NVIDIA Will Support Newly-Dropped GPUs On Linux Through 2019

[phoronix]

Phoronix: NVIDIA Will Support Newly-Dropped GPUs On Linux Through 2019

Earlier this month we found out NVIDIA would be dropping pre-Fermi support from their mainline graphics driver on Windows and Linux. For Linux users, we have some good news about NVIDIA's Linux support plans...

http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=MTY0NTg

[Nuc!eoN]

while AMD doesn't maintain their Linux legacy drivers and barely do release notes all in the name of trying to reduce engineering costs. The Radeon HD 4000 series graphics hardware that was introduced in 2008 is no longer receiving updates with the AMD Catalyst Legacy driver but is left to just the open-source Linux Radeon driver.

This information distorts the reality. AMD didn't drop Legacy support for Linux alone, but also for Windows at the same time. I consider it misleading the way you posted it, inclining that AMD neglects Linux suport, while it's being the same for Windows. This is not the first that time that you ignored this fact in your articles.

[pandev92]

This information distorts the reality. AMD didn't drop Legacy support for Linux alone, but also for Windows at the same time. I consider it misleading the way you posted it, inclining that AMD neglects Linux suport, while it's being the same for Windows. This is not the first that time that you ignored this fact in your articles.

the driver on windows receveid more updates than on linux, and is very more stable than linux.

[DanL]

This information distorts the reality. AMD didn't drop Legacy support for Linux alone, but also for Windows at the same time.

Yes, but users who like Catalyst will not care why the Linux support was dropped, especially since they can use Catalyst Legacy on Windows 7, for example. While it's true they can still use it on slightly older versions of Linux (like Ubuntu 12.04.1), driver support for older Windows versions tends to age better than Linux because of the stable driver ABI.

I consider it misleading the way you posted it, inclining that AMD neglects Linux suport, while it's being the same for Windows. This is not the first that time that you ignored this fact in your articles.

I consider it far more slanderous to say that AMD is now supporting these products with "just" the open-source driver, as if it's a bad thing. In many ways, that's a better driver.

Bottom line? Even if Michael was more careful in how he chose words, there would still be a bunch of AMD card owners throwing temper tantrums and threatening to buy Nvidia...

[Bucic]

the driver on windows receveid more updates than on linux, and is very more stable than linux.

And doesn't require downgrade of key system components!

[chuckula]

This information distorts the reality. AMD didn't drop Legacy support for Linux alone, but also for Windows at the same time. I consider it misleading the way you posted it, inclining that AMD neglects Linux suport, while it's being the same for Windows. This is not the first that time that you ignored this fact in your articles.

Yeah.. the fanboy is strong in you. Larabel loves to overhype and distort things, but this article is 100% accurate.

Your basic argument is that AMD loves Linux and is awesome because it abandons support for its own products early on Linux AND on Windows and that Larabel is evil because... on a website that is devoted to Linux... he doesn't go out of his way to point out that AMD also does a crappy job under Windows.

[Ericg]

Yeah.. the fanboy is strong in you. Larabel loves to overhype and distort things, but this article is 100% accurate.

Your basic argument is that AMD loves Linux and is awesome because it abandons support for its own products early on Linux AND on Windows and that Larabel is evil because... on a website that is devoted to Linux... he doesn't go out of his way to point out that AMD also does a crappy job under Windows.

Now YOU are the one sounding like a fanboy. Its a well known issue that because of the unstable driver API/ABI that older Catalyst releases can't be used on Linux. If nothing changes between kernels then the community can hack together a patch that bumps the maximum version for Kernel and Xorg and Catalyst will compile just fine. If they can't then you're stuck using an older distro. At least on Windows you can install Catalyst and just keep using it.

You can do the same thing on Linux IF you stick with an older Distro, but since we have a release every six months for Fedora and Ubuntu most don't want to. Most want to try out the latest tech, but that typically comes with an Kernel and/or Xorg upgrade which will break Catalyst.

[bridgman]

The Radeon HD 4000 series graphics hardware that was introduced in 2008 is no longer receiving updates with the AMD Catalyst Legacy driver but is left to just the open-source Linux Radeon driver.

Left to "just" the open source drivers ? I can't believe you typed that with a straight face.

Everyone wanted open source drivers instead of Catalyst and now we're complaining that we have to use the open source drivers ?

"Just" the open source drivers ? Sorry, I still can't believe you said that.

*bridgman bangs head on desk

[Nuc!eoN]

Finally some stuff for me:

Yeah.. the fanboy is strong in you.

I am not a fanboy.

Larabel loves to overhype and distort things, but this article is 100% accurate.

The article is distorting the reality, meaning it suggests a suggests a critical way of thinking towards AMDs Linux support. Since leaving some facts out, I don't consider it being 100% accurate. Btw the author even suggests that it's just a Linux problem:

while AMD doesn't maintain their Linux legacy drivers and barely do release notes all in the name of trying to reduce engineering costs.

I have marked the striking words in bold red for you're convenience. (bold didn't seem to be enough)

Your basic argument is that AMD loves Linux and is awesome because it abandons support for its own products early on Linux AND on Windows and that Larabel is evil because... on a website that is devoted to Linux... he doesn't go out of his way to point out that AMD also does a crappy job under Windows.

My basic argument is said AMD sucks. In terms of long term support.
(On a side note: I was raging when AMD annouced to drop my beloved HD 4770 and I was mainly bothered about Windows, since it's my OS of choice for playing games. Also there an outstanding bug on Windows, that those faggots are unwilling to fix. On Linux I use the Open Source driver.)

I am not saying the Author has done this out of purpose, but it maybe a simple lack of knowledge.

And doesn't require downgrade of key system components!

I am sorry to disappoint you, but this is a general Linux problem. AMD is not to blame here.


EDIT: Ah thanks @Ericg, I see you were faster than me

[DanL]

Left to "just" the open source drivers ? I can't believe you typed that with a straight face. Everyone wanted open source drivers instead of Catalyst and now we're complaining that we have to use the open source drivers ?

I also complained about that wording a few posts back, but I don't really think Michael meant it like that. He's simply saying that users don't have a choice between the two drivers. This is equivalent to Intel, which only offers an open-source Linux driver (where 3D performance tends to lag a bit behind the Windows driver). One could argue that it's not as good as Nvidia, but in my experience with nouveau on an 8400GS, nouveau is not ready for daily usage when factoring in 3D/games (though it works surprisingly well with VDPAU and basic desktop usage).