[Ian]

It looks like the ATI brand name will be disappearing from the shelves sometime soon, as AMD are going to drop the name from the next-generation graphics card series:

"When AMD first acquired ATI in ‘06, the ATI brand was very well respected; it continues to be today. It wasn’t something that could quickly be tossed aside. However, now that AMD has overtaken NVIDIA (according to the latest Mercury research data), further cementing its position in the discrete graphics space, and is readying its first Fusion-based processors that mate CPU and GPU cores on a single die, AMD felt it was the right time to shed the ATI brand name."

You can read more at Hot Hardware.

[muckshifter]

err, the link goes to HOThardware, same story like.

I doubt very much that they have a "programmer" or two, in the "new brand" who can actually write drivers for the new, revamp, rename, rebadge, you-have-to-buy-a-dongle graphics cards.

It was always going to be so ...

[Ian]

Whoops, link text corrected - I was considering both articles and went for the wrong title

[floppybootstomp]

However, now that AMD has overtaken NVIDIA...

That will probably be a temporary situation owing to the fact that for their latest generations of cards ATI almost got it right and Nvidia almost got it wrong.

We shall see.

It's possible the real reasoning behind the brand re-naming is a secret poll revealing little confidence in ATI's drivers.

For the past twelve years...

[sibeer]

Can't see why you would get rid of a successful and recognised brand. Is it really that difficult to sell GPUs as ATI and the rest as AMD?

[muckshifter]

Originally Posted by sibeer

Can't see why you would get rid of a successful and recognised brand. Is it really that difficult to sell GPUs as ATI and the rest as AMD?

yep

it was always going to be, one name, same in most marrages

What we "old folks" want to know is, is AMD going to employ, find, beg, borrow or steal a "programer" who can write drivers, drivers are the key here, that could put ATI, err, sorry AMD, on level footing with Cyrix ... spellcheck ... nVidia.

[sibeer]

Originally Posted by muckshifter

yep

it was always going to be, one name, same in most marrages

What we "old folks" want to know is, is AMD going to employ, find, beg, borrow or steal a "programer" who can write drivers, drivers are the key here, that could put ATI, err, sorry AMD, on level footing with Cyrix ... spellcheck ... nVidia.

In fairness they have done a better job since the takeover. Still a way of nVidia, particularly for Linux, but they have come on leaps and bounds.