Gentoo Archives: gentoo-amd64

From: Bob Sanders <rsanders@×××××××××××××××.com>
To: gentoo-amd64@l.g.o
Subject: Re: [gentoo-amd64] Re: NVidia - advice!
Date: Wed, 11 Jan 2006 21:09:25
Message-Id: 20060111210610.GC228605@engr.sgi.com
In Reply to: [gentoo-amd64] Re: NVidia - advice! by Duncan <1i5t5.duncan@cox.net>
1 Duncan, mused, then expounded:
2 >
3 > You can of course choose to run the closed source drivers, but that
4 > doesn't encourage good citizenship on the part of the video card
5 > manufacturers, and risks system stability as well. Still, it's a choice
6 > many gamers choose to make. Apparently, for them, a few additional frames
7 > per second are worth more than their software freedom, but it's their
8 > choice.
9 >
10
11 If it were just a few frames per second, then software freedom would win.
12 In many cases, it's actually being able to play the game without getting
13 a cup of tea between frames. Or to actually display a video image at
14 1920x1024.
15
16 And, for some, being able to drive a digital flat panel at more than
17 1280x1024, requires the higher end cards. The VIA Unichrome won't do that.
18 Neither would the ATI 9250 (well, before mine overheated and died - 30 min
19 of gaming killed it).
20
21 While I'd prefer an Open Source driver, it's simply not doable in Gfx land,
22 if I want to also multi-purpose the systems. Of course I could give up
23 gaming and limit my DVD/TV watching to 480P. But I like gaming at 1600x1024
24 and, now at 1920x1200. And it is possible to run Unreal Tournament on a
25 ATI 9250 with Open Source drivers. But it's not possible to run UT2004
26 on a ATI 9250. Tried it, it wouldn't even start up.
27
28 Well, I could also keep a WinXX system around for gaming, but that is worse than
29 running a closed source driver.
30
31 Bob
32 --
33 -
34 --
35 gentoo-amd64@g.o mailing list

Replies

Subject Author
[gentoo-amd64] Re: Re: NVidia - advice! Duncan <1i5t5.duncan@×××.net>