# GMA-HD driver for Freebsd



## trybeingarun (Jul 27, 2010)

Hi! I am buying a core i5-661 processor for my new desktop but unfortunately currently there is no support for the on-die GPU (GMA HD). I would like to know if anybody is working on that and when will a driver be available :e


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## adamk (Jul 27, 2010)

There is, to my knowledge, one person working on adding KMS support to the BSD kernels: http://www.dragonflybsd.org/docs/developer/GEMdrmKMS/

Support for acceleration on newer intel GPUs requires KMS.  I do not believe there is any time table, so no one can tell you "when" (if ever).

Adam


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## oliverh (Jul 28, 2010)

Buy a real graphics card, it's far easier than waiting a "couple of years" to see real support for it in FreeBSD.


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## vermaden (Jul 28, 2010)

oliverh said:
			
		

> Buy a real graphics card, it's far easier than waiting a "couple of years" to see real support for it in FreeBSD.



For workstation/desktop an Intel GMA is more then enough, even for casual games with WINE.

Currently just stick to models that are supported, which means Intel GMA 3100/x3000/x3100/x4500 or earlier models, they work like a charm.


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## trybeingarun (Jul 28, 2010)

Unfortunately I have already placed an order for the i5-661 processor. Also I am purely going to use it for desktop purpose and am not much into games anyway. As long as the KDE does not look too crappy I am okay with it


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## adamk (Jul 28, 2010)

KDE4, with the vesa driver, could look pretty crappy, particularly if your monitor has a high or unusual resolution.

Adam


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## oliverh (Jul 29, 2010)

vermaden said:
			
		

> For workstation/desktop an Intel GMA is more then enough, even for casual games with WINE.
> 
> Currently just stick to models that are supported, which means Intel GMA 3100/x3000/x3100/x4500 or earlier models, they work like a charm.



"Just stick to models ...", that's nonsense! If someone buys a new latop or some i3 CPU then there is no choice. Intel graphics is a common denominator for laptops, so we will see less FreeBSD on those new machines. That's just reality. A real graphics card is a must, if FreeBSD isn't able to cope with todays technology.


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## oliverh (Jul 29, 2010)

adamk said:
			
		

> KDE4, with the vesa driver, could look pretty crappy, particularly if your monitor has a high or unusual resolution.
> 
> Adam



VESA is a serious pain in the backside: low resolution, very low performance.


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## vermaden (Jul 29, 2010)

oliverh said:
			
		

> "Just stick to models ...", that's nonsense! If someone buys a new latop or some i3 CPU then there is no choice. Intel graphics is a common denominator for laptops, so we will see less FreeBSD on those new machines. That's just reality. A real graphics card is a must, if FreeBSD isn't able to cope with todays technology.



Nonsense?

Buying only a hardware that has proven to work is a nonsense?

Does ANYBODY forces You to buy a new one? There are PLENTY of used ones and also even a lot new with older Intel mobile platform with supported gfx cards.

MOST of new hardware, not just Intel GMA/HD have problem on FreeBSD so its nonsense to 'focus' on hardware that You KNOW it will work or get any new toy and then yell that FreeBSD does not supports it ...

With all respect to You *oliverh*, I do not think that buying a hardware that You know it will work with your system (not even FreeBSD related) is a nonsense.

OFFTOP: I also like AMD's graphics cards, the fact that AMD gave all needed specifications to write open drivers etc. but their CPUs still draw too much power to be able to compete with Intel CPUs, and btw, most 'best' laptops (thinkpads/latitudes/precisions) contain an Intel CPU.

Sooner or later FreeBSD would have to add GEM/TTM/KMS to the kernel, possibly with as less linuxism/shit as possible (and I know that striping that shit from 'only needed core functionality' takes time).


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## oliverh (Jul 29, 2010)

>MOST of new hardware, not just Intel GMA/HD have problem on FreeBSD so its nonsense to 'focus' on hardware that You KNOW it will work or get any new toy and then yell that FreeBSD does not supports it ...

MOST is somewhat exxagerated. Furthermore it's hard to get infos about Linux compatible hardware, it's almost impossible to get infos about FreeBSD compatible hardware. Furthermore MOST people are coming from Linux to *BSD, some people directly from Windows. Arrogance is the first step toward failure. Maybe you buy toys, but I'm buying tools for work since more than two decades.

>Sooner or later FreeBSD would have to add GEM/TTM/KMS to the kernel, possibly with as less linuxism/shit as possible

Not anything called 'linuxism' is bad, sometimes it's just FUD, vice versa too. There is just _one_, who copes with Xorg in FreeBSD, Radeon, Intel ... drivers. Maybe 'later' is more true than 'sooner'.

