AMD Will Release New Catalyst Linux Driver Update This Month

[asdfblah]

I think http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?pag...tem&px=MTc2Mzc was the most recent and ended up replacing the earlier plans you quoted.

Sorry for the off-topic... What about the open source AMD driver(s)? When will we have Vulkan? Also, will AMD hire new kernel/mesa devs, or move the fglrx ones? You guys seem to need more devs, am I right?

[plasmasnake]

I thought that's why we have the Oibaf PPA?

It looks like they have updated mesa and xorg video drivers, but not new xorg-server builds.

[elmo23x]

Power Consumption?

Is there anybody that knows how is the power usage of the open source drivers compared to catalyst? In particular while using the desktop with 3D effects enabled. Thanks!

[profoundWHALE]

It looks like they have updated mesa and xorg video drivers, but not new xorg-server builds.

Then here: https://launchpad.net/~xorg-edgers/+archive/ubuntu/ppa but be warned... your system will probably be unstable.

Sorry for the off-topic... What about the open source AMD driver(s)? When will we have Vulkan? Also, will AMD hire new kernel/mesa devs, or move the fglrx ones? You guys seem to need more devs, am I right?

I'm fairly certain that the performance and features of the newer AMD cards will be mostly on par due to the whole new open source graphics driver that AMD is pushing.

As for the older cards... Keep your fingers crossed?

[bridgman]

I'm fairly certain that the performance and features of the newer AMD cards will be mostly on par due to the whole new open source graphics driver that AMD is pushing.

Just to be clear, it's not a "whole new open source graphics driver", it's a "substantially restructured open source kernel driver with new user/kernel interface plus additional code at the bottom of the existing open source userspace drivers to let them work with either old or new interfaces".

[smitty3268]

Just to be clear, it's not a "whole new open source graphics driver", it's a "substantially restructured open source kernel driver with new user/kernel interface plus additional code at the bottom of the existing open source userspace drivers to let them work with either old or new interfaces".

It's certainly taking as much time as a "whole new open source graphics driver".

Over 6 months now and still nothing.

[smitty3268]

By the way, maybe anyone can tell in Simple English what going on with DRI3?
https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=81551

Basically it was a 1 man project, and that man has left for a new job at HP.

DRI3 was always only half-finished, and no one wants to step up and finish it off - most of the devs who care about what it fixes are more focused on moving over to Wayland rather than trying to hack the same concepts into X.

[nanonyme]

It's certainly taking as much time as a "whole new open source graphics driver".

Over 6 months now and still nothing.

Well, nothing public anyway. I'd imagine it would be rather more calming if the driver code was in a public repo even if the intent is not to merge it for another 6 months

[smitty3268]

Well, nothing public anyway. I'd imagine it would be rather more calming if the driver code was in a public repo even if the intent is not to merge it for another 6 months

I know they've got the code in legal review, the point is that people with AMD hardware haven't been able to use it.

If it was in a public repo, people could at least try it out even if it wasn't upstream.

[bridgman]

It's certainly taking as much time as a "whole new open source graphics driver". Over 6 months now and still nothing.

You're kidding, right ? Six months to write an entire open source driver stack from scratch with the same functionality as radeon / -ati / radeonsi / amdgcn (llvm) ?

I know they've got the code in legal review, the point is that people with AMD hardware haven't been able to use it. If it was in a public repo, people could at least try it out even if it wasn't upstream.

I'm sure you understand that legal/IP review is required before going public, not just for going upstream but I feel the need to say it anyways