VIA's OpenChrome 0.3.0: "A Major Step Forward"

The xf86-video-openchrome DDX driver has been updated today with a version 0.3.0. Xavier Bachelot from the OpenChrome camp describes this release as "a major step forward for the openchrome X.org driver."

OpenChrome 0.3.0 now supports most of the features needed by modern X Servers, the code has seen a major overhaul, code clean-ups, and has been tested against most of the available VIA IGPs.

OpenChrome 0.3.0 supports TTM/GEM kernel memory management (assuming you're using James Simmons' DRM/KMS driver work that isn't currently mainline), KMS kernel mode-setting support, improved RandR handling, XAA support has been removed, DGA support has been removed, support for the X.Org Server 1.13 DDX driver API changes, and code clean-ups with various bug-fixes.

Known limitations at this point include EXA compositing being disabled, dual head not working fully, and the KMS-enabled DRM module isn't yet in the upstream kernel.

Details and source download links for xf86-video-openchrome 0.3.0 is available from the mailing list announcement.

The OpenChrome driver has moved forward but it's still far from being at the same standing as the Radeon/Nouveau/Intel open-source drivers, especially with the lack of the VIA KMS code in the mainline kernel and no signs on when merging it is planned. VIA Technologies also continues to do nothing for the open-source Linux graphics community and their x86 hardware itself is rather poor by today's standards.