NVIDIA: Got Specifications?

[phoronix]

Phoronix: NVIDIA: Got Specifications?

This past week AMD raised the Linux graphics bar by not only announcing their new fglrx graphics driver, which delivers Radeon HD 2000 support, immense performance improvements, and AIGLX, but it was accompanied by an announcement that they will be delivering specifications to the X.Org development community. These two announcements came after intense work internally at AMD and over a long period of time, but literally overnight it changed the minds of many Linux users on how they judge this company with its once notorious binary blob. AMD has really set a precedence for showing that a semiconductor company once criticized to no end with their proprietary software can update their views to assist and embrace the open-source Linux community while remaining competitive as a company in a triopoloy market. They have also thus reaffirmed that Linux is a viable desktop operating system. But the ball has now landed in NVIDIA's court. NVIDIA can either play ball by pushing forward with a similar effort, and then all of the big three GPU manufacturers would be cradling an open-source strategy, or they may find themselves in trouble down the road.

http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=10995

[rolz]

This past week AMD raised the Linux graphics bar

maybe i'm looking in the wrong places, but all i see so far are announcements. So i would say

"This past week AMD announced to raise the Linux graphics bar"
perhaps i'm splitting hairs ...

If it all follows true as hyped, I completely concur with the article though, but Until then i'm not popping open any champagne.

I personally don't like this:
- there is something coming
- there are some slides coming
- they are delayed
- some more
- here's 7 seven yay? but there is something else coming
- not quite yet but it's coming
- coming to computers near you soon
- it will be clarified in the near future
- not here yet, but this is coming
- So now it's said to be finally concrete and very close
- o and aiglx didn't get into this one just yet, but it will be soon.

I don't want to sound ungrateful, but this process is just Cruel

You don't write a driver for a device range of devices as complex as the amd/ati dedicated graphics cards in a fortnight and a few liters of caffeine holding liquids.

And if this way makes the most economic sense who am i to criticize. We all know that great software is software that you never knew existed. and they say bad publicity is publicity all the same. Still doesn't mean i have to like it

If i was really evil, I would draw parallels with the epic tale of the vista release. Hopefully this story does have a happy ending.

Just the sentiments of this r500 user at the time of writing,the article states the mindset can changed rapidly. And I do really hope that the next item in the rss feed will link to something i can wget

My opinion regarding buying a new ati/amd card have been changed from "o my no never again" to "hmz maybe", by the "onlsaught of phoronix news articles", and i'm genuinely hoping that once I install this driver or the one which does feature aiglx (preferably the developed skeleton driver ...), I can change it to something even more positive.

[Thetargos]

I tend to agree with the rather skeptic views of many regulars here on the phornoix forums, especially if this means the R200 deal or similar all over again. The main questions raised with this AMD release, and I would ask the same if, and only if nVidia would follow trend and open up their specs too: "How feature full could we expect an Open Source driver to be?" and "What parts of the hardware specs will exactly be opened?" No to be the devil's advocate, but I think that the Open Source community has been subject to much sweet talk and really not so many sweet deals when it comes to actual code and specs.

Sure it is the companie's prerrogative NOT to open up at all, but quoting Epic on this front "It is the right thing to do". Is not like hardware drivers are exactly the same as application software source, though I understand the preocupations about doing so and exposing trade secrets in the process.

[Moustacha]

It would be good if nVidia did something open source for their cards, but I don't think it's as likely to happen as AMDs open-sourcing. Their previous drivers were just plain horrible for performance. nVidia doesn't really suffer performance problems, so I'd say there's a less perceivable gain from opening up.

[Svartalf]

It would be good if nVidia did something open source for their cards, but I don't think it's as likely to happen as AMDs open-sourcing. Their previous drivers were just plain horrible for performance. nVidia doesn't really suffer performance problems, so I'd say there's a less perceivable gain from opening up.

That depends on how well the open source drivers do. If they largely drive the silicon to it's fullest potential, then NVidia has some cause for concern. Many times the silicon that ATI fielded was theoretically faster but was hampered more often than not by their drivers as much as anything else. If that gap is closed by the Open Source drivers, NVidia has quite a bit to lose in the way of sales if something comparable can be had that has open sourcecode for the main drivers used on Linux.

[Svartalf]

It would be good if nVidia did something open source for their cards, but I don't think it's as likely to happen as AMDs open-sourcing. Their previous drivers were just plain horrible for performance. nVidia doesn't really suffer performance problems, so I'd say there's a less perceivable gain from opening up.

