I'd prefer to see NVidia style drivers, personally. I don't give a rat's beans if optimized video card, nic, etc drivers are open.

I just want a system that will work properly without them. Not 60FPS on Ultra settings in <game> work, I mean boot and function as a normal user's desktop.

Yeah, I don't care about nvidia drivers, either. AMD doesn't need this in the kernel anymore than nvidia does (and they don't). Kernel modules work just fine for drivers. I don't want some convoluted shit crammed into mainline because <company> chooses to ignore feedback about their code. I am perfectly fine with this one guy shooting down AMD's pretentious attitude here. If it weren't for those kernel devs, good luck getting a Linux system to "boot and function as a normal user's desktop" because of all the crap that would be in there. Like systemd, just piles of crap in a confused, kitchen-sink orgy.

I have come to fear that we will eventually need GPU drivers in the kernel directly, thanks to more and more of the graphics code out there assuming DRM/DRI etc.

Being a free beer clone of expensive UNIX workstation OSes helped.

Of course companies had an agenda to improve it to the point they wouldn't need to keep paying Sun, SGI, HP, IBM, Compaq, Unisys,...