DRM Patches For Linux 2.6.27 Kernel

The Linux 2.6.26 kernel had featured updated Intel and ATI DRM that added the needed kernel support for the ATI R500 and Intel GMA 4500 3D support. While the merge window for the Linux 2.6.27 kernel has already closed, we will hopefully see a few more Direct Rendering Manager (DRM) patches. We've already seen DRM file restructuring early on in the 2.6.27 cycle, but David Airlie has requested Linus Torvalds incorporate a few additional patches.

These patches have fixes for debugging the X startup sequence, a fix for a warning generated by the IRQ locking code, Intel hardware stability improvements, allowing the SiS driver to build with fbdev, Radeon R300/500 lock-up fixes, and finally is much improved back-light key support for Intel notebooks. The back-light keys on some newer Intel notebooks (such as the ThinkPad T61) where ACPI IGD OpRegion is used for controlling the screen's brightness.

In David Airlie's mailing list message, he mentions "We are hopefully trying a more upstream oriented DRM development process quite soon, which may make things like this happen less often as the drm developers educate themselves on patch cycles."

UPDATE: Linus Torvalds has denied these patches from entering the Linux 2.6.27 kernel. Linus's disgruntled email can be read here. These changes therefore (aside from possibly regression fixes) will not enter the Linux kernel until 2.6.28,