Imagination Launches A MIPS Development Board

[Gusar]

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...ce,3743-6.html

Say what you will about them, but they make the best driver. Some of that has to be due to osx efficiency, however.

Those graphs do look impressive, however these benchmark results mean nothing to owners of CedarView machines, for example. I'm not interested in their tech until they provide at least Nvidia-style continuous updates for their blob, if they don't want to release open drivers and/or specs.

[liam]

Those graphs do look impressive, however these benchmark results mean nothing to owners of CedarView machines, for example. I'm not interested in their tech until they provide at least Nvidia-style continuous updates for their blob, if they don't want to release open drivers and/or specs.

I'm not saying ANYTHING other than what I said. They make great drivers.
Personally, I would never buy them. I do have one device (nexus s) that has pvr graphics but it's old, and no longer being used. Also, it was a nexus so it had had proper updates.

[Gusar]

Personally, I would never buy them. I do have one device (nexus s) that has pvr graphics but it's old, and no longer being used.

You know what? I too have a device with PVR graphics! Seriously . Motorola Defy, still use it, will continue to do so until it breaks. I was looking at the Nexus S back then, but I deemed it too expensive, so I went with the Defy. But the phone runs Android anyway, not a traditional Linux distro, so open drivers weren't so important to me, a vibrant modding community was, which the Defy does have.

[liam]

You know what? I too have a device with PVR graphics! Seriously . Motorola Defy, still use it, will continue to do so until it breaks. I was looking at the Nexus S back then, but I deemed it too expensive, so I went with the Defy. But the phone runs Android anyway, not a traditional Linux distro, so open drivers weren't so important to me, a vibrant modding community was, which the Defy does have.

The S was pretty cheap for what it was (like all but the first nexus). That, and that it was running the latest vanilla android were, and are, the reasons to buy one.
If you want to run open software checkout inforce hardware. That's what rob clark hacks on.

[0xBADCODE]

But but but.. I thought those binary blob NVIDIA / ATI drivers were so awesome.

If we talk about embedded, Nvidia actually released opensource driver for Tegra if I remember correctly. Probably Tegra is one of first of embedded ICs with opensource GPU drivers. I wish Nvidia stopped bitching and did the same for desktop (Intel and AMD already doing something like this, he-he).

In embedded world, proprietary driver not just a bit of headache. It is some thing with appaling reputation which is ACTIVELY UNWELCOME, since it puts ton of moron restrictions on system builder. Needless to say, WE HATE BLOBS. Blobs are the absolutely worst part you can face in embedded system. Most Linux devs and builders/integrators are likely kill blobs on sight (if they can).

[brad0]

If we talk about embedded, Nvidia actually released opensource driver for Tegra if I remember correctly. Probably Tegra is one of first of embedded ICs with opensource GPU drivers. I wish Nvidia stopped bitching and did the same for desktop (Intel and AMD already doing something like this, he-he).

In embedded world, proprietary driver not just a bit of headache. It is some thing with appaling reputation which is ACTIVELY UNWELCOME, since it puts ton of moron restrictions on system builder. Needless to say, WE HATE BLOBS. Blobs are the absolutely worst part you can face in embedded system. Most Linux devs and builders/integrators are likely kill blobs on sight (if they can).

NVIDIA released a tiny bit of code but most of the work was done by the Nouveau guys in the first place. The GPU in newer Tegra's is a derivative of their desktop GPUs. There are open source drivers for Qualcomm's Adreno GPUs, ARM's Mali GPUs and Broadcom's VideoCore IV GPU.

Blobs should be hated period whether in the embedded world or not. Most open source OS developers and users should be killing blobs on sight and are. They are unwelcome. They are a total headache and create a variety of different issues that hinder use, maintenance and development.

[brad0]

Err, no, just because you say so, it's not end of story. There's a lot more to it. You can have your black and white view if you want, but that's just you, don't think what you say applies to others (there's for sure those who think similarly, but there's a lot who think differently).

The world of difference between these blobs is no delusion. So yeah, your sarcasm does fall flat.

There are a lot who think like I do be it developers or users; so yes it does apply to others. The ones that don't sell their soul for a chocolate bar type.

Whether there is a difference between various blobs is irrelevant. They're still blobs. They're still bad. No, it doesn't fall flat. I can't help if if you like to sell your soul to the devil. GPUs are not some special magical hardware any different from anything else in my systems.

[endman]

Whether there is a difference between various blobs is irrelevant. They're still blobs. They're still bad. No, it doesn't fall flat. I can't help if if you like to sell your soul to the devil. GPUs are not some special magical hardware any different from anything else in my systems.

Says the guy who is a mindless fanatic fanboy of BSD. An OS heavily infested with blobs and binary firmware like a dead cow full of maggots.

[Gusar]

The ones that don't sell their soul for a chocolate bar type.

Wow, talk about ridiculously over-the-top exaggeration. Using the Nvidia or AMD blobs is accepting some annoyance to gain top performance and features that open drivers can't provide. No souls involved, and I didn't get any chocolate from Nvidia! *pouts*

Whether there is a difference between various blobs is irrelevant.

Again, just because you say it, it does not make it so. I can get the Nvidia blob running easily on an up-to-date Arch. It's not possible to get the CedarView blob to work at all, no matter what you'd do. So *very* relevant.

They're still blobs. They're still bad.

They have their downsides (but then again, so do open drivers), but no, they're not universally bad. They generally *work*. You really should look into this attitude, where you think your words have absolute and final meaning. They don't.

I can't help if if you like to sell your soul to the devil.

Such ridiculously over-the-top comments contain no real content, they just make you look like a total zealot.

[wizard69]

I wonder why the photonics guy thinks that it can't compete with a Raspberry Pie? Honestly I think there is a massive market for boards that would come in at less that $50 retail. The article doesn't say what this board will be priced at but it has the potential to come close to that. Raspberry Pie and similar boards are very serviceable boards for the embedded Linux user. It makes more sense to buy one of these boards new at times then to try to repurpose an old PC.

As to the drivers well that can be seen as a problem. Everything in life though is subject to change so maybe things wil get better in that regard.