Reverse Engineering, Open-Source Driver Writing Continues For Apple's M1 GPU

[Charlie68]

Obviously yes, but thats not my point. My point is that in 2021 the primary thing limiting Nouveau is Nvidia deliberately stonewalling the project rather than just investing zero effort in FOSS like most companies, which puts Nvidia a league above Broadcom, Mali, Vivante and from what we know Apple in terms of being scum. It also means that the AGX driver has the chance to suck less than nouveau.

Forgive me if I insist ... either there is documentation and then there are no problems or there is no documentation and you have to make do with Reverse Engineering, there are no alternatives.
I don't think Nvidia threw Molotov cocktails at Nouveau developers.

[OneTimeShot]

I don't think Nvidia threw Molotov cocktails at Nouveau developers.

No.... but they decided to require signed firmware, and I don't think that was targeted at any other project. It's not like Nvidia charge for their closed source drivers.

Apple probably don't care if Linux supports their stuff or not. In the same way as they don't care if Windows supports their stuff. The progress that will be made by the Apple GPU driver (a fairly niche GPU choice for Linux) will only serve to show just how much Nvidia (the dominant GPU choice for users generally) is hindering Nouveau.

[lucrus]

I am an user of both Apple and Nvidia hardware and a fanboy of none of them ... what I can tell, is that the CPU part of the M1 is behaving very well: It is the first time (for a couple of decades) a processor is able to exploit its 2 memory channels *at their full capacity* with a single core/thread ! Caches are pretty large in those chips, especially the L1. To me it is an achievement which justifies the single-thread programming style of the Apple ecosystem.

So you are a fanboy after all.

[bridgman]

No.... but they decided to require signed firmware, and I don't think that was targeted at any other project. It's not like Nvidia charge for their closed source drivers.

One tweak - the issue as I understand it is the combination of (a) signed firmware which prevents substitution of RE'ed FW and (b) not licensing the firmware in a way that allows redistribution.

We also use signed firmware but we provide it under a custom license specifically written to allow redistribution in the Linux ecosystem.

[abott]

And you have no idea about how to be well behaved.

I bet there isn't somebody more anti-apple, even on this forum. I have never and highly likely will never own a piece of their hardware, even the hardware. Idiotic statement here, and on the "fanyboy."

And I'll never be "well behaved" when all I do is call out completely moronic posts for how stupid they are usually.

[lucrus]

And I'll never be "well behaved" when all I do is call out completely moronic posts for how stupid they are usually.

Being well behaved towards me or others is not a favor you do me or others, but yourself. Anyway, if you don't understand even those basic rules of human relations, there's nothing I can do for you.

Have a nice day.

[abott]

Have a nice day.

Don't tell others what to do. It's rude.