video card for amd64

[Mike Meyer]

In <20061017213931.bbcd701a.torfinn.ingolfsen at broadpark.no>, Torfinn Ingolfsen <torfinn.ingolfsen at broadpark.no> typed:
> On Tue, 17 Oct 2006 14:55:37 -0400
> Mike Meyer <mwm at mired.org> wrote:
> > ATI, unlike NVidia, supports open source OS's properly, by releasing
> > docs and/or driver source for their cards.
> 
> This is only true for a specific subset of ATI cards. The whole
> X1000-series (X1300, X1400 and X1600 at least) does not work *at* *all*
> with any open source ati driver, only with the vesa driver. according
> to the developers, this is because ATI refuses to release all necessary
> information to get these cards working with the open source driver.
> And with the vesa driver you might not get all features (example: a
> laptop with X1400 and 1280x800 display will only work in 1024x768 with
> vesa). And of course, the ATI proprietary driver only works under Linux.
> So much for the "ATI is better than nVidia in supporting open source"
> argument.

"Better" is a judgement call, and doesn't imply "good". I'd say ATI is
better than nVidia, because ATI provides information for at least some
of their cards, so you can get open source drivers for them that work
well. As far as I know, there are no open source drivers for any
nVidia card that work well - all of them seem to be at the "use the
VESA driver and pray" level you get with some of the ATI cards. It may
be that ATI is moving towards stopping support for open source
systems. That would be a shame.

Whether releasing closed-source drivers for a handful of open-source
platforms qualifies as "supporting open source" is another
question. Clearly they're supporting the platform, but that's not
necessarily the same thing.

	<mike
-- 
Mike Meyer <mwm at mired.org>		http://www.mired.org/consulting.html
Independent Network/Unix/Perforce consultant, email for more information.