Re: [tlug] petition for opengraphics card

[Attila Kinali <attila@example.com>]

On Sun, 29 Jul 2007 18:25:04 -0700
Jonathan Byrne <jonathan@example.com> wrote:

> On Sunday 29 July 2007 09:48, Gernot Hassenpflug wrote:
> 
> > of years now to come up with a decently-priced mainly 2-D graphics
> 
> I signed the petition, but contrary to the above, the petition and 
> description state that the design is mainly 3D, not 2D.

This is because the petition was launched very early in the life
of OGP. Long before it was known which direction OGP will take.
Nowadays it's clear that it will a 95% pure 3D card optimized
for desktop use (ie all the fancy features that a desktop needs
these days accelerated in hardware, nothing fancy for games,
2D "emulated" using 3D commands).
 
> I'm not sure that I exactly consider $100/$200 price points to 
> necessarily be decently priced, insofar as I can buy cards at those 
> price points or less *right now* but I support the idea of the card, 
> anyway.

The problem is the production. Producing an ASIC costs money, a damn
lot of money. The masks alone cost something around 1Mio USD and with
that, no chip is produced yet. To make it cost effective, at least
100k chips have to be produced. 

> I wonder how far it will get before nVidia and ATI dig as deep and as 
> hard as they can into their patent portfolios looking for things to 
> kill it?

Not very deep. One lawsuit is enough, and it doesn't matter whether
it has any bases or not, it just needs to eat up money and OGP
is a gonner.

			Attila Kinali

-- 
Praised are the Fountains of Shelieth, the silver harp of the waters,
But blest in my name forever this stream that stanched my thirst!
                         -- Deed of Morred