Why Matrox is so slow with driver issues

[Andrew Vaillant]

I thought everybody might be interested in the information I received in conversation with an anoymous Matrox employee... The real reason we all have beeen waiting forever for updated drivers from Matrox (especially the OpenGL ICD) is that like another famous Canadian computer company (Corel Corp.), Matrox likes to dump their employees when they have been at Matrox long enough to warrant promotions / salary increases. This results in rapid turnover of software / driver developers, with each new developer having a 6month learning curve to become proficient. Shame on you Matrox. This may be profitable but it is a terrible way to do business in a market where the most important aspect of a good product is solid (and timely released) drivers.

Having said this, I am still a slave to Matrox becuase of their peerless hardware quality. I could never run my desktop on a non-Matrox card again!

Where is the best place to order a G400max in Canada?

[GinoCyber]

I seriously doubt that the learning curve is 6 months for a proprietary chipset especially for a newbie. I don't think that they want to replace a vet for a rookie and expect that rookie to start working on a card.

Besides, getting rid of a vet would be damaging if he gets pissed and starts blabbing all over the web about the actual hardware.

In any case, here's what my contact at big M had a to say about it.

People leave because Compaq, Intel, and MS come in and take them away with big $$$.

I doubt that any other company can even match what these guys are offering, especially since it's in U.S $$$.

For the rest, they leave for some other company not related to graphics.

Ciao

[Tseng]

The best place to buy G400 Max would be Matrox on-line store.

[Buuri]

One thing that came to my mind of this.. I recently read somewhere an interview of this guy working for Matrox (link was here in forums). There he was asked that if it's true that there are only 2 people working on their OpenGL drivers. He replied yes.

Now, I also recall that some months ago somebody here swore that it will take no less than a 10 year work efford for a man to come up with a working ICD. (it was his attempt to save some of the Matrox's face)

If you think those numbers for a while you may come up with an idea that those 2 people started to work on those drivers somewhere around year 1994 and it took them 5 years to finally put working drivers out.

How do you like that?


B

[Ant]

No that interview said there WERE only 2 people working on it intially now there are much more.

[Buuri]

D'oh!

But must have been too thick anyway, as I tried to put it out in a sarcastic manner above.


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[RanDob]

Matrox has not lost a single member of the OpenGL team. Up to now, we have only been adding members.