Netbooks with GMA500 (Sony Vaio, Dell Mini 10 etc.)

As some of you know there are two main hardware platforms you can find in current netbook models (to be joined by a 3rd one with Nvidia ION). The most common model is based on Intel Atom N270 or N280 with an accompanying GMA 945 Intel graphics chipset. This one is able to run SecondLife and that's the platform targeted with the Netbook Edition Rainbow Viewer.

There is a second, not so common platform based on Intel Atom Z520 or Z530 CPU together with GMA 500 graphics. That graphics chipset was not developed by Intel but insourced and lacks proper support for it's drivers. The Linux folks suffered most from old proprietary drivers lacking features and performance. Intel is guilty of especially having forgotten to include an OpenGL component in their (even latest) drivers. This results in all netbooks with GMA500 graphics are not being able to run SecondLife (or other applications that require OpenGL acceleration) at all.

Affected models (incomprehensive list) are: Dell Mini 10 (not Mini 10v) and Mini 12, Sony Vaio, Acer Aspire 751, EeePC 1101HA and T91, MSI Wind U115 and a number more (please check your specs if you are unable to run SL).

Someone asked me for help to run SL on such GMA500 platform. (Un)fortunately I don't have one of these but I did some search. It appears there are some unofficial drivers around that add the OpenGL functionality that Intel "forgot".

http://my.opera.com/boylane/blog/gma500-driver-with-quot-forgotten-quot-opengl-for-netbooks/

If you have a netbook based on Atom Z series with GMA 500 please give this a shot and also please report back if you were able to get SL running (or not). That would be a great thing for many people if it worked, for now it's only hope, so cross your fingers. Good luck!