2008 Linux Graphics Survey Results

In the second question we had asked what video adapter brand(s) are being used in the respondents Linux system(s). At just over 40% adoption, NVIDIA was the most popular brand being used on Linux systems. This number though is down from last year in our 2007 Linux Graphics Survey when NVIDIA commanded a 47.5% market-share. ATI graphics came in second with a 32% share, which is the exact same as what was reported last year. Picking up the shares that eroded from NVIDIA were Intel graphics, which now exceeded 20% adoption on Linux. Our 2008 survey showed 21.8% of those polled were now using some form of Intel graphics. Matrox, VIA, SiS / XGI, and the other less well-known brands all pulled in minimal amounts.

With there being multiple drivers available for the same hardware in many cases, we also asked users what drivers they were using. ATI hardware has a few different drivers to pick from just not between the proprietary and open-source choice but also between xf86-video-ati and xf86-video-radeonhd. NVIDIA's also in a similar boat where they have a proprietary driver, an official open-source 2D-only driver, and then the community that has been reverse-engineering NVIDIA's binary driver to write an open-source 2D/3D driver.

For the ATI drivers, the binary fglrx driver was the most popular followed by xf86-video-ati, and then xf86-video-radeonhd driver. The xf86-video-nv driver was far behind the NVIDIA driver when it came to adoption rates, but it still was ahead of the Nouveau driver.