Remember ... push it, don't hype. Let the hype for others. Apart from Windows and Mac OS, it's a 'Linux world'. You can adapt to it or you can disappear. FreeBSD becomes more and more just a single adaption of linuxisms. Well, I don't need anything of it (Linuxulator, Video4BSD aka V4L, Flash, ...), but many people wouldn't call my desktop desktop at all and that's their opinion. Period. ;-)

I'm fed up with those holy wars, back in the early 90s I was a SGI Irix user and had those 'fights' with the first Linux users. Now, almost 20 years later, the same bullcrap still haunts the internet again and again. I don't like anything Linux or this crazy *buntu-hype, but there is much to criticize in *BSD-world too.


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## adamk (Jul 29, 2010)

Personally, I've stopped recommending intel graphics for FreeBSD altogether.  Ever since I found out that one of the primary reasons for the delay in moving to Xorg 7.5 in ports was because it would have broken 2D/3D acceleration for all intel users till someone managed to get an older version of xf86-video-intel working on the newer version of Xorg, which rnoland@ eventually did.  I was pushing him to just roll out Xorg 7.5 and let it break for intel users.

Adam


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## oliverh (Jul 29, 2010)

adamk said:
			
		

> Personally, I've stopped recommending intel graphics for FreeBSD altogether.  Ever since I found out that one of the primary reasons for the delay in moving to Xorg 7.5 in ports was because it would have broken 2D/3D acceleration for all intel users till someone managed to get an older version of xf86-video-intel working on the newer version of Xorg, which rnoland@ eventually did.  I was pushing him to just roll out Xorg 7.5 and let it break for intel users.
> 
> Adam



Well, sometimes I stopped recommending nVidia because of their blob and politics regarding 'old' graphic cards, then I recommended Intel because of their commitment toward FOSS. Nowadays I recommend 'the power to serve', because you don't need graphics for a server


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## vermaden (Jul 29, 2010)

oliverh said:
			
		

> Maybe you buy toys, but I'm buying tools for work since more than two decades.



If ThinkPad/Latitude is a toy for You then ok.


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## oliverh (Jul 29, 2010)

>If ThinkPad/Latitude is a toy for You then ok.

If you're talking of toys, well then this is the answer you will get from me. I can't read your mind, maybe next time you should write it down, instead of making wild assumptions. And I'm old enough to avoid some fetish about some brand. 

>There are PLENTY of used ones and also even a lot new with older Intel mobile platform with supported gfx cards.

Well it's _your_ 'professional home-toy' then, I'm talking of companies, serious work. You are talking of arrogance ... 'me, me, me'. I'm talking of reality for companies, new users et al. If I'm talking of myself, then burn Flash, KDE, Gnome, hail to the console ... fire and forget. Maybe you need another then years to get this.

But I'm in good company: many FreeBSD devs are using Apple hardware. Guess why ;-)


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## vermaden (Jul 29, 2010)

oliverh said:
			
		

> >If ThinkPad/Latitude is a toy for You then ok.
> 
> If you're talking of toys, well then this is the answer you will get from me. I can't read your mind, maybe next time you should write it down, instead of making wild assumptions. And I'm old enough to avoid some fetish about some brand.



I actually wrote about them earlier ...


			
				vermaden said:
			
		

> OFFTOP: I also like AMD's graphics cards, the fact that AMD gave all needed specifications to write open drivers etc. but their CPUs still draw too much power to be able to compete with Intel CPUs, and btw, most 'best' laptops (thinkpads/latitudes/precisions) contain an Intel CPU.





			
				oliverh said:
			
		

> But I'm in good company: many FreeBSD devs are using Apple hardware. Guess why ;-)


I have MacBook Pro 2.2 on my desk and also a Dell Latitude e6400 ... and I would always choose the seceond one, there is nothing special in Apple hardware ... Mac OS X is also not that special, it often requires You to 'click' the buttons (no matter touchpad/mouse) instead of just using keyboard (TAB/ARROWS/ENTER) for that, its just retarded in that manner, it looks nice but its not that comfortable at all (unless You love touchpad/mouse).

... but this 'discussion' is pointless, maybe You should just try to 'chill out' a little or get some sleep if that helps your attitude.


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## oliverh (Jul 29, 2010)

>... but this 'discussion' is pointless, maybe You should just try to 'chill out' a little or get some sleep if that helps your attitude.

Vermaden do you think being a zealot is any help for FreeBSD? Do you really think this childish attitude of you, which you show here and in other places like osnews is of any help? Any discussion with you is pointless, because it's all about your ego. Mac OS X was an example, they use it because it is easier for them on the desktop and they can concentrate on more important things. This isn't my opinion.

But maybe you should read sometimes some rants of Greg Lehey regarding FreeBSD, could be an enlightenment. My attitude is a realistic point of view and I'm just sick of people trying to kill facts with folklore. Once a domain of Linux, nowadays the habitus of the common FreeBSD user. Pouring your sermon among the users strengthens the opinion of the elitist paths in *BSD-community.  

But okay, this gets very offtopic, but it's a rising problem in FreeBSD: arrogance, plenty of it.


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