Open-Source VIA Graphics Driver Hopes To Be Mainlined For Linux 5.20

[phoronix]

Phoronix: Open-Source VIA Graphics Driver Hopes To Be Mainlined For Linux 5.20

2022 is certainly looking to be interesting on the open-source graphics driver front... You probably didn't have Imagination publishing an open-source PowerVR Vulkan driver on your 2022 bingo card nor NVIDIA working on an open-source GPU kernel driver. The latest 2022 surprise is the OpenChrome driver project is hoping to finally be mainlined in Linux 5.20 for open-source VIA graphics for those still running vintage VIA x86 hardware...

https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=OpenChrome-DRM-5.20-Hopes

[darkbasic]

VIA graphics drivers are going to be mainlined soon since the past two decades
I'm glad I didn't buy a via micro-atx system back in the days.

[Awesomeness]

Linux source code shouldn't be bloated with useless drivers for hardware nobody uses.

[OneTimeShot]

In my opinion, this is confirmation that without OpenSource drivers, manufacturers are having difficulty marketing their chips to OEMs.

Why would you commit to having to support out-of-tree software?

[Quackdoc]

I think I actually have one of these somewhere...

[CochainComplex]

I really liked via chipsets during the good old k6 + amd times

[CochainComplex]

Linux source code shouldn't be bloated with useless drivers for hardware nobody uses.

This is always subjective. I personally don't need any infiniband drivers or xen stuff...also not the Microsoft azure crap. But does this mean it is useless for others? As long there are users and maintainers i'm OK with it.

[V1tol]

I remember my brother and me hosting CS1.6 server on VIA C7 board. It was slow even for this.

[kpedersen]

Linux source code shouldn't be bloated with useless drivers for hardware nobody uses.

Linux is a testbed for innovation (even for older, niche hardware there are still innovations to be had). This is ultimately an end result of the "bazaar" nature of it all.

If you want a more reserved "cathedral" approach, there is FreeBSD (and certainly OpenBSD) though you do run the risk of less knowledgeable / beginners calling it "old" or "retro". Which is especially strange because VIA's older GPU drivers aren't intended to be included there

[RejectModernity]

Linux source code shouldn't be bloated with useless drivers for hardware nobody uses.

Just don't compile them then, lawl