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VIA Announces Open Source Driver Initiative

Posted by kdawson on from the itching-for-source dept.

Aron Schatz writes "VIA has announced that they will start a new site (http://linux.via.com.tw — doesn't exist yet) specifically for the development of open source drivers. From their press release: 'Over the following months, VIA will work with the community to enable 2D, 3D and video playback acceleration to ensure the best possible Open Source experience on VIA Processor Platforms. 'To further improve cooperation with the community, VIA will also adhere to a regular quarterly release schedule that is aligned with kernel changes and release of major Linux distributions. In addition, beta releases will be issued on the site as needed, and a bug report and tracking feature will also be integrated.' Nvidia should be next."

18 of 134 comments (clear)

  1. Nvidia have already open sourced what they can by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

    NVidia use a whole lot of IP from other vendors, and they CAN'T make everything open source because of that. NVidia has made massive efforts in helping their products work on linux as smoothly as possible, and should be praised for their efforts, not berated.

    If Via own all the IP they use, great! They'll be able to open source the lot. NVidia doesn't, so can't, so why give them a hard time after all their efforts to open source as much as possible?

    1. Re:Nvidia have already open sourced what they can by gmack · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Because no one asked for their IP. All anyone wants is details on the API. They can keep their drivers.

      Nvida has also not open sourced "as much as possible" They got dragged kicking and screaming every step of the way. They didn't assist with open sourced drivers for their on board chipset devices until the open source folks reverse engineered the NVidia's drivers and did a better job than NVidia did.

      Intel can do it. ATI has promised to do it and now so does VIA. Why is NVidia different?

      I'm about 4 months from my next video card purchase and I will be taking a hard look at who has the best Linux support. A 10 FPS difference is not worth drivers that seem to need reinstalling every reboot (thanks NVIDIA).

    2. Re:Nvidia have already open sourced what they can by AvitarX · · Score: 5, Interesting

      The real meat of it for me is the video playback.

      From what I can find online NOBODY has h.264 accelerated playback in Linux, and the best solution is to use a hack that loads a commercial software decoder made for Windows.

      Until I read this I thought my next HTPC would be ATI if things ever came to be, but now it may be VIA.

      I will build my next PC as soon as I find a fairly inexpensive card/chipset that will do HDMI out, and hardware H.264 in Linux. I don't care whether it is good closed source (like Nvidia graphics)or open source support either, Just that it works well and is fairly low power usage (pegging a fast multi-core CPU does not count).

      Until Nvidia offers feature parity with Windows on Linux or enough is opened for the community to do it themselves they deserve a hard time.

      If someone knows a good solution for this let me know so I can stop waiting.

      --
      Wow, sent an e-mail as suggested when clicking on "use classic" banner, and got a fast response that addressed my msg
    3. Re:Nvidia have already open sourced what they can by pc486 · · Score: 5, Informative

      > Intel can do it. ATI has promised to do it and now so does VIA. Why is NVidia different?

      ATI hasn't just promised, they did:

      http://ati.amd.com/developer/open_gpu_documentation.html
      http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=842&num=1

    4. Re:Nvidia have already open sourced what they can by dotancohen · · Score: 5, Informative

      Intel can do it. ATI has promised to do it and now so does VIA. Why is NVidia different? Since September, ATI is really far along, to the point where the free drivers are already improving with the published specs. ATI isn't only promising, they are delivering.
      --
      It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.
    5. Re:Nvidia have already open sourced what they can by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      > Intel can do it. ATI has promised to do it and now so does VIA. Why is NVidia different?

      I'll probably get suicided for telling you this, but i cant stay quiet any more.

      the driver would reveil that it only has two parameter: maxfps and minpowerreq. Those parameter, on the other hand, is set from a simple jumper on the GFX-Card - the GPU isself has been the same from the first GForce almost a decade ago to the newest 9900 Models they are going to "invent" next year. All GPU's have the same Core, reverse engineered from a UFO that crashed in Fairbanks, New Mexico. They would release the new Models now, but Sam Carter is in another galaxy and is only one who has a signature-key for the Asgarth compiler. So, sorry, no opensource drivers for you! ... ... what's that humming in front of my windows....?

