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Intel has just made it a lot easier for Linux users to get the most from its new, fourth-generation graphics architecture.
The companys Open Source Technology Center has announced the immediate availability of free, open-source software drivers that support the 2-D/3-D graphics features of the 965 Express Chipset, the first chip set supporting the new architecture.
Among other top-of-the-line features, the 965 chip-set family is designed to support advanced rendering features in modern graphics APIs.
The 965 family includes support for programmable vertex, geometry and fragment shaders.
By open-sourcing the drivers, Intel will enable the open-source community to experiment, develop and contribute to the continuing advancement of open-source 3-D graphics programs such as the 3-D Linux desktop programs Xgl and Compiz.
Intel has designed multiple versions of the 965 chip set, which supports its Core 2 Duo processor as well as its Pentium D.
The G965 and Q965, designed for consumer-oriented and business-oriented PCs, each offer built-in graphics.
The 965 graphics engine, dubbed Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3000, offers several additional features versus Intels current 945G integrated graphics chip set.