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On Thu, Dec 07, 2006 at 09:28:36AM -0800, Chuck Swiger wrote:
> This said, both Sun and Apple have open-sourced much of their =20
> operating system & driver software, but there exists significant =20
> resistance from ATI & nVidia about releasing their respective =20
> hardware APIs, because of the high level of competition in the =20
> graphics world over minor differences in performance and video =20
> quality between the two.

I don't understand why they can't follow the way of Id Software.
They had 3D-engine technology they wanted to keep secret from
their competitors, but they released the full sources in GPL form
after a couple of years.  As the technology ages, keeping it secret
is just not an argument anymore.

I sure wouldn't have a problem with it if the drivers were available
only for slightly outdated models.  At least my desktop wouldn't
be insanely sluggish because Mesa needs to use my (also outdated)
CPU to crunch the numbers instead.

Regards,
Peter
--=20
http://sjamaan.ath.cx
--
"The process of preparing programs for a digital computer
 is especially attractive, not only because it can be economically
 and scientifically rewarding, but also because it can be an aesthetic
 experience much like composing poetry or music."
							-- Donald Knuth

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