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[Zombie James]

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/nvidia-linux-basemosaic-ubuntu-parity,24519.html

According to the post, the Ubuntu user connected three displays using BaseMosaic, backed by Nvidia's v310 drivers and two GeForce GTX 560 Ti cards in SLI. But after configuring the xorg.conf file and adding the supposedly supported fourth display, only three monitors would light up.

"Then I tried installing the v325 drivers after uninstalling all the Ubuntu Nvidia packages," the post reads. "This only worked for 2 monitors, because I couldn't get BaseMosaic working anymore, even not from the Nvidia GUI after enabling advanced options. After a little bit of research I found that v310 only supports up to 3 monitors in BaseMosaic, the same is valid for v325."

Yet in v295, the Ubuntu user was able to get four monitors up and running. So why was BaseMosaic altered to support only three monitors instead? Nvidia explains. "For feature parity between Windows and Linux we set BaseMosaic to 3 screens," said "Sandpit" of Nvidia's Linux team.

What's interesting here is that Nvidia's proprietary Windows driver has features not found in the Linux drivers, but the company will remove specific Linux-only features for "parity." The comment indicates that the three-screen limit has nothing to do with a degradation of quality when using four screens, but a possible Microsoft request/demand.

Oh boy, driver politics. Lock if old.

 

[Viola of the Abyss]

This is disheartening, I wonder how many times things like these happened already and nobody ever noticed...

 

[Eusis]

This is disheartening, I wonder how many times things like these happened already and nobody ever noticed...

Given the Linxus install base combined with how often people likely actually use multimonitor setups, probably pretty often.

Probably also more reason to hope Valve shakes things up severely with SteamOS.

 

[DXPett1]

Just another company taking a dig at Windows. They are lining up atm. They can smell blood

 

[fvng]

Save us Valve

 

[ComputerMKII]

 

[demolitio]

I wonder if we'll hear a lot more of these stories now thanks to recent developments in the PC industry. Good times...Good times...

 

[dragonelite]

Is this nvidia only thing?
Im pretty sure i have seen windows machine 5~6 monitors.

 

[Aussie Legend]

I wish the words "feature parity" would die.

 

[Walshicus]

Is this a case of Windows not being *able* to run that feature, or rather NVidia *choosing* to enforce parity?

 

[Sword Of Doom]

Do anti-trust laws allow things like this? imo it should be against the law

 

[solarus]

Linus is gonna explode.

 

[Polk]

Is this a case of Windows not being *able* to run that feature, or rather NVidia *choosing* to enforce parity?

Well with Matrox cards you can hook up even 8 displays.

 

[Walshicus]

Well with Matrox cards you can hook up even 8 displays.

Exactly. Looks like a business rule rather than something sinister.

 

[Atraveller]

Save us Valve

Valve doesn't write drivers, nvidia does.

 

[HolyBaikal]

I thought Nvidia was supposedly getting behind Linux?

 

[Xyphie]

Is this a case of Windows not being *able* to run that feature, or rather NVidia *choosing* to enforce parity?

Probably an anti-feature from Nividia's end of things, they have other cards that can do it so they probably want to drive sales of more expensive Quadro cards etc. Not gonna stop the conspiracy theorists from blaming Microsoft though.

 

[coolasj19]

Know what? There was a buzzword thread a while back and I just thought of an answer.

I hate the word Parity. I'm starting to despise it with a fiery burning passion.

 

[Haunted]

I thought Nvidia was supposedly getting behind Linux?

Gotta get behind someone first if you want to stab them in the back.

 

[dragonelite]

Well with Matrox cards you can hook up even 8 displays.

Did some searches

And it seems windows doesn't have any screen count hardlimit.
But does have an resolution hard limit 32k or something for both horizontal and vertical pixelcount.

 

[Sentenza]

Save us Valve

I thought Nvidia was supposedly getting behind Linux?

While it would be nice to see this minor issue addressed, I'm ready to bet that people with a four monitors setup is not exactly the target demographic nor a priority for any of those two companies.

 

[FrozenCell]

AMD does 6 displays just fine, who needs the N-word?

 

[TheD]

AMD does 6 displays just fine, who needs the N-word?

People that like good Linux drivers.

 

[trulsnes]

As stated by others this has less to do with actual technical limitations than making nvidia able to sell 4 screen support as as a feature on more expensive cards.

