11 Jan 2010 3 Comments
Asus Eee PC 1101HA, Intel GMA500 (Poulsbo) and the shattered dream of the out-of-the-box GNU/Linux support
Do not buy a Asus Eee PC 1101HA or any netbook/laptop having an Intel GMA500 (Poulsbo) video chipset if you plan to run GNU/Linux on it. Unlike Intel’s other video chipsets, the GMA500 is not developed in-house but it is based on Imagination Technologies’s PowerVR which is barely supported under GNU/Linux. The GMA500 drivers are so messy that it is even challenging to get the native display resolution. You can read more about how Intel is ruining its relationship with the GNU/Linux community on Linux Journal and Ars Technica.
I spent about 3800 NOK (460 EUR) to buy an Asus Eee PC 1101HA last Saturday. Now I can not return it to the reseller. In other words, I am screwed.
Jul 16, 2010 @ 11:06:59
Certain distros namely ubuntu pclinuxos mandriva are providing drivers/solutions for this ugly gma500/psb graphic device lately,Choose among them & enjoy!
Nov 11, 2010 @ 21:50:31
It is true that if you have some savy with linux you can get things running, but why do we need to go through so much work. Intel really ticked me off with this move. I cannot fathom why they did this to us.
Nov 12, 2010 @ 00:13:44
I would consider myself a GNU/Linux savvy, and I can manage to get the GMA500 up and running. Unfortunately, there is no driver out there that enables any sort of hardware acceleration, and this is clearly unacceptable…