All things being equal, if you had a choice between equally well working and performant GPUs, would you choose the Binary Blob Driver one or the Open Source Driver one? Most people, if they're in their right mind, will solidly answer the Open Source Driver as their choice- AMD has that as an option item in a couple of weeks. Intel already does.

If the Open Source driver for R500/R600 gets where I think it will in 12 months' time, NVidia may well be facing that problem full-force. I think losing market share is a very definite problem and avoiding it a very definite gain for NVidia.

It all boils down to how much info we get, how easy will it be for the people in the DRI project to use. If it's what all I think they're now handing us, NVidia may have a solid problem on their hands if they're not watching this closely and do something themselves in the same manner.

[Svartalf]

I would also like to point out, that while I'm not getting my hopes up for NVidia to get a clue- I used to say the same things (No advantage, and so forth...) about AMD/ATI and we're now discussing their doing this very thing.

[Svartalf]

You don't write a driver for a device range of devices as complex as the amd/ati dedicated graphics cards in a fortnight and a few liters of caffeine holding liquids.

Actually, I expect a decently performing driver in 6-12 months' time if AMD is being truthful about all of this. We have the bulk of the needed design work in place to make that all happen- and the DRI team people are in the same caliber of developer as the ones at NVidia and ATI. In fact, they've hired some of the DRI members away at some points in the past.

[Thetargos]

AMD has other significant gain by opening up their specs (or most of them, at least) and that's the GPU/CPU cores into one die. By opening up their specs, they can expect support from day one of their release on pretty much all distributions. That product line could give AMD an edge over both nVidia and Intel for the video market. My only concert about those systems would be support for multi GPU configurations in the event of an add-on GPU card.

[TheOmegaMan]

maybe i'm looking in the wrong places, but all i see so far are announcements. So i would say

"This past week AMD announced to raise the Linux graphics bar"
perhaps i'm splitting hairs ...

If it all follows true as hyped, I completely concur with the article though, but Until then i'm not popping open any champagne.

I personally don't like this:
- there is something coming
- there are some slides coming
- they are delayed
- some more
- here's 7 seven yay? but there is something else coming
- not quite yet but it's coming
- coming to computers near you soon
- it will be clarified in the near future
- not here yet, but this is coming
- So now it's said to be finally concrete and very close
- o and aiglx didn't get into this one just yet, but it will be soon.

I don't want to sound ungrateful, but this process is just Cruel

I know this is torture but being that I have work in Secret environments you have no idea how crewl those NDA's can be. Do you like Phoronix? Would you like Phoronix to be taken down? .... Me I say no I like Phoronix. AMD has been doing very much lately, did ya ever notice how still the air is be before a storm. In big buisness you can't devulge too much at once or the competition will trump you.

Nvidia should be a little concerned since these specifications not only help opensource but also developers in their basement make some software that does graphics (games, video, 3D modeling). AMD's future CPUGPU (vector processor) will be insane, with vectors imagine this, no jaggy's, deflections, ricochet, any rez you want is all possible without slowdowns. Sounds nice to me... Nvidia does not have a general purpose x86 cpu IP on their side, and unless they pay the royalties to a cyrix, intel or amd and hey why not mention transmeta they will lose market when that comes. I would not like to see nvida go away, competition is always needed in this ruthless/childish market we call IT.

Nvidia has been much better for many years on the software front, I have always appreciated that Nvidia has done this. ATI was ATI for a long time, now they are AMD-ATI and being that AMD has been pretty good them self towards the Opening up their architecture specifications you can't haggle AMD so much, yes they have had problems over the last 1 year and 2 months, yeah that's right 1 year 2 months (Conroe was released in july 2006) before that every 1337 h4x0r out there used AMD as their system so look everyone has cycles. Historically AMD has been a great price/performance company, I like to play with new hardware and if I go intel I can't since they cost more than AMD and are never upgradable unless you buy a uber motherboard with the lowest end CPU then upgrade 6 months later. And They YELL Socket 939 to me. Yes S939 is the only socket that didn't manage to live up to every other socket. I don't like Hector Ruitz, bring back Jerry he knows how to get things done and he understands that there are people, ordinary people with meager wages buyring this stuff.

Wow I must feel strongly about this stuff eh look how much I wrote 80. Anyway just wanted to throw some food for thought. I just love linux and want to see competition on the OS front for once.

The Omegaman
-Best Charles Heston movie ever