How should I have found this?

[olembe]

I've been using Kubuntu for about 8 months, and have learnt a lot in the process - thanks to all the great people here who have shared their knowledge!

Today I stumbled (somehow - I can't remember how now!) across information about using UXA accelleration in xorg.conf, here: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/X/UxaTesting. I tried it out on my Thinkpad and it's really helped speed up my graphics. Woo!

But here's the question - how was I supposed to find that? This change was verging on being essential, but how was I supposed to find it? Are there places I can monitor to get advice on really quite essential mods like this (without reading hundreds of forum messages!)? I'd like to know for myself, and so I can recommend it to other people who want to try Linux.

(I really hope this doesn't sound like I'm complaining, and saying 'Why isn't everything really obvious with Linux?'. I'm just amazed that a simple modification, which has transformed my computer's graphics, wasn't something I found ages ago and am wondering if there's some sort of mechanism for learning about these things which I've managed to miss)

[The Liquidator]

Re: How should I have found this?

I think the reason is, as stated within the page to which you refer, because it is not sufficiently stable at the present time.

The current status re the jaunty intel drivers is not satisfactory I know, as performance isn't up to scratch, but normal users (if there is such a concept) are far less likely to crash and burn with the supplied drivers than they are with using the fix posted there, so at the moment they really only want it used by people who know how to come back from a black screen

There are other fixes as well. Some have advocated going back to the intel driver that came with intrepid (not that I was too impressed with that either) but by far the most comprehensive help I have seen on the subject is this one that is a sticky on the multimedia and video forum.

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1130582