Qualcomm Talks Up Their Linux Support For The Snapdragon X Elite

[oiaohm]

Oh ok, so it's about 5-6 months until somewhat supported? And then who knows how much longer until full support? That's a bummer.

From the presentation here.

https://eoss24.sched.com/event/1aBEy/enabling-linux-support-with-upstream-kernel-on-snapdragon-x1-elite-socs-rajendra-nayak-qualcomm-innovation-center-inc

They did a functional running graphics demo using their work in progress Linux kernel fork. So somewhat support right now if willing to use Qualcomm kernel fork.

You have this.

https://static.sched.com/hosted_files/eoss24/ae/EOSS-X-Elite-Linux.pdf

page 20.

~ 105 patches
~ 78 already on lists
~ 27 to be posted out

The reality they have a Qualcomm linux kernel fork where everything basically works. Problem submitting to Linux kernel mainline the peer review process found some design issues that would cause rare problems for users.

The reality is if everything had gone as per the first Quacomm plan we would have Linux support mainline at time of release to consumers. Things have gone wrong mentioned in the video and on the Linux kernel mailing list resulting in not everything merged yet and some thing needing full rewrites so resulting in the 6 months delay.

Yes the full rewrites of particular drivers were proposed by the Quacomm developers themselves after Linux kernel mainline developers were like in this case how will the current design hand it. Yes o hell moment for the Quacomm developers as peer review person point to a major design flaw that has been completely not noticed.

Hopefully the next Quacomm soc release Quacomm is finally able to land mainline Linux kernel support day 1. Yes Quacomm are trying for this for the last few socs and not having the success.

Yes lot of people saying it been empty talk have not been watching the Linux kernel mailing list before soc releases and seeing Quacomm developers in fact putting what they think will be all the patches required to get the socs to work only to find out bugger me we have to rewrite something because we got something critically wrong.

Reality Quacomm deserves praise for a good attempt for over 6 years soc release so far. Just we need them at some point to start succeeding at day 1 mainline kernel support.

With google policy on kernels going forwards for Android Quacomm will be needing this for the Android devices as well at some point in future with Android. This is some of the reason why Quacomm is trying and trying to get day 1 Mainline Linux kernel support work and not accepting Quacomm custom patched Linux kernel as done..

[Artim]

They support only the Linux inside ChromeOS.

They don't.

It was discussed here in the regular Steam statistics.

Two pairs of shoes.

Is it difficult to grasp that phones are 100x-1000x more sales? Even for Apple Macs are just for fun (and to hold you in the ecosystem).

Is it difficult to grasp that even Qualcomm is a company driven to maximize profit, especially for their shareholders, so of course they want to compete with Intel and AMD too? And no, even for Apple Macs aren't "just for fun". If you so obviously have no idea about what you're saying, don't say anything.

[nfrenay]

That was before they realized that it's just dumb to have Linux as a base, yet reinveting the wheel for everything. And with their efforts to bring ChromeOS closer to your run of the mill Linux distro - called Lacros - they inadvertantly need to support that too. Right now they are working on it, mainly for Intel chips, as it seems that they still require some patch for Mesa on AMD, but progress is there: https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=244031&p=37

Good news then. There's hope after all.
But it is sad that they have neglected this for so long.

[Artim]

Good news then. There's hope after all.
But it is sad that they have neglected this for so long.

It is. But they are coming to their senses. It's understandable that at the first release of ChromeOS they rather didn't want to use Wayland, as implementations where still rough. But nobody would have prevented them taking part in the development of Wayland protocols. Also, even stable distros like Debian and RHEL have been defaulting to Wayland for years now. There's not really any excuse for not switching to more default components, but at least they are.

[discordian]

But now they have an incentive. Windows won't make them nearly enough money. Just look at how many times Windows on ARM has crashed and burned. I don't want to know how much money the likes of Lenovo, Samsung and Nokia (together with their life and soul) have burned with Windows Phone and Windows RT alone.

They and Microsoft have an incentive to compete with the apple Macbooks, this wont happen with x86. So the incentive to make Windows an ARM work is there. *If* it works out, with good emulation of x86 then I predict thats another market where the amount of Linux users will be a low low percentage.[/QUOTE]

On the other hand, take a Distro like Debian. Besides Steam I don't know a single package in their repo that's not natively running on arm64. That's over 70.000 packages compared to probably not even 1000 on Windows.

And whether ARM or x86, Linux desktop is a constant buggy pain. If you are running wayland you don't even have a painless method for remote sessions. If Linux where ever to gain any traction here, it would need something like ChromeOS thats more open to run "regular" native linux applications.

[Artim]

They and Microsoft have an incentive to compete with the apple Macbooks, this wont happen with x86. So the incentive to make Windows an ARM work is there. *If* it works out, with good emulation of x86 then I predict thats another market where the amount of Linux users will be a low low percentage.

The incentive has been there for years. Over a decade to be precise. MS always wanted to directly compete with iPads, yet never was able to. Apple M1 didn't arive just yesterday, yet I don't see them doing anything groundbreakingly new.

And whether ARM or x86, Linux desktop is a constant buggy pain. If you are running wayland you don't even have a painless method for remote sessions. If Linux where ever to gain any traction here, it would need something like ChromeOS thats more open to run "regular" native linux applications.

