• Registered: 2009-10-09
  • Posts: 429

Topic: plymouth and white flash

I'm starting to *really* like the pulsating logo big_smile, but at the transition between plymouth and the gdm login screen there's a really bright white flash (entire screen, I think) right before the login box appears and I find it a bit disorienting. I'm wondering if this is by design and everyone sees it or if there's a glitch with my particular setup (ATI 9600 using the radeon driver). If it's by design is that tweakable on the user end? If it's not part of the boot and I'm the only one seeing it I can start a new thread in help and support.

  • From: The Chatsubo
  • Registered: 2010-04-03
  • Posts: 1,056

Re: plymouth and white flash

chillicampari wrote:

I'm starting to *really* like the pulsating logo big_smile, but at the transition between plymouth and the gdm login screen there's a really bright white flash (entire screen, I think) right before the login box appears and I find it a bit disorienting. I'm wondering if this is by design and everyone sees it or if there's a glitch with my particular setup (ATI 9600 using the radeon driver). If it's by design is that tweakable on the user end? If it's not part of the boot and I'm the only one seeing it I can start a new thread in help and support.

I just rebooted to check this and I'm having the same problem. Mine actually flashes before and after the pulsing logo (just to one-up you a little ;p ). Coincidentally, I have the same video card as you, but mine's in a laptop (it's the Radeon 9600m), so maybe this is a driver issue? I haven't installed any extra drivers, so I'm using whatever #! picked on install.

"Stranger, if you passing meet me and desire to speak to me, why should you not speak to me? And why should I not speak to you?" Walt Whitman, 'To You'.
  • Registered: 2009-10-09
  • Posts: 429

Re: plymouth and white flash

safetycopy wrote:

I just rebooted to check this and I'm having the same problem. Mine actually flashes before and after the pulsing logo (just to one-up you a little ;p ).

Bonus flash = +50 points and a power up!!! big_smile (thanks for rebooting to check)

Coincidentally, I have the same video card as you, but mine's in a laptop (it's the Radeon 9600m), so maybe this is a driver issue? I haven't installed any extra drivers, so I'm using whatever #! picked on install.

Yep, might be that, then.  Is anyone with other than ATI cards using the default driver seeing this? There's also still the chance that this could be part of the plymouth sequence. If it's not could a kindly mod split this part of the conversation to a support topic pretty please? big_smile

Last edited by chillicampari (2011-01-04 01:58:16)

  • From: California, USA
  • Registered: 2008-11-29
  • Posts: 8,647

Re: plymouth and white flash

^ Done smile

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  • Registered: 2009-10-09
  • Posts: 429

Re: plymouth and white flash

Thanks Anonymous!!! big_smile

  • pvsage
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  • Registered: 2009-10-18
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Re: plymouth and white flash

I also see a flash between Plymouth and GDM.  Dell Mini 9 netbook with Diamondville CPU and Connestoga chipset, but apparently that doesn't make a difference in this case.

while ( ! ( succeed = try() ) );
  • Registered: 2010-03-26
  • Posts: 237

Re: plymouth and white flash

I don't see a white flash but I do get something quite odd in my top left corner moments before the plymouth splash starts. It is only there for a few miliseconds, so excuse this poor photo:
http://i879.photobucket.com/albums/ab352/cchhrriiss121212/DSCN2168.jpg?t=1294145911

Is he meditating, or... what?

This might be related, I am using the Nvidia proprietary drivers 260.19.29 with a 9600GT.

@pvsage, this is the liquorix kernel

Last edited by cchhrriiss121212 (2011-01-04 15:14:55)

  • pvsage
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Re: plymouth and white flash

^ Is this with the Nvidia kernel, Liquorix, or the default Debian kernel?

That is intriguing...Tux as a mendicant monk...

while ( ! ( succeed = try() ) );
  • Registered: 2009-11-03
  • Posts: 2,002

Re: plymouth and white flash

I think that's Zen Tux ... seen him when I ran the Zen kernel, so it's probably Liquorix related.

Point & Squirt
  • pvsage
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Re: plymouth and white flash

^ Good catch!
http://zen-kernel.org/tutorials/distrib … stallation

while ( ! ( succeed = try() ) );
  • Registered: 2009-10-09
  • Posts: 429

Re: plymouth and white flash

cchhrriiss121212, looks like you've got a neat Easter Egg! lol

I did some reading and poking around and watched more videos of the plymouth boot-up sequence on YouTube that I had ever planned to in my life tongue and I'm getting the feeling this is part of the effect (or maybe still something wonky in the hand-off to gdm). Most of them seem to have a "Hand of God" style big finish transitional piece which makes sense with what's written here: http://blogs.gnome.org/halfline/2009/11 … ransition/

But I'm not sure we still see what's intended and it's not something we can screencap or photograph easily so I'm just gonna ask corenominal at this point if he's reading this thread what we're supposed to be seeing. big_smile

  • From: Lincoln, UK
  • Registered: 2008-11-20
  • Posts: 4,426

Re: plymouth and white flash

^ I am reading. big_smile

FWIW, I see the flash too, although I had not really noticed it until I read this topic. I will investigate.

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  • Registered: 2009-10-09
  • Posts: 429

Re: plymouth and white flash

Thanks! big_smile

  • From: Pittsburgh, PA, USA
  • Registered: 2009-02-07
  • Posts: 62

Re: plymouth and white flash

Different observation- nvidia 8600gs. I had the pulsing logo until I upgraded nouveau driver to nvidia current proprietary. Now I get a grey graduated moving bar near bottom of screen. Will try changing screen resolution in etc/default/grub and see if that does anything. Unless you all think this may be from a recent dist-upgrade?

Last edited by pghjake (2011-01-05 10:03:31)

  • Registered: 2010-03-26
  • Posts: 237

Re: plymouth and white flash

cchhrriiss121212, looks like you've got a neat Easter Egg! lol

Yeah I am growing accustomed to the little guy now.

Regarding the flash I don't think it is an intended effect for these reasons:
The goal of Plymouth was to be as smooth as possible
I don't see it on my machine
The only thing google brings up for this issue is this thread

Unless you all think this may be from a recent dist-upgrade?

This is the same image I had, so changing the resolution should do the trick.

  • Registered: 2009-10-09
  • Posts: 429

Re: plymouth and white flash

^Yep, it very well might not be. The reason I was thinking towards effect (or side-effect of an effect to be more specific) was seeing a trend in the transition part of the sequence of a brightening "here it is!" at the apex moment. It's hard to explain but it shows up in a lot of the vids on youtube) and there is a smooth transitional element included in the design as a crossfade to gdm (well, the *idea* of smooth transition, anyway smile) I think it's actually hard to tell without seeing it fully (in general) how each other's displays look, your photo is neat in that it shows exactly what you see at that moment (I'm actually sort of jealous that you've got bonus sleepy looking penguins big_smile).

  • From: California, USA
  • Registered: 2008-11-29
  • Posts: 8,647

Re: plymouth and white flash

@pghjake:

http://crunchbanglinux.org/forums/topic … cs-driver/

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  • From: 127.0.0.1
  • Registered: 2010-07-02
  • Posts: 1,266

Re: plymouth and white flash

I was having all kinds of problems with my screen just flashing white at random and even turning white for extended periods of time. After I disabled plymouth the problem went away completely. Strange, it seems the splash screen was preventing my display driver from loading correctly (intel mobile 4).