G400 drivers for Win2k w/ monitor customizations: WHEN?

[Ashley]

Guys - I really don't want to search for links to the MANY, MANY past threads in which a beta tester or Matrox employee has, in fact, written about what the next driver and PD build will bring, and how they were shaping up.

The implication that this just isn't done here is silly, and you know it. So much so, in fact, that silence could be taken to mean that PD6 isn't even in beta test yet.

Anyway, I wasn't criticising beta testers - I simply dropped by MURC this morning and saw that someone had asked when PD 6 would be out. Being curious myself about this question, and seeing that there were already 3 replies, I opened the thread to find, not answers, but criticisms of the question.

I for one found the answers, not the question, to be brainless, unnecessary and irritating. Its not like the question had a belligerent ring to it - geez, the guy even attached one of those happy face icons to it.

But - look: if you guys really feel people asking this kind of question need to be disciplined, knock yourselves out...

[Alegria]

Point taken.

------------------
The pump don't work, 'cause the vandals took the handle...
Bob Dylan

[PaulS]

The version I have is 6.10.003, which is about a month old. Haig mentioned yesterday that there are newer ones, but they still have the particular problems I reported.

In OpenGL they are a bit slower than PD 5, but there is probably quite a bit of debugging code.

The advanced monitor adjustment stuff looks complete and is working fine, I think the hold up must be while they sort out the SMP issues. Yet another Windows 2000 release that doesn't work properly on multiprocessor machines would probably be more embarrassing than no release at all.

Paul

[Greebe]

Rags, Shouldn't that have read...
"I have only seen three people post in this thread that I know to be under NDA, and I am one of them.[/i]"?

Paul,
"Anyone here gone to jail for violating an NDA?" Would you risk it?

Ashley,
"by a MURC employee in unofficial capacity."
The MURC doesn't employ. It's wholly owned by Ant. Matrox and the MURC are two entirely different entities.


Now lets all kiss and make up girls.

To quote HOCP:
"Ever notice that CPU battles are like watching guys fight. Vid cards are like watching CHICKS fight."
Yah, when it's gamers whom believe that IS the only purpose of Gcards!

[PaulS]

Greebes, it doesn't bother me at all. In the last year was on the Office 2000 beta team, I'm on Windows ME (tried to get on to Windows 2000 but I messed up) and I've just been invited to join Visual C++ 7 in June. When people ask questions in the public MS newsgroups I answer them as best I can, and nobody from MS has ever complained. The only people that seem to get upset about it are a vocal minority of the other beta testers. Guess they feel it breaks the exclusivity of their club.

In my experience, no company would ever bother releasing information to beta testers that they a had a serious interest in keeping confidential.

Paul

[Kruzin]

Ashley-

"I really don't want to search for links to the MANY, MANY past threads in which a beta tester or Matrox employee has, in fact, written about what the next driver and PD build will bring, and how they were shaping up."

Yes...in terms of bug fixes we do that, but you will not find a thread where a beta tester has given out the information in question (unannounced features or release dates). In fact, we've been commended for our adherance to our NDAs more than once. You may find an actual Matrox employee making a comment here or there, but that's not the same thing. Beta testers are not employees, and cannot speak for Matrox (or their employees) in any way shape or form.

I'm sorry if the silence bothers you. We (beta testers) where being quiet on this topic. You pressed us for a comment, we gave the only one we could. You didn't like our answer. Not much else I can say about it, other than, yes, Powerdesk 6.xx is in beta testing for both 9x and 2k.

I hope I'm not coming across as critical as you seem to feel. I'm just trying to make our (or at least my) position clear.
To answer an earlier question of PaulS: "Anyone here gone to jail for violating an NDA?".
No. But people have been known to be booted from beta programs for violations. None of us want that. No matter what PaulS's experience with MS beta testing has been, Matrox takes their NDA's quite seriously.

As this topic has obviously drifted off topic, from the un-anwerable question of "when will the next drivers be released" to "lets critisize the beta boys for not telling us all we want them to", it will now be closed.