Is Intel’s 965 chipset going to be your next video hardware?

Intel releases source code to drive its upcoming video hardware under the MIT license (a non-copylefted free software license). Here’s a list of the hardware you can use with this software (these are the video cards to choose from when buying your next video card, laptop, or desktop machine):

Short name Full name
965G G965 Integrated Graphics Controller
965Q Q963/Q965 Integrated Graphics Controller
946GZ 946GZ/GL Integrated Graphics Controller
945G 945G Integrated Graphics Controller
945GM Mobile 945GM/GMS/940GML Express Integrated Graphics Controller
915G 82915G/GV/910GL Express Chipset Family Graphics Controller
915G 82915G Express Chipset Family Graphics Controller
915GM Mobile 915GM/GMS/910GML Express Graphics Controller
865G 82865G Integrated Graphics Controller
855GM 82852/855GM Integrated Graphics Device
852GM 82852/855GM Integrated Graphics Device
845G 82845G/GL[Brookdale-G]/GE Chipset Integrated Graphics Device
i830M 82830 Chipset Graphics Controller
815 82815 Chipset Graphics Controller
810 82810 Chipset Graphics Controller
810-DC100 82810-M DC-100 System and Graphics Controller

This would be fantastic news if it came with no strings attached (like patents that restrict what people can do with the software). It could be enough to cause recommending Intel graphics hardware instead of some low-end hardware we can run with free software.

Even Eben Moglen, FSF’s counsel, is interested; he’s quoted as saying

It’s a very important step in the evolution of the industry.

and

The move that Intel has taken, toward making better interoperability with free operating systems by abandoning secrecy, is the sign of a new competitive approach.

I’ll gladly recommend this hardware to clients, family, and friends if it’s all it’s shaping up to be.

2 thoughts on “Is Intel’s 965 chipset going to be your next video hardware?

  1. This is your cousin. I’d forgotten about the blog/radio show and just stumbled on this right now as I googled about the 965G. Consider this one family member who won’t need to be convinced about this hardware. I’m waiting patiently for a laptop manufacturer to start offering this chipset.

    I like the blog a lot. Talk to you soon.

  2. Good info to know about, I will have to check the blogspot more often now that I cannot listen to Digital Citizen on 90.1FM.

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