With XFree86 4.0 and the Direct Rendering Interface (DRI), hardware accelerated 3D graphics can be considered a standard feature on Linux workstations. Support for other operating systems, such as FreeBSD, is underway.
This document describes how to use the DRI system and troubleshoot problems which may occur. Readers should have a basic understanding of Linux, X and OpenGL. See the resources section at the end for more documentation and software downloads.
This document does not cover compilation or installation of XFree86 4.0. It is assumed that you've already installed a Linux distribution which includes XFree86 4.0 or that you're an experienced Linux developer who has compiled the DRI for himself. DRI download, compilation and installation instructions can be found at http://dri.sourceforge.net/DRIcompile.html
Edits, corrections and updates to this document may be mailed to brianp@valinux.com.