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ATI Releases Drivers for XFree 4.3.0
Kyouryuu writes "ATI has finally released official drivers for XFree 4.3.0 and updated their Linux drivers to 3.7.0 for supported XFree versions, several months after the originally proposed release date of April last year. Although Schneider Digital has previously made available unofficial drivers, Linux users who have ATI Radeon cards can now benefit from an official release. Unfortunately, ATI still insists on using RPM exclusively and keeping the drivers closed source."
from the readme:
Some notes for debian users:
The debian Linux distribution in most cases does not come with the
ability to handle rpm packages with the rpm tool. But there is a
tool called "alien" which allows you to convert rpm files into the
debian supported *.deb package format. Please consult your debian
documentation on how to operate this tool.
A typcial debian installation commandline will look like this:
dpkg -i <ati_package_name>.deb
In order to override complaints (which might be caused by an already
installed package "xlibmesa3" that also provides the file libGL.so.1.2)
please use this installation command line:
dpkg -i --force-overwrite <ati_package_name>.deb
Hopefully this helps!
There is always rpm2tgz
Setec Astronomy
1. ATI has offered drivers since last year.
2. the RPM has nothing to do with being closed source. It has a binary "IP" library that gets linked in when you compile it... if you want to install on a non-rpm system use alien or some other method of unrpming it, then compile and install. Yes, it's still closed source, but rpm the reason for this.
What I'm upset about is that they have all the hooks for 64bit amd support in the wrapper code, but the binary IP driver is not released for x86_64.
> So what if the drivers are closed source?
No porting to ppc. No fixing minor bugs if they come up. No customizing the drivers to a particular application. No tinkering. No learning.
> ATI cant and wont expose the low level details of their hardware's functionality to competitors.
They can but they won't. Their competitors have competent engineers that can reverse engineer the stuff if needed. It's all in software anyway.
> Whats the difference anyway?
see above.
> It is naive to think that you could even understand, let alone improve, what the engineers - who know the hardware intimately - have written?
I think you are naive. There are plenty of smart people that do alot of linux work. Surely they know linux better than ATI, and thus they may be able to improve the drivers since it's not just the hardware that these drivers are specific too. Also they may be able to port the drivers to PPC or BSD.
> And by the way, Nvidia does not publish its source either...
What's your point? It would be better if they did.
It has been statistically shown that helmets increase the risk of head injury.
Portage downloads the rpm, pulls the content out and puts the pieces where they need to go.
Douglas P. Price
I checked out the site and cannot find anything regarding AMD64 support. Is it there?
- Quitcherbitchin. Gentoo can use RPMs just fine
... install RPM. Or is that too hard for an 3L337 63|\|700 |-|4x0r?
- They link against glibc 2.2, so it works great with either 2.2 or 2.3 installations. I'm running it on a 2.3.2 system right now. This could become an issue
... but it is not at this time.
- Then you should, at this time, get a damn NVIDIA card. This does suck a bit, and is a perfect example of where having competition is a good thing. OTOH, you could also use a 9100 or earlier Radeon and use the open-source drivers, or do withought 3D acceleration. You have options.
Sheesh. No one is holding a gun to your head saying "Buy an ATI video card or die!". If you don't like 'em, don't buy 'em.Would it be better if both ATI and NVIDIA released their X servers as open-source? Hell yeah! OTOH, it is a very good thing that they are supporting Linux with current cards. The rest, we can work on with time.
They have had support for 4.1, 4.2, and 4.3 for the last six to eight months at least.
If you read the README these are all "officially unsuopported"
Unfortunately, ATI still insists on using RPM exclusively...
Again, if anybody cared to read their instructions, there are specific details on how to get these RPM's converted to debs via alien.
The only real news concerning ATI and Linux drivers isn't even mentioned here. I wonder how this passed as news, since these unofficial drivers have been out for the longest.
The real news is that ATI released 3.7.1 on the fourth. There was only one sentence in the changlelog: "Support added for the Radeon 9800XT"
Of course this, and the fact that that the new driver trashed alot of X servers, sent the Rage3d crown into a flame frenzy. ATI promised linux driver updates every two months, and after waiting and waiting (with numerous issued datailed here)
they added one ChipID for the 9800XT which results in some unstable X servers for people who don;t even have 9800XTs?
As a result the 3.7.1 drivers were pulled several hours after being released with no explanation given.
I'm happy they are making an effort, but their enthusiasm seems misguided at best. After declaring that they re writing the ATI drivers from scratch (as oppesed from upgrading the Schneider drivers) they rename them from 3.2 to 3.7? What? Shoudn't the rewritten drivers from scratch be labeled a alpha or beta release at best?
I currently have two radeon cards, and have gone back using the open source Xfree 2d driver and dual booting into windows for playing games until this mess gets sorted out.