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S3 Graphics Responds About Linux Support

Posted by timothy on from the progress-is-progress dept.

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.)

8 of 114 comments (clear)

  1. I bet by jetsci · · Score: 5, Funny

    that this wouldn't fly with Windows. They always get top of the line drivers delivered promptly...

    /jealous

    --
    Bored at work? Play Game!
    1. Re:I bet by Darkness404 · · Score: 5, Informative

      They always get top of the line drivers delivered promptly...

      What version of Windows have you been using? Most Windows drivers are horrible! They require third-party apps to be run in order to use the hardware, frequently install "quick start" or other memory hog applications to be run always in the background, usually break when going from different Windows versions (and sometimes service packs), have little to no maintenance, are a pain to install, impossible to find without the CD or going to a site that seems suspicious, and more often than not are the cause of all Windows crashes.

      Sure, Windows has more third-party drivers than Linux, but Windows drivers are not quality, not at all.

      --
      Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
    2. Re:I bet by whoever57 · · Score: 4, Informative

      I have recently found that ATI doesn't support XP SP3 for their legacy hardware. Try to install it and it claims that there is no compatible hardware.

      --
      The real "Libtards" are the Libertarians!
    3. Re:I bet by GF678 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Sure, Windows has more third-party drivers than Linux, but Windows drivers are not quality, not at all.

      God I get really angry sometimes at comments like this. People assume that their own experiences are all that counts.

      My experiences:

      * My Intel X3100 (965GM) graphics chipset runs faster and supports OpenGL 2 in Windows instead of running far slower and only OpenGL 1.4 in Linux. So, it's faster and more capable. I can even do things like force aspect ration when running at a lower resolution, something I can't do with these drivers in Linux.

      * My old Canon inkjet printer provides more information in Windows. I can bring up a window showing the ink levels so I can have a rough estimate as to when I should go out to get more cartridges. I can also force a manual clean of the heads if necessary, something I cannot do with the generic drivers in Linux.

      * My Realtek HD audio audio chipset has a really dodgy volume ramp-up in Linux. From about 0% to 50% it is fairly steady, but quiet. From 50% onwards it seems to change the amount of volume that is increased per each percentage tick. It's not linear. Very annoying since I end up lacking the fine-grained volume control that I can get with the drivers in Windows. A change in a volume tick in Windows at the higher levels is subtle, but in Linux it's much more noticeable. Might not sound like a big issue but it is when the volume doesn't work like your brain thinks it should!

      * My webcam in Windows has additional controls such as horizontal mirroring of the image, automatic gain control, etc. I am not presented with such functions in Linux due to the primitive development of webcam drivers.

      So in short - if you ignore what DOESN'T work very well in Linux, well then no wonder a lot of people try it, find it lacking and go back to Windows. Things will never improve in ignorance.

  2. Re:AC Responds About Linux Support by Dunbal · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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.
  3. Sad by Darkness404 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    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.
  4. Re:who are these people? by SaDan · · Score: 5, Informative

    As an AC previously stated, motherboards with VIA's integrated video use the Chrome drivers.

    I bought an Everex laptop that uses Chrome9 drivers, and it doesn't do bad for what it is ($300 laptop running Ubuntu).

    My wife's PC is also an Everex system with a VIA integrated video using Chrome drivers. It's the $200 system Wal-Mart was selling a while ago.

    Why pay for a video card that costs half as much, or more, than the entire system? Video performance is acceptable for day-to-day use, even playing YouTube videos.

  5. Re:who are these people? by Average · · Score: 4, Interesting

    There's the evangelism perspective.

    Look, if you're like me, and been primarily Linux-using since the a.out days (see Slashdot ID), you'll check every component and buy based on "what works great with Linux", and even "who's directly advancing open-source software, not being buttheads".

    Problem is, I, and much of the Linux community, want to be able to give an Ubuntu LiveCD to my friend Joe who just recently heard about this 'Linux thing". And have it work.

    I don't want to say "so, what kind of video chipset did eMachines put in your Walmart box", "what network", "what sound".