How Linux handles video acceleration

Jeko · Post by **Jeko** » Fri Jan 05, 2007 5:14 am

How Linux handles video acceleration? Is there a standard?

If I want to use the driver /dev/nvidia0, how can I make?

Mr. Man · Post by **Mr. Man** » Sat Jan 06, 2007 1:52 pm

I'm not really sure, but I think you may be looking for this.
I know next to nothing, so I'm just as curious as you.

jhawthorn · Post by **jhawthorn** » Sat Jan 06, 2007 3:49 pm

Note regarding Mr. Man's link: Last I checked nVidia's closed source drivers did not use DRI.

Neither nVidia not ATI release specifications for their graphics cards. Furthermore the 3D accelerated drivers are closed source. This makes /dev/nvidia0 unusable other than through the closed source GLX driver.

That said, there is some information available.

http://wiki.x.org/wiki/nv - Describes the MIT licensed nv driver for nvidia cards. However, this driver has no 3D acceleration.
http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/ - Is a project aiming to producing Open Source 3D drivers for nVidia cards. The "Documentation" section seems to have some information available.

hendric · Post by **hendric** » Sat Jan 06, 2007 11:34 pm

It puzzled me lot , too. But as a further learning I found something no more than DRI. Maybe it will be helpful.
By the way, Intel has opened the source of his Graphics chipset . That's a great news.