"Boyd Stephen Smith Jr." <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> posted [EMAIL PROTECTED], excerpted below, on Thu, 28 Sep 2006 13:15:14 -0500:
> I'm still using the NVidia proprietary drivers, because I have hardware > that requires them for 3D acceleration (and a number of games that refuse > to work un-accelerated). So, there's just not a tenable free alternative. > > With multimedia formats, there is a wealth free formats available, so I > just don't use non-free formats. > > I will also remember NVidia when it comes time to purchase a new system, > and buy something that has fully-functional and free drivers. e.g. freed > ATI, Intel or perhaps the card from the open graphics project. I was in that situation for a bit over a year after I switched, and I hated it. While I had been doing my research before switching and not buying any hardware that didn't support Linux, from two years before I actually made the switch (it /did/ make the switch MUCH easier, knowing everything was supported =8^), unfortunately at the time I didn't grok the difference between proprietary Linux support and /real/ Linux support -- that is free software. Thus when I bought my video card I bought an NVidia GForce 2 (not too bad at the time, tho it had come down in price some), relying on the Twinview, which naturally isn't supported in the free drivers due to lack of specs cooperation from NVidia. As a result, tho I very quickly groked the difference between freedomware and slaveryware drivers once I actually switched to Linux, I was stuck with the hardware and the slaveryware for a year or so until I could again upgrade, this time choosing a Radeon with /real/ Linux support. So yes, I know the feeling of being stuck as that slave very well, unfortunately. =8^( Just getting onto Linux was a step in the right direction, however, and I made /very/ sure I wouldn't make the same mistake again once I realized it /was/ a mistake. Now I see folks wondering why xorg 7.1 can't go stable, and just have to shake my head at NVidia and ATI's gall, as I said, daring to hold the whole would-be free sotware world hostage, even those not choosing to use their hardware, just because they can, and can't/won't invest the time necessary in keeping up, yet refuse to provide specs so they don't have to, as the xorg team would take care of it. (You know xorg would if they could, given the popularity of the hardware.) BTW, it's not just them. Sun was behind in supporting amd64 with Java as well, and when they did, at first it was the server package only, no desktop version. Fortunately, Sun has promised to open up some this year, and the rest next year. We'll see. And the gnash solution is coming along on that front as well. WMV support too seems to be coming, so things aren't looking /too/ bad, with the worst news remaining on the graphics chip hardware front, and Intel's new stuff being the only even close to modern choice out. -- Duncan - List replies preferred. No HTML msgs. "Every nonfree program has a lord, a master -- and if you use the program, he is your master." Richard Stallman -- [email protected] mailing list