  2. Can you get it at ... by symbolset · · Score: 5, Funny

    Can you get the Zonbu at zombo?

    --
    Help stamp out iliturcy.
    1. Re:Can you get it at ... by sayfawa · · Score: 4, Funny

      You shouldn't have to ask. Anything is possible at zombocom.

      --
      Free the Quark 3 from asymptotic confinement! Bring your charm! Don't get down! All colours and flavours welcome!
  3. kudos by immerohnegott · · Score: 4, Insightful

    While not exactly a major powerhouse by my estimate, VIA still holds a pretty decent hunk of marketshare. Nice to see one more (relatively) large player see Linux as a valid enough market to make this kind of effort.

  4. I'll believe it when I see it working.... by questro · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I'll believe it when I see the drivers working on my Ubuntu system with desktop effects active. I've tried the OpenChrome drivers and other things and nothing works with the UniChrome Pro CN400/PM880 video card that I have. Via has been very disappointing so far.

  5. I like VIA's strategy by $random_var · · Score: 5, Informative

    They go out of their way to encourage the growth of an ecosystem in which their products can compete. Not too long ago I hadn't heard of any PC/laptop processors besides AMD/Intel, but thanks to VIA's encouragement of the Ultra-mobile PC market (or 'netbooks' as Intel likes to call them) they have suddenly become a player.

    VIA created the nanobook reference design for mini-laptops that use their low-cost, low-power chips. Already the CloudBook has come out based on that design, and in other countries various similar laptops have been released from different distributors. Now they're stimulating essential linux development, which will continue to increase the value of their low-cost platform. This has "win" written all over it; we're all going to come out ahead thanks to their strategy.

  6. Extend It To Crypto by SlashdotOgre · · Score: 4, Informative

    I hope they consider extending it to their crypto accelerator. Even low end Via boards (like the C3 I bought two years ago for $60 from newegg) include a hardware RNG and low level AES routines, and it would be cool to get some proper support. I've used Sun's crypto accelerators on their T2000's and the difference on certain algorithms is stunning.

    --
    Sadly, PS/2 was yet another victim of USB, which doesn't care what you plug into it, the electrical slut.
    1. Re:Extend It To Crypto by TeknoHog · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Umm, this has been in the vanilla Linux kernel for a while. I've tried it with the C7 with great success, too bad the rest of the motherboard wasn't particularly good with Linux.

      --
      Escher was the first MC and Giger invented the HR department.
  7. Re:Year of the Linux.... portable? by malevolentjelly · · Score: 4, Informative

    That's total BS. Once more, it is not the year of the Linux Desktop- OR portable.

    It is the year of the rat:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rat_(zodiac)

    Learn your lunar calendars, Slashdot.

  8. Re:nVidia next? by Mike+Zilva · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I've got an intel G35 (integrated graphics) based board from Asus (P5E-VM HDMI) and im'm prety happy with 3D at 1600x1200 on ubuntu 8.04beta. I usualy don't like integrated devices, but I choose this board just bacause intel released open source drivers/specs and they deserve this choice.

  9. Re:Extend It To Crypto - already done by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The Via H/W random generator is used as a /dev/[u]random driver in current kernels, and the AES engine is available as an openssl 'engine', so I'm not sure what else you need.

    Via really stuffed up, however, when they made repeated half-baked attempts at 'semi-binary' drivers which worked only on ancient versions like Redhat 9 and wouldn't provide any support or information on the MPEG decoding chip (in the CLE266 and above) which was essential to getting working DVD and DVB playback on the low power boards like the Nemiah.

    I won't hold my breath...

  10. Re:Year of the Linux.... portable? by ianare · · Score: 4, Funny

    It is the year of the rat: So Microsoft is looking forward to massive profits.
  11. Re:Year of the rant by ceifeira · · Score: 5, Funny

    My Linux runs ratpoison.