Intel Is Preparing A Major Restructuring Of Their Graphics Driver

[airlied]

I hope this will lead to improvements. Right now intel gpu is a big red flag for me in any machine i get.

Back in the day I had a few dell AIO computers with i3-2120 cpu, and the displays would just not power up, or constantly blink between split second of display and black screen. Basically, those computers were paperweights, unless one was happy using vesa driver with them. My client wasn't, and we had him to cancel the order of those machines and to get some other ones, because they assumed that they would just work.

You could disable modesetting on those machines, but back then intel already dropped support for ums in their X driver. no modesetting, intel driver won't run

It took 5 major kernel releases to get it fixed. FIVE. I got those computers at the time kernel 3.0 or 3.1 was out, and it was finally fixed in 3.5, except it seemed to be broken again in 3.6 and fixed again in 3.7. Do the math how much time it was.

Of course, extensive debug logs were provided and whatever other information was provided in a timely manner.

Recently, i got a hp 840 g3 laptop. When display port is plugged in, one of those will happen
- boot time kernel panic (occasionally)
- total system lock up after going back to the machine after screen gets locked (no ssh, nothing) (sometimes)
- total system lock up after exiting X/wayland session back to login manager (pretty much always)

I suppose it will get resolved around kernel 4.10. Intel has terrible track record with their bug fixing, and i can only hope this will lead to easier life for me.

this isn't the kernel driver that is changing, so it wont help in any of this, reading the article can save looking like a dumbass.

Dave.

[SpyroRyder]

Soon there will be no intel components to build a pc.

http://betanews.com/2016/04/29/intel-drops-atom-chips/

"
the company announced 12,000 job cuts and effectively walked away from the PC market
"

So them dropping their under-performing mobile sector is a sign that they're going to walk away from consumer CPU's entirely? What a load of tosh that is. They're dropping the segment of their development which goes to phones, tablets and smaller portable devices, not their main Desktop and Laptop lines. Come back when you've got something better to troll with, maybe another point about how XFCE is still our lord and saviour

[juno]

DRM code mainly unaffected, userspace code shared between win and linux? Seems to me like they are adapting AMD's strategy. I hope that doesn't mean they are going to drop official mesa support and provide closed userspace blobs only...
Plus, this "restructuring" message right after they announced they are kicking out >10% of their staff (12k employees!) honestly doesn't make me happy.

[jf33]

They should throw away their Windows OpenGL implementation and use mesa instead. Mesa might be a bit slower and still lack of a few OpenGL extensions, but it's very standard compliant and reliable. In contrast to that, developing OpenGL apps on Windows with Intel graphics is a complete nightmare at the moment.

[curaga]

The Intel Linux team, or what was previously that, better keep a tight quality watch. Intel's Windows driver is pure shit, in such concentrations it will kill plants by overflowing them with nutrients. I'm really afraid of what will happen to the Linux driver's high quality when the Windows code starts getting in.

[Nille_kungen]

What does this mean?
Will we end up with a more open driver or a more closed driver and we're back to the blobs mess of Poulsbo?
At least there's an working driver so in worst case scenarios it can be forked.
I'm waiting for more information to know if it's true and what Intel has plans to do, who knows it might be something good.

[haagch]

They should throw away their Windows OpenGL implementation and use mesa instead. Mesa might be a bit slower and still lack of a few OpenGL extensions, but it's very standard compliant and reliable. In contrast to that, developing OpenGL apps on Windows with Intel graphics is a complete nightmare at the moment.

Mesa also lacks compatibility profile support for anything over 3.0, so that's probably impossible.

[yoshi314]

this isn't the kernel driver that is changing, so it wont help in any of this, reading the article can save looking like a dumbass.

Dave.

sorry, just had to vent my frustration. i still hope it will make ongoing intel maintenance easier, kernel or not.

[Serafean]

Mesa also lacks compatibility profile support for anything over 3.0, so that's probably impossible.

So does Apple's OpenGL stack. your point being?

I'm giving them the benfit of the doubt as of now, but count me slightly worried...

[jf33]

Mesa also lacks compatibility profile support for anything over 3.0, so that's probably impossible.

Do you know any application that requires a 3.1+ compatibility profile? I don't. Also, wouldn't it be possible to use mesa for core profiles and the existing crappy Windows implementation for compatibility contexts?