That's why I have Intel GPUs on my machines. And if I need games, I'll buy a PS/3. As long as they are selling hardware or not getting the bad reputation they deserve, ATI and Nvidia won't fix the problem (of not having proper support for open-source drivers). As it is now, I'd never buy an ATI or Nvidia board for 3D.

If one doesn't want the other using their technologies, make the source public under a non-open license and sue the other if they use it. BTW, offer an easy and automated way to build, test and install the kernel modules.

Sorry, dont have ATI, I have Nvidia NVS 160M, using proprietary drivers. I think I'll try to figure out power management again in few weeks, but I'll decided to stay with 2D for now.

"- Installing the proprietary drivers (fglrx)..." Don't do this if you don't need 3d graphics. The proprietary driver is unstable.

No self respecting debian user encourages the use of non-free video drivers.

No self respecting user cares - they want want does the job in the most effective manner. Anything else is pointless, stallmanesque self flagellation.

Agree and disagree. It's not pointless, it's principled, and Stallman has this way of being right in the long term, so we ignore him at our peril.

However, for Linux to be a 100% replacement for Windows or OS X, we have to use to non-free software for some things. You could always choose not to do those things, as Stallman does, and sometimes I'm tempted given how little real utility movies and whatnot have in my life, but for Linux and all the free software it brings to make headway with the general public, non-free software is a necessary evil.

It's a tradeoff, both sides have pros and cons, gotta know them, and make an informed choice.