It's Still Going To Be Tough Getting The OpenChrome VIA KMS Driver In The Linux Kernel

[phoronix]

Phoronix: It's Still Going To Be Tough Getting The OpenChrome VIA KMS Driver In The Linux Kernel

The many year effort on the open-source VIA "OpenChrome" DRM/KMS driver might culminate with getting into the mainline Linux kernel within the next few kernel cycles, but there is still a lot of work for that to happen...

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=OpenChrome-VIA-Mainline-Tough

[oliw]

Does anybody care about this any more? The last bit of hardware for these was released 9 years ago, only supports DX10, OpenGL 3.0 and actually has no support under OpenChrome. The latest bit of hardware OC supports is ~14 years old.

These chipsets were DOA, spurted into throwaway netbooks when netbooks were a thing, before tablets became a thing. What's the point of grinding on this, trying to get it mainlined? It's not going to be maintained —because it's for antique hardware with very limited appeal— so it's just going to end up removed.

[Adarion]

I do care.
A lot of devices were made with these chipsets and those devices are still good for purpose-bound machines, and they do not waste power. (C7/Eden was quite efficient at its time) Even an iteration of the OLPC featured some VIA board design.

[caligula]

I do care.
A lot of devices were made with these chipsets and those devices are still good for purpose-bound machines, and they do not waste power. (C7/Eden was quite efficient at its time) Even an iteration of the OLPC featured some VIA board design.

According to wikipedia

• Eden ESP: Samuel 2 and Nehemiah cores (300 MHz-1.0 GHz) - EBGA 35mm×35mm package, 66/100/133 MHz FSB
• Eden-N: Nehemiah core (533 MHz-1.0 GHz) - NanoBGA 15mm×15mm package, 133 MHz FSB
• Eden: Esther core (400 MHz-1.2 GHz) - NanoBGA2 21mm×21mm package, 400 MT/s FSB
• Eden ULV: Esther core (500 MHz-1.5 GHz) - NanoBGA2 21mm×21mm package, 400 MT/s FSB

The Eden ULV 500 MHz was the first variant to achieve a TDP of 1W .^[1]

Welp. Assuming the CPU is still usable, does anyone still have batteries for those systems? I've used notebooks for over 20 years and never seen one that works with 9 yo batteries for over 15 minutes. Even if the CPU has TDP of 1W, the notebook's screen panel probably uses twice the current the modern LED backlit panels need.

[boxie]

Does anybody care about this any more? The last bit of hardware for these was released 9 years ago, only supports DX10, OpenGL 3.0 and actually has no support under OpenChrome. The latest bit of hardware OC supports is ~14 years old.

These chipsets were DOA, spurted into throwaway netbooks when netbooks were a thing, before tablets became a thing. What's the point of grinding on this, trying to get it mainlined? It's not going to be maintained —because it's for antique hardware with very limited appeal— so it's just going to end up removed.

I am sure that the support will be removed at some stage in the future, but that is not the point of this project.

I would be it's a "Because I Can" thing.

And what better to put on your resume that you are the maintainer and developer for this hardware in the Linux kernel.

[boxie]

According to wikipedia

• Eden ESP: Samuel 2 and Nehemiah cores (300 MHz-1.0 GHz) - EBGA 35mm×35mm package, 66/100/133 MHz FSB
• Eden-N: Nehemiah core (533 MHz-1.0 GHz) - NanoBGA 15mm×15mm package, 133 MHz FSB
• Eden: Esther core (400 MHz-1.2 GHz) - NanoBGA2 21mm×21mm package, 400 MT/s FSB
• Eden ULV: Esther core (500 MHz-1.5 GHz) - NanoBGA2 21mm×21mm package, 400 MT/s FSB

The Eden ULV 500 MHz was the first variant to achieve a TDP of 1W .^[1]

Welp. Assuming the CPU is still usable, does anyone still have batteries for those systems? I've used notebooks for over 20 years and never seen one that works with 9 yo batteries for over 15 minutes. Even if the CPU has TDP of 1W, the notebook's screen panel probably uses twice the current the modern LED backlit panels need.

If it remains plugged into power, does it matter? It could run from a UPS for hours!

[timofonic]

This is the biggest joke after GNU Hurd...

[starshipeleven]

I do care.
A lot of devices were made with these chipsets and those devices are still good for purpose-bound machines, and they do not waste power. (C7/Eden was quite efficient at its time) Even an iteration of the OLPC featured some VIA board design.

We are at a point in time where even Allwinner-based raspi clones have better hardware and similar power consumption.

[starshipeleven]

Welp. Assuming the CPU is still usable, does anyone still have batteries for those systems? I've used notebooks for over 20 years and never seen one that works with 9 yo batteries for over 15 minutes. Even if the CPU has TDP of 1W, the notebook's screen panel probably uses twice the current the modern LED backlit panels need.

Afaik the bulk of VIA CPUs isn't in netbooks but some kind of small size embedded board.

[starshipeleven]

I would be it's a "Because I Can" thing.

And what better to put on your resume that you are the maintainer and developer for this hardware in the Linux kernel.

I think I remember that the developer of this driver went on batshit insane tirades about hardware obsolescence and other nonsense, but I can't seem to find the article again, so I might not be remembering correctly.