Lindens, why the FireGL card matters

I am new to Second Life, so please excuse me if this point has been raised a million times over already.

As I understand it, Second Life does not support laptops too well due to poor embedded graphics chips. That's understandable, those laptops are not fit to run realtime 3D in any case.

However, some of us are able and willing to pay that extra buck (or are fortunate enough to have our employers do so) for a laptop with an actual high-end graphics card. Today, that means FireGL and Quadro FX, among others. I fear these cards have been overlooked by LindenLab simply because they are not considered 'gaming' cards but rather video cards for graphics proffessionals.

I'm not saying LL should cater to laptop users simply due to the *vast* number of us. But at this particular point in time, Second Life is starting to attract some serious attention -- and from whom? Businesses. Advertisers. Technologists. Music and various media executives. These people are beginning to see the vast opportunities within SL and wish to establish a business presence there, thus contributing to the community with a plethora of brand new events, attractions, services, entertainment etc.


So what does this have to do with laptops? Well, two things, mainly:

1) These people - the CEOs, the CTOs, the VPs of communication - use laptops. The ALL use laptops. High-end models too, built specifically for businesses. And those laptops do not come equipped with gaming video cards. They come with 'business grade' components - such as FireGL. So when these people finally decide to spend an afternoon of their precious time checking out Second Life, they are bound to discover that it crashes/freezes/looks like shite on their $4,000 business PC. And this is AFTER downloading the client. AFTER giving you their credit card information. After calling up Jimbo in IT to come and look at it. Trust me: they HATE your guts at this point. And let me put it this way -- that is NOT the time you want to tell them it's their own fault for not using a 'gamer' laptop. They will NEVER do business with you. Ever.

2) Now if they DO forgive you for that little mishap, in order to establish themselves inside SL, these companies still need to find great coders, 3D modellers, etc. So they start looking for them in the places they know best: the proffessional ad agencies. So now the ad agencies are frantically telling their 3D people to start applying their Maya/3D Studio Max/whatever skills to Second Life as fast as humanly possible, because they have Coca-Cola, Ford and Time Warner lining up on their doorsteps with truckloads of cash. But guess what? The 3D graphics proffessionals on staff just upgraded their systems to brand new, kick-ass FireGL/Quadro FX chips - and you just excluded them from your world!!

So now you have CEO's thinking your world looks like shit, CTO's thinking you must not know what you're doing, and graphics artists unable to fuel your world with stunning 3D creations.

How's that for business planning?


Sincerely,


Jens Roland

Lab Agent, technology analyst and editor, LabConfidential
Innovation Lab
Denmark

woo FireGL game supported is just massive...

ATI FireGL™ (link)
Table 2: Recognized OpenGL Gaming Applications

Chronicles of Riddick
Jedi Knight II
Quake 4
Doom 3
Quake 3
Return to Castle Wolfenstein

and thats about it, never used one but it probably support more : p blame ati for drivers not LL

on the other hand... why are SL requirements now hidden, i sure cant find them on download page , another hide it somewhere and search for it?, brilliant, and it doesnt say squat about fireGL unleeesss,, you click YET another link, whats with all the link madness latly?

info here
http://secondlife.com/tiki/tiki-index.php?page=HomePage

click

then you check system requirements by clicking
http://secondlife.com/tiki/tiki-index.php?page=System+Requirements

click

For more information on graphics cards and support, see >
http://secondlife.com/tiki/tiki-index.php?page=TechGraphicsCard

click....

yaaawn