never mind.
This week just sorta blew up with the links.
Your unrelated comics link of the week: Wonderella, a consistently funny superhero parody. As an added bonus, the author apparently can’t stop making (non-comic) one-liner jokes, so he stuffs them all in his Twitter feed instead of the usual case of Twitter as promotional tool.
If you are using a DragonFly system with accelerated video, and you have noticed that you can’t return to a text console after exiting xorg – Sascha Wildner/Imre Vadasz have a branch for you to try. Please do so if you have time and are on master; this is the last big item to fix before the next release.
If you’re running DragonFly-master and you have an Intel video chipset, Francois Tigeot has an update for you. It brings accelerated Intel video up to match the Linux 3.14 version, adds Broadwell chipset support, and should generally improve performance. He lists how to test right in the message.
Francois Tigeot has a new update to the drm/i915 driver for testing. It matches, feature-wise, what’s in Linux 3.12. Try it if you’ve got the hardware. (and dragonfly-master)
Francois Tigeot has updated the drm/i915 code again, matching Linux 3.10 for feature level… but it’s a big update. If you are
… He could use your testing and feedback.