[PLUS] S3 Virge and Savage: What About S3 Graphics?

What about S3?

S3 amazed Windows developers with its hardware, created one of the best and longest-selling graphics card series with the Trio series, integrated 3D acceleration functions into its chips early on and gave PC gamers incredibly crisp textures with a compression method that is still used today. Nevertheless, Geforce and Radeon have dominated gaming PCs for years, while memories of VIRGE, Savage, Chrome & Co. are fading more and more. We’re working on what led S3 to success, but also to the sinking.

S3 Inc. was founded in 1989 by Diosdado “Dado” Banatao and Ronald “Ron” Yara. The name goes back to the fact that this was already the third start-up by Banatao, who comes from a northern Philippine farming family and who, after completing a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, worked for Boeing on the 747 program, among others. The aircraft manufacturer enabled him to attend the University of Washington, but Banatao moved to Silicon Valley in 1971, where he attended nearby Stanford University. After receiving his Ph.D., he worked at National Semiconductor, Commodore, Intersil and Synertek. At his next station, Seeq Technology, Banatao developed the plans for his own startup: In 1984, he founded the mainboard manufacturer Mostron together with business partner Francis Siu and seed capital of 500,000 US dollars. Ronald Yara, who grew up in Hawaii and also had a degree in electrical engineering, was hired to manage the company. After stints at companies such as McDonnel Douglas, Data Pathing and Raytheon, he stayed at Intel for ten years, where he acquired new skills in product marketing.

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The following topics can be found in the article:

• From Boeing to S3
• Windows, but fast
• The masterpiece
• Banatao moves on
• The third dimension
• 3D decelerator
• VIRGE suspended
• Comeback with Savage?
• Crisp textures
• Savage done right?
• The end of S3 Inc.
• S3 Graphics
• The Chrome Era
• The Last Heirs

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