AMD's New Card Supports Linux From the Get-Go 352
Michael writes "Back in September AMD had announced a new ATI Linux driver as well as opening up their GPU specifications, and today they have taken an additional step to better support the Linux OS. With the just-announced Radeon HD 4850 RV770 they have provided same-day Linux support, and the Linux driver is now shipping alongside the Windows driver on their product CDs. In addition, they are encouraging their AIB partners to showcase Tux on the product packaging as a sign of Linux support. Last but certainly not least, AMD is committed from top-to-bottom product support on Linux and they will be introducing high-end features in their Linux driver such as MultiGPU CrossFire technology. Phoronix has a run-down on AMD's evolutionary leap in Linux support along with information on the open-source support for the RV770 GPU."
linux games (Score:4, Insightful)
Demand? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Demand? (Score:3, Insightful)
But is this open? (Score:1, Insightful)
Right now I would settle for a driver that works on recent kernels since one of those improvements mean much to me if I can't actually install them.
I used to be a huge ATI fan but I've completely stopped buying their stuff. If they can't be bothered to make working drivers or have useful support answers. I can't be bothered to shell out money for something that's just going into the garbage bin anyways.
Re:losing strategy (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:But.... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:linux games (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:losing strategy (Score:5, Insightful)
Gaming is HUGE, Linux is gaining every day, as far as I see it they can't go wrong here, because its not like its Linux only, it still supports Windows, they probably hired one or 2 people to code the Linux drivers... so what, no real loss there, and if they created their own little open-source driver thing it would be no loss at all really, and I think its fairly safe to say that Linux isn't going anywhere, and will be increasing the market share consistently for years to come...
They are creating the demand (in part) now we just have to wait for the supply (the game devs)...
Re:nVidia, where art thou? (Score:3, Insightful)
It might help their Windows drivers (Score:5, Insightful)
People debugging their Linux rivers will often also be helping to debug their Windows drivers too!
Hw vendors should really use OSS more to help them get more eyeballs on the code.
i heart this (Score:5, Insightful)
Until... The proprietary nvidia driver decided its automatic screen mode (res and refresh rate) was best, and ignored any attempt to add a modeline to xorg.conf. I had to (gasp) look at the back of my monitor and add the v and h frequencies myself. Sadly the nvidia driver simply ignores my monitors EDID.
I've been a long long proponent of "if it works" proprietary drivers in the kernel, such as nvidia's, providing they are robust and either equally or a more significantly more beneficial component to the system than others more important. But that was back when I accepted the fact there was an amount of tinkering to be done, or there was an amount of work to be done to glue things together. As the linux "system" becomes better at handling things automatically, the flaws in proprietary drivers are becoming less forgiveable because they are a bottleneck. When proprietary pieces of technology can't be glued together because they're at fault, I begin see the issues. In my case the nvidia driver finally became a more significant hindrance to my system, than a graphically accelerated benefit when correctly configured.
It's finally the time to say the bottleneck in Linux on the desktop is edging towards drivers, so very slowly.
Matt
It isn't just games (Score:5, Insightful)
For me, compiz fusion has become really useful. My widescreen notebook has limited vertical screen real estate, so the ability to get rid of the bottom bar and use window scaling to find running apps is great. The ability to fade windows and look underneath them is also great. Up until recently, I have bought nVidia, because while the drivers are non free blobs, they have tended to just work. Now that's changing and this additional step in promoting Linux support means that the next graphics I buy will ATI.
I don't really play games except occasionally and the games that are available for Linux are more than enough. It's the advertised support for desktop effects and apps like blender that has me sold, but maybe the fact that they are pushing for Tux to be included on the box means that the mindshare has increased to the point where more games will follow.
Re:nVidia, where art thou? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:nVidia, where art thou? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:linux games (Score:5, Insightful)
In fact, Linux support is my #1 deciding factor in deciding on a laptop or video card. Like a lot of others I dual-boot, XP for gaming, Ubuntu for all else. Since nvidia & ATI are nearly equal, dollar for dollar, for gaming then Compiz support becomes the default deciding factor.
