2008 Linux Graphics Survey Results

[Stedevil]

Windows has done it for years, as has MacOS. Linux has "innovated" with eye-candy instead...

That is the very sad truth!

[dbmuse]

How can people keep saying linux is not suited for "normal" users if 56% of it's users describe themselves as "mainstream users"??

Of the four choices available in the survey, IMHO the closest choice to normal was mainstream. The survey is still available in review fashion which helps see how questions and answers can sometimes skew perception of answers. I was looking to see how the survey handled the question of hardware because I have own or use via work a combination of linux booting computers (ex: macbook pro with nvida, two dell laptops with ati, eeepc, amd tower with nvida). The multiple choice answer to that question came close to capturing my collection but is still skewed (IMHO) because it doesn't show the count per manufacturer.

[KDesk]

My understanding was that KMS needed memory management (GEM/TTM), DRI2 also needed memory management but KMS did not need DRI2. They will probably arrive at more or less the same time, however, since they both become possible as soon as memory management is available, and both are considered really high priority by the developers.

EDIT - bah, ASCII diagram didn't work ;(

Oh, yes, you are complete right! The share the memory manager in common... and not DRI2.

[bridgman]

But... KMS needs DRI2, so, the pool was wrong. It should have been DRI2 or KMS (and DRI2) and the other options also.

My understanding was that KMS needed memory management (GEM/TTM), DRI2 also needed memory management but KMS did not need DRI2. They will probably arrive at more or less the same time, however, since they both become possible as soon as memory management is available, and both are considered really high priority by the developers.

EDIT - bah, ASCII diagram didn't work ;(

[RobbieAB]

What are you looking for in it? If the system can automagically deal with having a projector plugged in (this requires a reasonable amount of magic) it makes selling Linux as a laptop OS to business people who expect to make presentations a lot easier. If the projector has to be configured by tweaking xorg.conf, and restarting, you do not have a business laptop OS.

That magic is XRandR, it may need driver help, but to say it is just a matter for the proprietry drivers to catch up is nonsense as, IIRC, openChrome is an open source driver.

To push Linux on laptops, you needs automagic and effortless multi-monitor support, you need hot-plugable displays, and you need all this to be completely invisible to the user. Windows has done it for years, as has MacOS. Linux has "innovated" with eye-candy instead...

[deanjo]

That's just your theory. I have my own.

That's not my theory at all. It's fact that despite best intentions and planning thing don't always go as well as expected. Until actual implementation is actually out there and performing as well as expected it's pure speculation.

[miles]

In my mind, xrandr was in "Display-related features". Considering it's mostly waiting for all proprietary drivers to pick up, it's more in "What do you expect in proprietary drivers" than "What are you most interested in Xorg".

Whatever xrandr does, as long as the drivers don't support it there's not much point. And seeing how users don't really use the graphic card tool to configure their setup, you'd say it would make sense for the drivers publisher to implement xrandr support a bit faster.

[KDesk]

But... KMS needs DRI2, so, the pool was wrong. It should have been DRI2 or KMS (and DRI2) and the other options also.

[RobbieAB]

What bothered me slightly was the lack of an option to vote for XRandR. As a laptop user, it is more interesting to me than pretty much anything else bar stability, as projectors and external monitors are an important part of using a mobile laptop in any kind of business environment.

[fart_flower]

In "theory", and we all know that theory doesn't necessarily mean that real-life execution will reflect that.

That's just your theory. I have my own.