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Intel Skylake & Broxton Graphics Processors To Start Mandating Binary Blobs
An anonymous reader writes: Intel has often been portrayed as the golden child within the Linux community and by those desiring a fully-free system without tainting their kernel with binary blobs while wanting a fully-supported open-source driver. The Intel Linux graphics driver over the years hasn't required any firmware blobs for acceleration, compared to AMD's open-source driver having many binary-only microcode files and Nouveau also needing blobs — including firmware files that NVIDIA still hasn't released for their latest GPUs. However, beginning with Intel Skylake and Broxton CPUs, their open-source driver will now too require closed-source firmware. The required "GuC" and "DMC" firmware files are for handling the new hardware's display microcontroller and workload scheduling engine. These firmware files are explicitly closed-source licensed and forbid any reverse-engineering. What choices are left for those wanting a fully-free, de-blobbed system while having a usable desktop?
...you care about modifying the display microcontroller and workload scheduling engine. I'm a proponant of open-source (open and free) software/firmware, but if your concern is that you can't wish open and free firmware from a company that is not open, then you are just like a Bible Thumper wishing your beliefs onto other people.
Final thoughts:
1) You have a problem with paying for the firmware, but not the hardware.
2) You are concerned that Intel's new processors will be "unusable" if not "de-blobbed."
3) You have too much time on your hands if you are concerned about being able to modify display microntroller firmware.
4) Even if documentation was publicly available, you probably don't have the skills to modify the display microntroller and workload scheduling engine....you sound like the Bible Thumper type.