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Intel Publishes Its First Modern Windows Driver for PCs (pcworld.com)

Posted by msmash on from the moving-forward dept.

Intel has published its first Modern Windows Driver for several of its modern integrated GPUs, representing a new way for graphics drivers to be pushed to your PC -- and something to keep an eye on until the new driver infrastructure settles in. From a report: Modern Windows Drivers, also known as Universal Windows Drivers, are a new feature of the Windows 10 October 2018 Update that takes advantage of the UWP infrastructure within Windows 10. As Microsoft explains it, a Modern Windows Driver is a "single driver package that runs across multiple different device types, from embedded systems to tablets and desktop PCs." The first Intel driver to take advantage of this is labeled UWD 25.20.100.6444. Microsoft doesn't intend for you to do anything different to obtain the new Modern drivers. If you own a prebuilt PC, the PC maker will continue to be the first place you should check for updated drivers, according to an Intel FAQ. That's because the universal driver includes a base driver, plus optional component packages and an optional hardware support app. The latter two are written by the system builder or OEM, while the former is written by the GPU maker itself.

3 of 78 comments (clear)

  1. No, just no... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    No, I don't want your bloated driver code that you had to make run on all these different systems. I want the driver that was designed to be efficient on the hardware and OS that I installed.

    Bleh.

  2. More ways to screw up your system by smooth+wombat · · Score: 4, Interesting

    On a regular basis, when the "updates" and "patches" are pushed out, we invariably have people whose drivers have been replaced by these supposedly universal drivers.

    Then we have to go back and put in the original drivers we use in our images to get them up and running.

    I wonder how many end users will be afflicted by this bug and not have any clue how to correct things?

    --
    We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
  3. In readiness for non-win32 windows next year by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Next year sees the biggest change in Windows to date, as MS launches the Xbox Two- a 24gb+, 1080TI+ class GPU, and 8+ Zen2 core CPU. For FIVE HUNDRED dollars. And it runs full windows store apps with keyboard and mouse- a full non-win32 PC as well as a console.

    With this new console PC hybrid, thanks to AMD and TSMC's new 7nm process, high end gaming PCs are literally rendered obsolete pricewise. The rest of the 'independent' PC market must follow the Xbox Two's example, and finally accept the death of (third party) win32 support- hence Intel's actions.

    Microsoft hopes to gain full control of all software running on future PCs- like Apple does today with iOS. Before FULL comes the Google android 'experience' where 'sideloading' is seen increasingly as an 'illigitimate' way of using your PC.

    Now to the dribblers, yes I know Microsoft has had CRIPPLED non-win32 versions of windows before, and even a broken ARM version. But today, the NEW non-win32 windows, that also supports ARM, is the MAINLINE 'Windows 11' that will come to life with the Xbox Two. Its entire selling point will be that unbeatable hardware spec for that unbeatable 500 dollars. Sony has the PS5 in the same timeframe, but that console, probably with slightly lesser specs than the Xbox Two, focuses on a AAA VR experience. And the PS5 cannot be used as a general PC, of course (at best it could be given Android app store support).

    All industries change when the 'race to the bottom' perfection of mass produced items reaches a key moment. The 'big tin' PC finally stops making sense, even to 99.9% of PC enthusiasts. Neither AMD nor Nvidia wants to offer DISCRETE GPUs of 1080TI+ performance for any kind of sane price. Nvidia's latest slightly better 2080TI costs well over ONE THOUSAND dollars, and the chip breaks down after several hundred hours of use.

    Efficiency of scale, focusing on a single perfected design (the console) cannot be beat or even approached. But the tech in consoles, until 7nm, always ran behind reasonable power wokhorse PC specs. No longer. 7nm changes the world. And gives Microsoft the monopoly control over commercial software Gates always dreamt of.

    UWP (is that the acronym?) is designed from the ground up to kill the freedom win32 programs gave us. Even today a win32 program runs like a dream on Windows 10, whereas games written to UWP container specs take forever to load, cannot allow seemless ingame switching to the desktop, and use far more resources with a truly lousy memory management system. Inside, Windows 10 fully supports all the Win32 APIs going back to day one, and they are light and highly efficient. Paid shills who'll try to tell you Win32 is obsolete or 'insecure' or works less well with Windows 10 are outright liars.

    UWP has NSA back doors backed into its fundamental design. The Intel CPU flaws that serve the intelligence community were the original backbone of UWP thread mechanisms. Win32 programs can be made secure by skilled programmers, UWP programs cannot, since they must rely on MS black-boxes.

    It doesn't matter. No-one will be able to argue against the specs and cost of the Xbox Two.