ATI will open source their drivers

[FuturePilot]

http://enterpriselinuxlog.blogs.techtarget.com/2007/05/09/amd-will-deliver-open-graphics-drivers/
Will this convince Nvidia to follow? Maybe now we'll finally get open source Nvidia drivers.

[Sunflower1970]

Time will tell. But this is a great sign :)

[joe.turion64x2]

I don't care of NVIDIA or ATI drivers being open source or not whenever they work (and NVIDIA drivers have worked much better for me than ATI's). For Linux sake purposes I guess this is good news though.

[syxbit]

this could potentially change a lot of things in the linux world
I bought a laptop with an ATI card (prefer them in windows) before I started using linux.
when i made the switch, I had to sell that laptop and buy another one with an nVidia card.
it was a pain.
I just hope by making them open source they'll be good.
open source JUNK is no good (unless the community starts working on it)

[jrusso2]

I hope this means the drivers will improve. It sure didn't help the Intel video drivers. There has not been a new driver in ages and everyone has to try to make do with the old intel driver on linux

[maniacmusician]

already a thread about this http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=440767

And as I said in that thread,

Don't forget that nVidia still has better OpenGL rendering than ATI. I call BS on this right now. If these drivers ever get opened, which I highly doubt, it's still no secret that ATI focuses on DirectX features and gives OpenGL whatever attention is left over after that.

[igknighted]

I don't care of NVIDIA or ATI drivers being open source or not whenever they work (and NVIDIA drivers have worked much better for me than ATI's). For Linux sake purposes I guess this is good news though.

Well then in a way you DO care if they are open sourced, because open source drivers would be included OOTB with Ubuntu while closed drivers wouldn't. I think having the official drivers included would decrease graphics issues tremendously.

[joe.turion64x2]

Well then in a way you DO care if they are open sourced, because open source drivers would be included OOTB with Ubuntu while closed drivers wouldn't. I think having the official drivers included would decrease graphics issues tremendously.
I have never experienced problems neither in Ubuntu, nor in any other Linux distro with my NVIDIA card. in fact even live cds are perfectly loaded (I mean 3D acceleration).

On the contrary it is always a pain to configure Beryl in my laptop with ATI card, and the most I can get is XGL.

Joe.

[a12ctic]

already a thread about this http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=440767

And as I said in that thread,

Not true any more....

http://img.hexus.net/v2/graphics_cards/amd/HD2900XT/Q425.png

the 2900XT is priced like the 8800GTS 640mb, and beats it out pretty bad in a popular opengl title, and more driver optimization will show how much this card can really do.

[WalmartSniperLX]

History repeats itself over and over for many things, especially ati and nvidia. I hope opensource drivers will fix it. Because, usually it goes like this:

Nvidia releases a gpu lineup first. Then, ati follows. At the beginning nvidia has fairly good drivers that give good performance with their products. Ati, however, has crappy drivers.

Then after a few months and/or updates the drivers are better for both companies. But, nvidia now has REALLY GOOD drivers and Ati's are just getting good.

Finally near the end of the life-term of the current gpu lineup (while the next gen is getting preped for launch) Ati catches up with beast like drivers that PWN putting Ati in first place with 3D performance (my statement personally researched and evaluated in Windows and for DX games only :( ) ..........

..... buuut sad to say at this point there is only a few month wait until nvidia launches the next gen gpus and the cycle repeats :D :lolflag:



You have to admit that is fairly true :) .. well except in linux the drivers suck all the time (minus their small improvements)

[a12ctic]

Now that AMD owns ATI I doubt this will continue.

[joe.turion64x2]

Now that AMD owns ATI I doubt this will continue.
I agree with you, the situation is going to improve. Personally I don't mind one chip (or line of) being faster in benchmarks than others, I do mind however if the chip has good support (drivers) under Linux.

Joe.