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AMD To Open-Source Its Linux Execution & Compilation Stack

Posted by Soulskill on from the open-source-execution-is-not-as-bad-as-it-sounds dept.

An anonymous reader writes "According to Phoronix, AMD will be open-sourcing its Linux execution and compiler stack as part of jump-starting the Heterogeneous System Architecture Foundation. The HSA Foundation was started earlier this month at the AMD Fusion Developer Summit and AMD plans to open up its stack so that others can utilize the code without causing HSA fragmentation. This will include LLVM code, the HSA run-time, an HSA kernel driver for Linux distributions, an HSA assembler, and other components."

4 of 81 comments (clear)

  1. Interesting timing... by DeTech · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Capitalizing on the Nvidia slam fest this week maybe?

    1. Re:Interesting timing... by unixhero · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Clearly Linux is feeding NVIDIA with a _platform_. Tegra is an architechture which will sell hundreds of thousands of units, benefiting NVIDIA immensely. It is a classic case of the tragedy of the commons, when a major player like Nvidia uses Linux as an engine of growth and gives little back. Yes, I know, they are providing the Tegra code upstream, so I guess it is kind if inacurate to use it as an example. In any case, any company with such a great success based around another entity's platform should provide some care and love back to that community. The one thing Linux/s needs is source code, and it is all in the interest of performance, usability, stability, interoptability; it's not asking for anything more. Yet, I do understand NVIDIA's conundrum. The driver has almost become an OS in itself because of the complexity of GPUs nowadays. I don't want to get too technical, because it is besides the point of this little post.

    2. Re:Interesting timing... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Sometimes it goes beyond that.

      Would you buy from a company that best fills needs, but has some practices that you strongly disagree with? What about if you can get something that's (~90%) as good from a competitor, but they're behaving in a manner that you want to encourage?

      It's not always so cut and dry.

  2. Re:Is this... by SalsaDoom · · Score: 5, Funny

    Lets get Linus to try it on government next!

    --
    "Computers will never truly be free until the last windows user is strangled with the entrails of the last mac user."