AMD Ports Open-Source Linux Driver To Windows Embedded

[droidhacker]

Has anybody considered the possibility that the reason it may be easier to use the OSS driver than catalyst is due to CPU ARCHITECTURE? Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't catalyst x86-only?

[bridgman]

The main reason for basing this driver on the open source stack was that we wanted to be able to release the new driver in source code form.

Given that constraint, leveraging the existing open source code (rather than trying to sanitize a bazillion lines of Catalyst code) was kind of a no-brainer.

[russofris]

Thoughts:

Reasons to use the Radeon driver for embedded windows.

1: No need to pay per-unit licensing on catalyst (cheaper for AMD)
2: No need to port catalyst to additional architectures
3: Much like #2, OSS driver is easier to port to 'funky' devices. An example of this would be a device with a non-rectangular display.
4: OEM access to source enables OEM contribution and rapid prototyping.
5: Less paperwork.

[mrugiero]

i hope that with this new project the linux driver will get better OGL support and principally better consumption and memory management!

I don't see why would it be that way. You know they're not required to open source their development.
Anyway, Radeon still loses nothing, and MAY gain something in exchange.

[bridgman]

The embedded team hired 2 more developers (Tom and Christian) to help extend the upstream open source driver so the intent is certainly for this to be an overall win.

[mrugiero]

The embedded team hired 2 more developers (Tom and Christian) to help extend the upstream open source driver so the intent is certainly for this to be an overall win.

Well, I need to read better then.

[Drago]

The embedded team hired 2 more developers (Tom and Christian) to help extend the upstream open source driver so the intent is certainly for this to be an overall win.

Well, it makes perfect sense now. Tom is working on OpenCL support, and Christian on video decoding.
It was love for embedded market, and not love to Linux desktop

[crazycheese]

This is how you make linux people improve windows and still have some arguments to deny everything

I guess, its their driver, so you couldn?t have missed those unimportant license statements.

Also, because of license, I hardly think Linux/BSD will get *any* improvements. The license permits to rip the source code and close it up.
It permits to keep any modifications(be it improvement or such). I guess engineers working on WinPE7 are not paid for submitting changes or improvements upstream either.

But I wonder how much engineers are working on very very unpopular WinCE 7(compared to linux/java-powered android)? Four?

[Drago]

is there any difference between Linux and the embedded market ?

Yes! You will not see linux desktop on an embeded pc. You will see POS, video player, web browser... etc, but you will not see unity, or KDE. Anyway since everything is commited to MESA, it is ok for me.

[?John?]

BSODs for the people

?such as some retail systems, medical devices,?

Ya sure, just what I want, Windows* on a Life-Support system... no thx.

My thoughts exactly. Winblow$ ATMs are constantly fucked up, so whoever happens to depend on anything even remotely similar to life support system driven by a computer running Winblow$ is as good as dead? Winblow$ EULA says that it's not suitable for critical environments, such as aircraft control systems and nuclear power plants for a reason.

Anyway - I really hope AMD doesn't screw us by leeching on community code without contributing anything back, because I make it a habbit not to support the crooks with my cash (or anything else for that matter) and would basically be stuck with Intel GPUs (which are good enough for my needs, but not a universal cure)?