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VIA Releases 800 Pages of Documentation For Linux
billybob2 writes "VIA has published three programming guides that total 800 pages in length and cover their PadLock, CX700, and VX800/820 technologies. The VIA PadLock provides a random number generator, an advanced cryptography engine, and RSA algorithm computations. The VX800 chipset was VIA's first Integrated Graphics Processor, while the CX700 is a System Media Processor designed for the mobile market. This is another step in VIA's strategy to support the development of Free and Open Source drivers under Linux, which comes pre-installed on VIA products such as the Sylvania NetBook, HP Mini-Note, 15.4" gBook, gPC, CloudBook, Zonbu, and VIA OpenBook. Earlier this week, VIA hired Linux kernel developer and GPL-Violations.org founder Harald Welte to be VIA's liason to the Open Source community."
It's just a coincidence they came one after another, but I think companies are going to quickly realize that there's no benefit to keeping things locked up.
Suddenly they won't need to pay to write drivers, just release the documentation to write them (of course, it would be nice if they gave us a base). The OSS community will make the drivers more stable, cleaner, and faster. We will use the drivers for things they didn't imagine. All of this will save them money and sell their hardware (features added for free? added incentive to buy my stuff? sign me up!)
I think we may have reached critical mass, at least on the driver side.
I have developed a truly marvelous proof of this comment, which this signature is too narrow to contain.
Next step: Release the documentation for the display adapters please.
The open source drivers mostly can't handle the mpeg2/mpeg4 acceleration, and without that the Epias collapse when you try to watch some higher resolution video. That makes them quite unsuitable for living room usage, which is a shame because they could make excellent HTPCs. With better drivers the better Epia boards could handle HD video just fine..
They need serious competition from ATI and Linux fans choosing ATI because of document availability.
Same goes for Via too.
The pressure can only be done via free market and people's reason for choosing a product. Lets say, a huge customer like a country Army chooses ATI for their computers over NVidia just because ATI is documented. I tell you to count days (not weeks!) before Nvidia does similar move. Just watch the governments after the documentation of VIA, the salesman will have a real hard to beat argument: "It is open!"
Does the security agencies, armies still buy Nvidia while choosing Linux/BSD because the source is open? It really makes no sense to have binary thing running in supposed to be open and secure OS.
Now it is open, some very advanced developer may pick it and make that cheap hardware integrated graphics become the fastest performing integrated graphics in that class. They are very much tied to software/driver you know.
You know, such things happened, some people fixed Creative's advanced sound drivers to work fine in Vista I heard.
I got an impression that even big name guys like NVidia and ATI aren't performing the way they should because of drivers. Especially on OS X/Leopard I notice it. 70% of bad feedback about Leopard came because of Nvidia/ATI drivers.
The only thing disappointing is that we still don't have PadLock[esque] instructions in AMD's and Intel's mainstream CPUs. You need to max out a modern 2-core highly clocked CPU to match a fanless C7 1.2GHz CPU in SHA and AES performance. What the hell is the problem? NIHS?
XSHA for teh wins already!
Belief is the currency of delusion.
Not having read the said documentation yet, is it readable? A lot of documentations from design centers in non-English speaking countries are frequently written in incomprehensible or ambiguous Engrish that are more often than not, nearly useless. Kudos for trying however...
ELOI, ELOI, LAMA SABACHTHANI!?
True that. I had negative experiences with VIA Socket 7, SIS Socket A and nVidia AM2 chipsets.
Seems I only have two choices left when it's time for a new mainboard..
Truth arises more readily from error than from confusion. -Francis Bacon
> but the point is that VIA wants Linux, in particular (and the technologies
> like X that operate with the Linux kernel) to better support their products.
It might be a lot more pressing than just "wants". It wouldn't surprise me if decent Linux support is now a requirement for VIA to get some of that "netbook" action.
c.
Log in or piss off.