S3 Graphics Responds About Linux Support 114
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.)
Standard Operating Procedure (Score:3, Insightful)
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.
Re:AC Responds About Linux Support (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.
Sad (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:who are these people? (Score:3, Insightful)
Who the heck are these people using S3 cards nowadays?
Tough question... the last S3 card I've seen was a 2Mb Trio.
Truth that. An old ATi or Nvidea card is a better buy and is more available as well. The only market I can see for them is OEM integrated and brick and mortar sales and I haven't seen an S3 card for sale in a local store since the 90's.
Re:AC Responds About Linux Support (Score:3, Insightful)
I work in IT (the dreaded Helpdesk job) and I have made a lot of money supporting Windows systems since Windows 95.
Re:Sad (Score:2, Insightful)
Also why AMD took so long fulfilling it's promise on R600/700 3d Docs: They had the WHOLE reference run over by lawyers to make sure what got out wouldn't be something that 'came back' as it were :D
Re:I bet (Score:5, Insightful)
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.
Re:AC Responds About Linux Support (Score:4, 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.
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.
Re:AC Responds About Linux Support (Score:3, Insightful)
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!
Re:I bet (Score:2, Insightful)
God I get really angry sometimes at comments like this. People assume that their own experiences are all that counts.
My experiences, on the other hand, should be taken into consideration as something that counts.
Wait, what?
Re:who are these people? (Score:3, Insightful)
I have a better idea. Let's destroy Lexmark so no one has to deal with their crappy printers anymore! ;)
Re:who are these people? (Score:1, Insightful)
Well, to each his own, it's your store... but at our surplus we sell 100% Ubuntu systems. I get FAR fewer returns than with when I used to sell (some) Windows systems.. they'd buy one, get viruses and crap IMMEDIATELY, and then want to bring it back or have someone "fix it" for them. (Which would be a great source of additional income, but we are not an actual store, we are a surplus disposal store so we are not to provide support except for hardware faults, and don't have the staff to do it either.) Since we sell used systems, we had MORE problems with people having already existing OLD printers and scanners that XP does not support than we do with Ubuntu (since it supports most makes and models). Of course, those who install XP over the Ubuntu install are strictly on their own.
As for "if the Linux guys want" blah-de-blah, umm... a) there's no set of "the Linux guys". Most know Lexmark are crap and don't give a toss if they work. b) The ones that do care, Lexmark just keeps tossing out virtually unrelated printers CONSTANTLY (model x1111 won't be the same AT ALL as x1110), and they do not give specifications for them. It's (reasonably) easy to make a printer driver for Linux, but NOT if the company gives absolutely no info on how the printer works!