It's clear you haven't touched Linux in a decade. Just nothing you write is true. I'm running Linux on the desktop and on servers for years now without any issues that I didn't cause myself because I thought I knew better. I'm on Wayland since Debian made it the default. And I have absolutely no issues with remote sessions. And as already explained, it's not Linux that needs to follow ChromeOS' path, in fact it's ChromeOS that is now scrambling to lessen the absurd burden of having to reinvent the wheel multiple times and finally switches to default Linux components. And where in earth is ChromeOS "more open to run regular native Linux applications"? You really must be having issues if you need to tell such tall tales.

[discordian]

It's clear you haven't touched Linux in a decade.

Using it daily for decades on multiple machines, including writing drivers and custom network stacks.

Just nothing you write is true. I'm running Linux on the desktop and on servers for years now without any issues that I didn't cause myself because I thought I knew better.

Yeah... maybe I am working with it while you are watching tik-tok?

one one machine, I cant copy paste into any window until I resized it since debian bookworm. Thats when I use a secondary monitor via DVI. Tons of problem with clipboard content getting lost if you move the mouse across screens, Nautilus displaying an old state of directories, sometimes deciding to stop working altogether.

QUOTE=Artim;n1464462]I'm on Wayland since Debian made it the default. And I have absolutely no issues with remote sessions. And as already explained, it's not Linux that needs to follow ChromeOS' path, in fact it's ChromeOS that is now scrambling to lessen the absurd burden of having to reinvent the wheel multiple times and finally switches to default Linux components. And where in earth is ChromeOS "more open to run regular native Linux applications"? You really must be having issues if you need to tell such tall tales.[/QUOTE]

Linux is fine, the desktop environments are shite. ChromeOS had to **invent** the wheel when it comes to making Hardware vendors provide timely support. The ChromeOS desktop is great, but you cant run native Linux apps - if it did it would make a dent in Windows sales.

[Artim]

Using it daily for decades on multiple machines, including writing drivers and custom network stacks.

Which obviously is a blatant lie.

Yeah... maybe I am working with it while you are watching tik-tok?

1. never touched TikTok in my life
2. TikTok is a phone app
3. clearly you haven't worked with it in a decade.

one one machine, I cant copy paste into any window until I resized it since debian bookworm. Thats when I use a secondary monitor via DVI. Tons of problem with clipboard content getting lost if you move the mouse across screens, Nautilus displaying an old state of directories, sometimes deciding to stop working altogether.

Only more proof that you haven't used Linux in at least a decade. Never experienced such issues. Sure, I haven't touched DVI in way over a decade, but I kinda doubt that would be that much of an issue.

I'm on Wayland since Debian made it the default. And I have absolutely no issues with remote sessions. And as already explained, it's not Linux that needs to follow ChromeOS' path, in fact it's ChromeOS that is now scrambling to lessen the absurd burden of having to reinvent the wheel multiple times and finally switches to default Linux components. And where in earth is ChromeOS "more open to run regular native Linux applications"? You really must be having issues if you need to tell such tall tales.

Linux is fine, the desktop environments are shite. ChromeOS had to **invent** the wheel when it comes to making Hardware vendors provide timely support. The ChromeOS desktop is great, but you cant run native Linux apps - if it did it would make a dent in Windows sales.

Debian is great and Plasma probably is too since Plama 6 - at least it probably will be once they fixed the myriade of issues in 6.0. But it hasn't been that bad in years. And yes, even on ChromeOS you can run native Linux apps. With and without GUI. It's called "Linux development environment" and has been around for years now.

So I have no idea in which century you're stuck, but tell us when you finally arive in the 21st.

[hedonist]

They support only the Linux inside ChromeOS.



It was discussed here in the regular Steam statistics.



Is it difficult to grasp that phones are 100x-1000x more sales? Even for Apple Macs are just for fun (and to hold you in the ecosystem).

It wasnt actually discussed at all in the true marketshare statistics. I think you are thinking about the steam statistics (which arent actually correct/accurate to the true statistics of linux marketshare on desktop, that only includes steam gamers), the person you are replying to is talking about the true linux marketshare statistics, which is counted from a different, more accurate source.

I believe the statistics counted from the true marketshare are based on browser user agents, if what you say about the steam deck not being used as a desktop by most is correct, then people arent using a browser on the steam deck often/at all, however i would disagree that the steam deck isnt considered a true linux desktop. The steam deck runs straight up KDE Plasma, not a fork or dumbed-down version, but straight up KDE Plasma, and it also runs flatpak so you can run any linux app for the most part, including games and emulators and office suites and browsers and other productivity and gaming software, you can easily use a steam deck as a straight up desktop PC if you really wanted and it wouldnt be hard or "hacky" to do so, just set it up docked and connected up to a full monitor and mouse and keyboard and u got urself a full-on desktop setup with gaming capabilities.

[kylew77]

The ChromeOS desktop is great, but you cant run native Linux apps

This is by design! This security feature makes ChromeOS almost as secure as something like OpenBSD. I trust ChromeOS just a little less than OpenBSD. Everything is sandboxed and restricted for security in ChromeOS. Yes it poses some inconveniences but is more secure. I actually recommend ChromeOS Flex to family members who don't game as a great secure OS for web browsing and document editing.