ATI supporting Linux opens up a whole world of, for instance, new laptop choices. The cheap embedded GPUs in the laptops will run Compiz without sweating.
AMD sees the writing on the wall (Score:5, Insightful)
AMD wants in on that stuff.
too little too late (Score:2, Insightful)
After spending two years battling fglrx for basic features like compositing and suspend-to-ram I've already moved on and committed to never purchasing another ATI product again. Have they even fixed suspend-to-ram in the pathetic fglrx blob yet? I wouldn't say ATI's products "support" linux until I can suspend-to-ram 100 times in a row without one flaw.
Can you tell that I'm bitter?
Re:It might help their Windows drivers (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:It isn't just games (Score:2, Insightful)
If you really care about open source (Score:5, Insightful)
AMD is without equal in the x86 space right now in terms of openness. They release specs, and they write and release code. All the Family 10 support in coreboot (a.k.a. Linuxbios) was written by AMD employees. We saw this open approach earlier with the K8, then Hypertransport, then the Geode CPUs used in the One Laptop Per Child, now we see the same trend in graphics. AMD is on a roll right now with openness.
I just, yesterday, downloaded the "BIOS programmers guide" for the AMD FAM10. This is the kind of information that few vendors release.
If you care about having this kind of access to hardware specs, you need to vote -- with your purchasing $$$. AMD has taken a huge gamble on openness. Keep that in mind next time you need a machine.
Ron Minnich (who forgot his password)
Re:It might help their Windows drivers (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:losing strategy (Score:4, Insightful)
Other notables... Nvidia has had a lock on the Linux market for years because of their support. The WRT line with Linux support made that router long outlive its normal market time.
Is that enough for you? No? Then take away the silly consumer sector requirement and I'll add fifty more.
Finally, there's no way to "partner" with Linux. Either you support it (at some level) or you don't. Who would you partner with?
Re:too little too late (Score:2, Insightful)
(nvidia's binary blob interface does NOT count)
Re:linux games (Score:5, Insightful)
Nexuiz is better than quite a few FPS's I've played and i didn't even have to pay for it.
I also have Prey, Guild Wars, Starcraft, Grand Theft Auto 2, Diablo 2, Age of Wonders and all the games on my steam account installed.
Some of them might be older but they are still damn fun. Besides the only way to get games on Linux is to have a demand for them. As someone with a single OS I'm helping to creating that demand.
Re:It might help their Windows drivers (Score:4, Insightful)
How many video cards do MPEG decoding? Did you think that service was free? There is a lot of IP in most video cards, and all of that IP is either owned by nVidia or AMD/ATI, or by someone else. AMD/ATI or nVidia could surely give their own IP away (be silly to, but sure) but they can't legally break an NDA companywide.
Re:But.... (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:It might help their Windows drivers (Score:3, Insightful)
Sure, but they're both in a very good position to negotiate whatever contract terms they desire.
Re:It might help their Windows drivers (Score:3, Insightful)
Since when was the MPEG decoding algorithm a secret?
Re:losing strategy (Score:3, Insightful)
Add Cisco to this list, and HP, and Dell, and IBM.
Did you forget that you're pitiful desktop measures in portions of a server? Do you know how many desktops they have to sell to match one large server (8U or better?) I mean honestly. And they have a lot more to gain from being a RHEL or whatever partner.
Re:It might help their Windows drivers (Score:5, Insightful)
Since it was convenient to use that as a reason not to open-source the drivers.
Re:i heart this (Score:3, Insightful)
Modem drivers when I was dual booting mandrake and win 98.
ATI drivers when I was dual booting SuSE and Win XP.
A combination of WiFi drivers and some lingering video driver problems now that I'm triple booting Ubuntu, XP, and Vista.
Virtualization, Wine, and the fact that a lot of great software has been developed on and ported to Linux has eliminated most of the other small problems.