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S3 Graphics Responds About Linux Support
V!NCENT writes "Phoronix has an update on S3's Linux driver state: 'We are doing an internal build of the Chrome 500 Linux driver to incorporate some of the additional hardware features and upgrades (over the Chrome 400 Series GPUs). If you want to test the Linux now, the Chrome 400 Series drivers also support the Chrome 500 Series since it is a unified driver architecture.'" (This after the beef that Phoronix raised about S3's failure to deliver on promises of better Linux support for the 500 series.)
that this wouldn't fly with Windows. They always get top of the line drivers delivered promptly...
/jealous
Bored at work? Play Game!
Who the heck are these people using S3 cards nowadays? Why aren't they buying low-end (sub-$80) nvidia or ATI cards?
You get practically the same performance (although 3D performance is far and away better on comparable nVidia/ATI cards) for the same price, the same small heatsink/fan, and better driver support.
Is there a populous of severely brain damaged geeks out there that I don't know about? If so, are any of you female, because I've been feeling lonely lately.
It is common for companies to issue 'forward looking' statements and clueless positive outlook synergestic lies. Usually by marketing, sales and PR, they totally ignore the engineers, developers or any other employee that may actually know what the fuck they are talking about, and quite often sneer at them for 'not getting it'.
It is a syndrome that is quite common - a scientist says something like 'global warming is a problem'. Put a guy in a suit, call him a CEO or a politician, and his 'I'm confident . . .' bullshit will win almost every time.
So I simply refuse to believe ANY STATEMENT by these guys - they have ZERO credibility left.
as Bruce Perens famously said at Linux SF Con 2006, Linux is only free if your time has no value
Three years is a long time in computing years. Too bad you're missing out on everything linux has to offer nowadays. Enjoy your vendor lock-in, and don't forget, Microsoft wants you to pay the tax again in a year or so.
Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
These days, its sad if a hardware manufacturer doesn't support Linux. There are plenty of people literally begging for the specs of hardware so they can write clean, proper and free Linux drivers. If you are going to make low-end hardware as S3 does, you better make sure that Linux compatibility is one of the first things on you list.
Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
...just so people know...the linux driver available for download is at least 3 months old.
Chrome 400 Series: Linux Display Driver - x86
File Name
S3G-Linux-x86-Chrome4x.14.02.01.tar.bz2 (11,334KB)
Version Version: 14.02.01
Date: 11/19/2008
Description Release Type: Beta
- Initial release
GPU IDs: 9043, 9045
http://linux.via.com.tw/
Get your latest Linux drivers there. I went there to get better drivers for the two VIA systems I own that rely on Chrome drivers, and the newer drivers worked great.
S3's product site is here: http://www.s3graphics.com/en/products/
Because no-one ever had to re-install Windows.
My time isn't free, people *pay* me quite a lot of money to maintain their Linux systems.
There are places where the networks are not touching,and there are places where they are-Boeing's Lori Gunter
I work in IT (the dreaded Helpdesk job) and I have made a lot of money supporting Windows systems since Windows 95.
as Bruce Perens famously said at Linux SF Con 2006, Linux is only free if your time has no value
Three years is a long time in computing years. Too bad you're missing out on everything linux has to offer nowadays.
Yes, I know he's trolling but you're not really countering his point. In the context that Bruce Perens used it, Linux isn't free nor will it ever be. Neither is paying for Windows. Neither is pirating Windows. Every hour spent on maintaining or fixing your machine, or any time wasted because you're less efficient in one OS than in another OS, or every time you must use an inferior application to one you could have been using you're losing value. It's fundamental opprtunity cost even if I'm not paid for that hour, where I could say work an hour less and still have the same net amount of personal time left. It's not just the question "Does Linux do everything I want?" but also "Is Linux more efficient at doing what I want?" or at least not worse than the price of Windows + apps. I'm using the desktop now and while I can say that it works out quite well, I'm not sure I can say it's a big win on TCO.
Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
Every hour spent on maintaining or fixing your machine, or any time wasted because you're less efficient in one OS than in another OS
So, what you're saying is that Linux PAYS me to use it, since I'm far more efficient with it than with another OS.
Linux isn't free, it's BETTER than free!
Note to ACs: I usually delete AC replies without reading them. If you want to talk to me, log in.
So obviously both Linux and Windows have a time cost.
Although there still is only one that has an up-front money cost.
You could argue that the time freed by completing the tasks you desire more efficiently in Linux allows you to perform more paid work, but claiming that therefore means Linux is paying you to use it is entirely deceptive and doesn't really advance the argument for Linux further as much as it causes people to gawk at the perceived intelligence of its vocal users. I'm quite sure anyone running around saying Windows pays them to use it because Photoshop is more efficient for them to use than Gimp would be smacked down with logic quite quickly, even if it provides them with additional time to complete additional paid work the OS isn't actually paying them.
No doubt I just got trolled, but I think if people try using this sort of argument to convince people to use Linux they're simply going to make themselves look deceptive rather than helpful.