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im just double checking if it would be acceptable to this forum to list a how to on building xf86-video-ati package from source for trisquel... im just not sure if it is considered free software or open source so if some one would get back to me and it is ill post a howto
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AMD released specifications which were used to develop some code although this is basically a wrapper around a proprietary component. This is not acceptable behavior here and can be viewed as more or less a public relations stunt than something helpful to the free software community.
Intel is the only major company supporting an acceptable free software driver which supports 3d acceleration.
I will mention that there is a reverse engineered driver entirely created by a third party project which supports older NVIDIA chipsets. This might be OK to use too although many/most here would not recommend purchasing such a card. The reason being is that reverse engineering is unnecessary when companies cooperate and is a a significant burden on the community. Why should free software users support a company hostile to them?
That said we do stock one such desktop card @ libre.thinkpenguin.com (CEO of thinkpenguin-which only sells freedom friendly hardware).
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I don't mean to be somewhat off-topic, but I would like to address this post.
>Intel is the only major company supporting an acceptable free software driver which supports 3d acceleration.
This is true, but it doesn't excuse Intel's thorough history of anti-competitiveness and patent hoarding.
Not to mention Intel has started implementing hardware DRM in some of their mobile CPUs, a truly scary development. And they have been very unhelpful with Coreboot, even going to the effort of purposefully slowing its development.
Intel may respect your essential freedoms, and I applaud them for that, but you must always consider the other nasty behavior Intel is known for in the high technology industry.
Nvidia, of course, is also well known for dirty (but legal) business practices. While this is unacceptable, I view this particular chip manufacturer as the lesser 'evil' between these two companies.
In the end, I think the most ethical system with usable 3D acceleration is an AMD processor with a older Nvidia graphics card running nouveau.
While AMD also needs improvement in the freedom dimension, they have been of assistance with the Coreboot project, and, at least provide some documentation for their graphics chips.
Ultimately, the best freedom respecting system with 3D acceleration would be an AMD CPU + AMD GPU, but in the latter case because of its reliance on non-free firmware, a Nvidia GPU with a workable, liberated driver is the next best option.
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Unfortunately AMD has also started implementing DRM. There is no good answer to the problem and why we need to move away from Intel/AMD/NVIDIA.
That'll happen once there is sufficient demand. There are people working on that demand. I was just talking with someone at the Ohio "Linux" Festival about the issue and some things he's been up to in relation to this. By ourselves we won't make any impact. Together this community can make a difference.
It starts with a guy from company X deciding to purchase from us. That leads to Y new product which is funded by X's decision to go with our other product. This leads us to be able to work with a chipset company toward the release and eventual manufacture of another product.
Then you end up with a 2nd person writing up a proposal to the department in charge of procurement for new employees. He gets them to OK the purchase of new employee's purchase options from us...
The point is we're not doing all the work here. It takes a community working together behind the scenes to make things happen.
There is no way to ship an AMD CPU on a laptop with an older NVIDIA chipset.
We would be more than happy to ship AMD CPU's with ATI graphics if AMD worked with the community to fix the 3d acceleration issue. Maybe there is an acceptable solution. However somebody needs to step up and figure out what the problem is AMD has, what might be a possible fix, who it is we need to talk to, and then propose a solution.
By the way we are not shipping Intel's CPUs with the digital restriction bit.
A solution for AMD could be for them to release a free firmware for their GPUs that doesn't include any of the DRM code. It's not like the free software community would use that bit anyway. Then, they'd still have their DRM stuff, we have working 3D and everybody's happy.
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It would be best if AMD shipped at least some CPUs without this bit in the first place and released the code/specs for all critical components (including critical graphics pieces for working 3d, video, etc).
What you propose might be at least be an acceptable temporary solution. Would it work though I don't know. We need someone who is more knowledgeable about the code and the problem to look into it. I'm guessing that if it was just a matter of leaving it out then it would have been done already. There is probably something more to it. If there isn't then we need to ask, wait, and push for it to be released in this manor.
There may be another issue here that is unknown. For instance maybe AMD is not willing to put in the time and effort to release it as such. The solution might be then to get a third party to do the work under NDA. At which point AMD could release, maintain, document, etc the code in a way that was acceptable to free software proponents.
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