Qualcomm Makes Open-Source 3D Snapdragon Driver

An anonymous reader writes "Qualcomm today posted the source code to a Linux kernel driver for 2D/3D support on its OpenGL ES Core found on Snapdragon-based phones like the Nexus One. The company is trying to get this driver into the mainline Linux kernel, but it turns out that the user-space driver is still not open source, which has resulted in some problems already. The ongoing discussion can be found on FreeDesktop.org."

Comments

This is the great thing about Android.

[GNUALMAFUERTE]

It's not only a great system, and it's FS, it's also going to drive other companies to do the same, and open their code.

Re:This is the great thing about Android.

[marcansoft]

Too bad this driver isn't open source. Sure, the kernel component might be, but as the announcement itself clearly states, kernel 3D drivers are really just resource managers. The real driver lives in userland, and that part isn't open source. Phoronix is hoping it will be, but I've seen no clear indication of that.

Don't hold your breath. Nothing says the userspace component will be open sourced. Without that, this isn't even remotely an open-source 3D graphics driver. This is just an attempt to take advantage of a mainline driver being constantly updated and maintained with the kernel, without actually releasing the source to the part that matters (the userspace part).

It's nice to see kernel hackers understand ...

[GNUALMAFUERTE]

Where they stand, and the power they have right now.

FTFA:

We are going to start to see a number of companies in the embedded
space submitting 3D drivers for mobile devices to the kernel. I'd like
to clarify my position once so they don't all come asking the same
questions.

I hope they use this new found power wisely.

FUCK THEM MAN FUCK THEM TO TEARS ALREADY !!!!!!!!

[Anonymous Coward]

What is it with these ME-TOO asswipe corporations that show the tits but keep the pussy behind a chastity belt?

Re:This is for you RIM, Nokia, Microsoft and Apple

[Microlith]

Companies including RIM, Nokia, Microsoft and Apple should watch out for Android with its Linux roots. Development appears to be fast. At this speed their lunch is at risk.

RIM and Microsoft are the ones who really have to be concerned. Apple will turn into a niche, though a very competitive one. Nokia however is pushing Symbian down the stack to their midrange and lower phones, reserving the high end for MeeGo, which holds to more "true Linux roots" than Android by being a common Linux stack from the kernel up through X.

That doesn't mean it's competitive, but it sure gives it one hell of a draw that many people lost once they realized Android was a Java-incompatible Java sandbox.

Command stream protocol?

[White Flame]

So nosing through the posted code, it seems like it deals with shuffling commands through to the chip, but I don't see any header files helping to define what data gets sent through the actual "issueibcmds" call. There's some gfx-level stuff in yamato_reg.h so I could be wrong.

I guess companies like this want to keep their trade secret optimization techniques in how they convert OpenGL state to chip buffer commands, but if they would open up the actual chip-level communications then the community could create their own open source OpenGL layers. I suspect there's a lot of command styles and user-space optimization techniques that could be reused across multiple chipsets, yielding a lot of benefit to true open source 3d hardware acceleration drivers. I just really don't understand their business case for not letting people develop new software to their chip, even if their proprietary driver stays proprietary.

Plus, WHERE ARE THE COMMENTS? Does nobody actually document their code anymore? This is your companies' public relation and an olive leaf to the Linux community for crying out loud! Show at least some semblance of competence in writing maintainable software!

Re:This is for you RIM, Nokia, Microsoft and Apple

[dwater]

Also, I think the underlying issue in this story is about Open Source (rather than Linux), and I think even Symbian is more Open Source than Android is.

I say that mainly because of Symbian's open governance model - ie no one company has control. The same can be said of MeeGo, and Qt is heading that way too.

Symbian also gives you many more choices for development than Android - there's a whole wealth of programming languages to choose from.

In many ways, Nokia is really doing Open Source like very few other companies. I don't know if the upper echelons really get it (maybe), but the I'm certain many (majority even) of the engineers do - FOSS really is at the heart of the company.