AMD / ATI improves its relations with GNU / Linux

Two years after the acquisition of ATI by AMD, the promise of opening graphics hardware specifications of the new entity seem required. Within a few months, pilots owners AMD have improved; good results that can be attributed also to their pending free.

The climate has not always been good, between ATI and users of GNU / Linux and other “alternative”. These, neglected for many years, sometimes found their salvation through the pilot free xf86-video-ati (also called radeon), however difficult that supported the recent generations of cards.

Since ATI is entered in the bosom of giant AMD, relations began to subside. Not only pilots owners have improved, making use rapidly in recent outings cards but also improving performance. In recent months the results have sometimes more than doubled and pilots owners AMD finally have gradually assumed AIGLX and graphic effects offices GNU / Linux. Although it was previously possible to use the server Xgl, this was not a practical solution nor always satisfactory (bugs unable to launch 3D applications in a session XGL, etc.)..

AMD opens, the open source benefits
AMD has announced having upgraded version of its Catalyst drivers to GNU / Linux and professionals. With approximately +33% performance, this announcement merely confirms the new interest shown by the manufacturer. But the opening since the takeover of ATI does not stop there. For several months, AMD opens the specifications of its graphics cards. In practice this means that it provides information on architecture and functioning equipment and it allows developers to pilot free to move much more easily in their work.

In addition to the underlying ideology, pilots can free most of the time better compatibility with recent versions of the Linux kernel, server graphic effects or graphics. If before, the pilot free ati bore quite correctly, 2D and 3D graphics cards old, R5xx and higher operating simply does not. This meant that for almost two years, someone who did not wish to install the pilots saw owners are forced to use the generic driver vesa, which does not provide hardware acceleration, or 2D or 3D.

Since the end of 2007 and first specifications provided another driver free, radeonhd, has helped to support hardware acceleration for 2D most recent maps. The 3D, however, remains to this day despite missing some nice progress in developing versions.

The pilot free ati released version 6.9.0
The other interesting new fact comes from the oldest driver ati. In recent weeks have been successful: a first 3D support has been activated for R5xx. Although still in beta, it is promising, according to Phoronix. There are just a few days, 2D acceleration has also been activated for R6xx. The release of version 6.9.0 driver ati has just been announced. It makes serious progress with the support of most recent ATI cards and the first 3D possibilities for R500. Only the most recent x4xxx are not yet usable with, but patches already exist to fix this. Bet that these advances, made possible thanks to the opening of the specifications provided by AMD, will be confirmed.

If the pilot radeonhd move seems less likely that his colleague xf86-video-ati, notably because it uses AtomBIOS provided by AMD, which enables it to gain time for development. RadeonHD uses for the moment not AtomBIOS because the latter, although opened, could not be fully documented.

Anyway, remember that nVIDIA, for its part, has often published pilots owners of good quality with regard to 3D performance. However, the manufacturer still reluctant to provide specifications for its equipment, making it very difficult for developers of alternatives. The latter, however, try to put pressure on the giant to get otherwise create a pilot open source reliable and efficient.

Leave a comment