Radeon Linux drivers...when?

[zippy]

I'm building a computer for my friend in the coming weeks (ehh....2 or 3). Therefore, we can't wait for a G800 and the G450 is too weak for the computer he is getting. SO! A radeon is what he is getting because it is fast, has DX8 support, and the 2D is, from what I've heard, about on par with the G400/G450!

However, he is a big time Linux user. He will have one partition as W2k and one as Linux (probably Mandrake 7.0 again, though he wants to try FreeBSD or Slackware instead...possibly...) but there are no linux drivers for the radeon!

Anyone have an idea as to when the Radeon linux drivers should be at least leaked?!
😱

 

[Radboy]

I asked over at linuxnewbie.com & they told me guy named Daryll at linux3d.org was in charge of development. See here.

I asked him & he wrote back this:

There is no support for the Radeon at this point. 2D and 3D development is under way, but not yet available in the distributions. A very early version is in the current XFree86 development tree, so you could try that if you are capable of building big packages. Otherwise you would probably be better off waiting for distributions to pick it up and make packages that are easier for you to use.

- |Daryll

 

[NOX]

Therefore, we can't wait for a G800 and the G450 is too weak for the computer he is getting

I agree, I also bough a RADEON (64MB) yesterday. I can't wait any longer for Matrox. Sorry I can't help you with you Linux question, soon I would think they'll release some drivers for Linux. I looked yesterday and didn't see any.

 

[zippy]

Radboy, thanks. 🙂 Fortunately, my friend whose computer this will be is very fluent with Linux and he set up an old laptop with it perfectly...thats tough. 😛 Also, if he can't do it, I have a friend who worked on KDE2 (did some icons and graphics) during the summer who would be able to help.

Any word on the official or at least ATI promoted drivers?? 😱