[Mesa-dev] S2TC - yet another attempt to solve the "S3TC issue"

[Rudolf Polzer]

On Mon, Aug 08, 2011 at 01:01:14AM -0700, Corbin Simpson wrote:
> On Mon, Aug 8, 2011 at 12:58 AM, Egon Ashrafinia
> <egon.mageia at googlemail.com> wrote:
> > As I said in IRC ~ 2 Weeks ago, it is very Important that we support S3TC!
> >
> > I mean, the main problem is that this is a Software Patent, correct? Always
> > as I know, only in the United States of America, correct?
> >
> > If so, in my opinoin the solution is simple. Let's do it the same as we did
> > with --texture-float! Dont build it by default but ad a option to build it.
> > And then every Distribution can decide them self.
> > An American Distribution will disable it and an european distribution will
> > disable it.
> > Why dont we do it like this? I mean this is not a global patent. Even if so,
> > France wont accept it cause they dont have software patents. ( What a great
> > State!!! :D )
> >
> > Also, please keep in mind! Without this support, Linux/Gnu will _never_ and
> > I realy mean _never_ a gaming Plattform. Not now and not in the future!
> >
> > Let's do some may critical risks to improve the 3D Power of Gnu/Linux :D
> 
> *You* do it then. We already support an external S3TC lib which can be
> built separately; go convince distros to pick it up.

This then is what S2TC is for. Distros could ALREADY take S2TC and include
that, while most gamers wouldn't see a difference, while feeling "safer" from
those patents (whether it is actually a successful evasion, only a judge can
decide).

The suggestion however is to include a S2TC-like method with Mesa, to basically
make sure that in the long run NO distro has no support for S3TC uploading,
without requiring an extra decision in each distro.

Best regards,

Rudolf Polzer