Updates from Linaro [LWN.net]

Updates from Linaro

Posted May 26, 2011 18:46 UTC (Thu) by kiko (subscriber, #69905)
In reply to: Updates from Linaro by mjr
Parent article: Updates from Linaro

We definitely are trying. I've had multiple meetings with directors from both ARM SoC vendors and GPU IP vendors, but so far it's been meetings and not much else. I've discussed sharing of specifications, independent driver development and the marketing (and quality) advantage of a fully open source solution, but they still don't seem to understand the integration challenges open source presents, and are paranoid about IP lawsuits which might be well-founded given the amount of GPU-related patents approved and the amount of IP that's gone around in mergers acquisitions.

What sort of argument should we present them, and are there other things we could do to improve the GPU situation on ARM?

Note that David Airlie and I ran a session on this at Southern Plumbers; there's a video of it at http://blip.tv/linuxconfau/embedded-gpus-for-arm-open-dis...

(Log in to post comments)

Updates from Linaro

Posted May 27, 2011 12:21 UTC (Fri) by mjr (guest, #6979) [Link]

Thanks, glad to hear that it's at least pursued. Sadly, I don't have any magic bullet arguments to suggest.

Updates from Linaro

Posted Jun 7, 2011 7:19 UTC (Tue) by alison (✭ supporter ✭, #63752) [Link]

Arnd Bergmann of Linaro/IBM said at Linux Collaboration Summit that he expects to see an open GPU driver released in 2011. He doesn't strike me as a wild prognosticator, so he must know that one of the major vendors is considering a release their driver code. Once one vendor has done so, if they aren't sued to bits by others, perhaps we'll see real progress with GPUs.

I wonder how releasing the drivers would affect the GPU designers' business. On the one hand, they can monopolize the support and tools business around their closed products. On the other hand, the closed driver model may limit adoption of their products and will prevent community contribution of patches and other valuable ideas.

I read somewhere that Nvidia was actively collaborating with the developers of the Nouveau open-source drivers for their products. And not too long ago, Broadcom joined the Linux Foundation. TI is all in on open-source, so they may be pressuring Imagination Technologies about their drivers. So I think there's a glimmer of hope on the GPU front if no good news just yet.