Nouveau To Enter The Ubuntu 10.04 LTS Kernel

[phoronix]

Phoronix: Nouveau To Enter The Ubuntu 10.04 LTS Kernel

The Nouveau driver, the X.Org project designed to provide a open-source NVIDIA graphics driver for Linux with 2D/3D/Video acceleration that's developed by cleanly reverse-engineering NVIDIA's binary driver, is about to get promoted in Ubuntu 10.04 LTS. The Nouveau project has been around for years now and continues to make progress but there has yet to be a stable release of any component -- even just a DDX driver -- although their current feature matrix is reflecting that 2D and X-Video support is complete for all NVIDIA graphics hardware generations, many output-related features (RandR 1.2, KMS, NouveauFB) are done, and the 3D work using Gallium3D is even progressing...

http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=NzczMA

[NSLW]

Does nouveau supports powersaving, because if it doesn't do it and uses card in such way that it becomes hot then I consider such driver as hazardous for my hardware and I wouldn't be happy to have such support.

[rohcQaH]

the article had a link to the feature matrix, which clearly says that power saving is "TODO". Good power saving depends on KMS and is harder to do than you might think. Especially if you don't have hardware docs.

I don't think the official nv driver has powersaving, either.

I also don't think it would affect your hardware's lifetime much if nvidia hadn't screwed a whole generation of their GPUs. A lack of powersaving should produce more heat and a higher electricity bill, but that's it.

[sreyan]

Usually I'm opposed to the idea of new technologies in an LTS release but given the obfuscated and ill maintained nature of the nv driver nouveau seems like it will be easier to support and get bug fixes.

[NSLW]

I don't think the official nv driver has powersaving, either.

I don't think nv driver makes my card hot doing nothing.

[Ant P.]

Thanks for nothing, nVidia!

[Yuma]

Does nouveau supports powersaving, because if it doesn't do it and uses card in such way that it becomes hot then I consider such driver as hazardous for my hardware and I wouldn't be happy to have such support.

Nouveau uses the card in the way that it was designed, it certainly doesn't overclock anything.

[[Knuckles]]

This comes to mind:


Anyway, what happens when you install the proprietary nvidia driver? Does KMS get disabled when the nvidia module gets loaded?

[chithanh]

I don't think loading both nouveau and nvidia kernel modules will give desirable results.

[V!NCENT]

This comes to mind:


Anyway, what happens when you install the proprietary nvidia driver? Does KMS get disabled when the nvidia module gets loaded?

I'll tell you what happens when you install the proprietary nvidia driver: You'll get lame, half-baked workarounds for the later generation of nVidia cards so that the solicon doesn't get fried after a month long use.

If you decide to use the Nouveau driver anyway then I'd like to kindly advice you to get an ATI card somewhere around januari next year...