 

[Ovek]

Save us Valve

Why? They will be a slave to shitty Nvidia drivers just like every other Linux distro...

 

[McLovin]

unprecedented partnership.... of salt

 

[Sentenza]

Why? They will be a slave to shitty Nvidia drivers just like every other Linux distro...

?

 

[wsippel]

I assume this is a Quadro feature Nvidia simply forgot to turn off in the Linux drivers?

 

[angular graphics]

I assume this is a Quadro feature Nvidia simply forgot to turn off in the Linux drivers?

My thoughts exactly.

 

[EGM1966]

AMD does 6 displays just fine, who needs the N-word?

They also make shit Linux drivers.

Sad state of affairs and although I'm generally against too much regulation this really should be covered in anti-trust and competitive laws/regulations. This kind of shit is allowed too often and it's bad for the consumer as it stifles competition.

It's just nuts - how can companies compete if they are able to force "parity" : it's just plain stupid.

Also - save us Valve! Show Nvidia their error and get them to improve Linux their linux drivers to remove this kind of crap.

 

[Coulomb_Barrier]

Do anti-trust laws allow things like this? imo it should be against the law

It's certainly anti-consumer.

 

[wsippel]

Looked through the Nvidia website, and it seems I was right: It's a Quadro feature. So this isn't really about shitty Linux support or feature parity or anything, it's just that Nvidia wants customers to buy expensive Quadro cards if they need more than two monitors.

Then why did it ever work you might ask? Because Geforce and Quadro cards are virtually identical, same GPU and all. The only real difference is software. If the drivers recognize a card as a Quadro card, they enable Quadro features - and in this case, they had the feature enabled regardless.

 

[angular graphics]

Looked through the Nvidia website, and it seems I was right: It's a Quadro feature. So this isn't really about shitty Linux support or feature parity or anything, it's just that Nvidia wants customers to buy expensive Quadro cards if they need more than two monitors.

Then why did it ever work you might ask? Because Geforce and Quadro cards are virtually identical, same GPU and all. The only real difference is software. If the drivers recognize a card as a Quadro card, they enable Quadro features - and in this case, they had the feature enabled regardless.

So as ironic as it might sound it's a case of nvidia taking the linux market more seriously. I assume before they didn't mind the restriction wasn't there.

 

[Ty4on]

Is this nvidia only thing?
Im pretty sure i have seen windows machine 5~6 monitors.

AMD has had eyefinity which supports up to 6 monitors. Nvidia has been behind them here and before the 600 series you could only run 2 monitors on one card. There's probably something with Windows that has made multiple monitors harder.

 

[hoos30]

When in doubt, blame Microsoft.

 

[TheD]

AMD has had eyefinity which supports up to 6 monitors. Nvidia has been behind them here and before the 600 series you could only run 2 monitors on one card. There's probably something with Windows that has made multiple monitors harder.

No, Nvidia cards have less encoders (be it DVI/HDMI or Display Port), that is why they generally support less screens than AMD cards.

 

[wsippel]

So as ironic as it might sound it's a case of nvidia taking the linux market more seriously. I assume before they didn't mind the restriction wasn't there.

Nah, Nvidia's excellent Linux support was almost exclusively thanks to the Quadro line and their professional customers, as Linux became a force in the movie and CAD/ CAE industry and the scientific sector a long time ago. Companies like Autodesk, Alias and ifx needed something to put their high-end stuff on when sgi folded, and Windows didn't cut it, so Linux eventually succeeded IRIX (and Solaris, HPUX and AIX on workstations). It's a small but highly lucrative market for Nvidia, and one where they mostly sell Quadro cards, so they certainly wanted to keep the restrictions in place.

 

[FrozenCell]

People that like good Linux drivers.

They also make shit Linux drivers.

can you 2 describe your problems with AMD Linux drivers?

my only gripe is they're too slow to build latest xorg support into the binary blob

i can easily switch between binary and open source Radeon drivers whenever i want to

Catalyst runs Steam games just fine for me while the kernel modesetting driver is catching up nicely

AMD has been providing documentation for far longer and actually develops their FOSS driver like Intel

Nvidia's latest 'effort' into open source is just a whitewash attempt and this thread is a testament to why Linus gave them the finger