OpenGL 3 Updates

[knackered]

i'd always assumed its because direct3d has no quad buffered stereo and no swap groups/genlocking. The entire Quadro line of cards would be impossible if it weren't for OpenGL. As I've said before, if d3d had these features I wouldn't be here having this conversation now. I'd be using d3d with all of its tool chain.
There's also the control aspect - they need an alternative to MS which they have control over.
None of this has anything to do with linux - that's just wishful thinking.
Having said that, because it seems to be impossible for these features to be implemented in Vista (and obviously OSX), linux may become the only option for visualisation in the next few years. That's unless it's impossible in X then, what with all this compiz fusion crap.

[babis]

quad buffered stereo, swap groups/genlocking => VR => linux-powered clusters (for more .. hairy VR apps). Linux support won't fail that easily for NVidia, at least for the quadro cards.
And when NVidia plans for many-GPU clusters to enter the heavy-duty computation industries, they can get a fair amount of money (lotsa cards & support). So I think they won't ignore at all OpenGL support in linux.

[knackered]

clusters are not unique to linux y'know, babis!
all that is perfectly possible on MS Windows. I know, I do it.
so you were talking about linux....pray continue.

[babis]

Perfectly possible,yes. But, what about performance (main reason to use clusters after all)??
And if I'm correct the percentage of windows clusters in the vr/viz market is still pathetic. You're probably one of the few!
Anyway, nobody can just say 'very few linux - opengl users', forgetting all viz industry / research / academics. Support for linux will probably come (ofc as always later than windows).

[Overmind]

Personally, I resent subsidising linux with my hard earned money.

And I resent subsidising windows with my hard earned money. Well, we all live in an imperfect world

[PaladinOfKaos]

I thougth NVIDIA used a unified architecture, sharing state-management amongst all the drivers. If that's the case, then once the features are in the Win32 driver, the linux driver should be a matter of adding entrypoints, and making any modifications to the kernel module that are necessary. Since most (all?) of the GL3 features were implemented by NV in extensions, I can't see why they would need to make any major kernel-mode changes. That leaves implementing the entrypoints, which should be trivial.

Besides, NVidia didn't have a very long delay when they released SM 4 stuff, IIRC. They're pretty good about linux support. I think we're waiting on the ARB to get the GLX extension finalized. Any chance someone from NV and/or the ARB could comment on that?

The GLX extension isn't just for Linux - NVIDIA also supports Solaris (which, from what I understand, is still used for all sorts of visualization stuff) and FreeBSD. As others have pointed out, these are the workstation platforms. Consumer-level desktops may have pathetic *nix ratios, but visualization applications and workstations are pertty well dominated by Unix and its derivatives. IIRC, Dreamworks uses Linux workstations.

[PkK]

You should consider yourself lucky you get linux drivers at all. Linux drivers should be at the very bottom of their list of priorities. As you're probably aware, very few people actually use linux. Therefore very few of their customers are linux users, therefore the money is not there for linux effort. Personally, I resent subsidising linux with my hard earned money.

Free software developers will do fine with specs and write free drivers.

Philipp

[PaladinOfKaos]

Free software developers will do fine with specs and write free drivers.

Philipp

Unfortunately, the DRI stack really isn't that great. Hopefully Gallium will improve that, but even new driver development (RadeonHD and nouveau) is still taking place on the old DRI.

[knackered]

Perfectly possible,yes. But, what about performance (main reason to use clusters after all)??

what do you mean? are you talking about low level (gl command stream) clustering?
if that's the level you're working at, then you ain't never gonna get the performance I get with a proper clustered scenegraph. The platform is largely irrelevant when you work at a logical level.

[babis]

if that's the level you're working at..

No no, you misunderstood me, I actually don't have *the slightest idea* about working on clustering, I've just worked using them transparently. I mentioned performance because of the vast usage difference of clustering on windows vs linux-based platforms. My deduction might be wrong, but the statement is a fact