Linux Chrome hardware acceleration a 'no-go', say Google
Posted: Sun 07 Oct 2018, 21:52
Evening, all.
Just a tidbit of information I thought some of you might be interested in.
For anyone who's ever tried to get the new, web-based version of Google Earth running in Chrome, followed all the publicly-available tips/tricks/tweaks, and STILL ended up with:-
'Sorry, your browser doesn't support WebGL...' (which is the one component necessary for it to work, 'cos that's what this has been built round)
.....then here is the reason why.
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2018/10/har ... rome-linux
WebGL is required. Hardware acceleration needs to be switched on.....and your graphics card/chip/discrete GPU/whatever, needs to support WebGL (equivalent to certain features available in the current Windows DX11/12).
Google are citing the hotch-potch state of GPU drivers under Linux, and the vast number of different hardware/distro/kernel/proprietary driver combinations to be found on this side of the fence, as the main reason why they point-blank refuse to support this feature for the Linux version of Chrome.
They put the browser's overall stability first & foremost. You can go into Settings, enable 'Hardware acceleration', check under 'chrome://gpu', and find it says that it's enabled.....but for us, the 'switches' don't actually do anything.
Apparently, it's possible to get a 'patch' installed to enable this feature for Nvidia cards.....but only if you take the time required to compile & install an experimental, unstable version of Chromium itself. And even then there's no guarantees.....
So; no 'new' Google-Earth on t' web if you run Linux. It almost goes without saying that this feature is fully supported for Windows/Mac users, doesn't it?
(*sheesh*)
Mike.
Just a tidbit of information I thought some of you might be interested in.
For anyone who's ever tried to get the new, web-based version of Google Earth running in Chrome, followed all the publicly-available tips/tricks/tweaks, and STILL ended up with:-
'Sorry, your browser doesn't support WebGL...' (which is the one component necessary for it to work, 'cos that's what this has been built round)
.....then here is the reason why.
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2018/10/har ... rome-linux
WebGL is required. Hardware acceleration needs to be switched on.....and your graphics card/chip/discrete GPU/whatever, needs to support WebGL (equivalent to certain features available in the current Windows DX11/12).
Google are citing the hotch-potch state of GPU drivers under Linux, and the vast number of different hardware/distro/kernel/proprietary driver combinations to be found on this side of the fence, as the main reason why they point-blank refuse to support this feature for the Linux version of Chrome.
They put the browser's overall stability first & foremost. You can go into Settings, enable 'Hardware acceleration', check under 'chrome://gpu', and find it says that it's enabled.....but for us, the 'switches' don't actually do anything.
Apparently, it's possible to get a 'patch' installed to enable this feature for Nvidia cards.....but only if you take the time required to compile & install an experimental, unstable version of Chromium itself. And even then there's no guarantees.....
So; no 'new' Google-Earth on t' web if you run Linux. It almost goes without saying that this feature is fully supported for Windows/Mac users, doesn't it?
(*sheesh*)
Mike.