NVIDIA deprecates the xf86-video-nv driver

Posted Mar 29, 2010 0:00 UTC (Mon) by mjg59 (subscriber, #23239)
In reply to: NVIDIA deprecates the xf86-video-nv driver by Trelane
Parent article: NVIDIA deprecates the xf86-video-nv driver

The Windows drivers use the same scripts, as does the x86 BIOS (these days it's actually mostly
an ATOM interpreter). Putting incorrect data in there is likely to result in it failing on all platforms.
The problems we have with ACPI now are generally cases where the behaviour of Windows is the
de-facto spec, and providing bug-for-bug compatibility takes a while.

NVIDIA deprecates the xf86-video-nv driver

Posted Mar 29, 2010 1:38 UTC (Mon) by Trelane (subscriber, #56877) [Link] (7 responses)

"The Windows drivers use the same scripts, as does the x86 BIOS (these days it's actually mostly an ATOM interpreter)."

What do you mean by "scripts" here? atombios code?

"The problems we have with ACPI now are generally cases where the behaviour of Windows is the de-facto spec, and providing bug-for-bug compatibility takes a while."

Well, it's a similar situation in one respect: you have two main interpreters of ACPI instructions: MSFT and INTL. What you're saying is that we have two atombios interpreters: ATI's and Xorg's Well, three, if you include the BIOS.

Perhaps the salient difference is that DAAMIT is being an honest actor and trying to just sell more hardware instead of trying to "knife [Xorg's] baby."

NVIDIA deprecates the xf86-video-nv driver

Posted Mar 29, 2010 10:14 UTC (Mon) by nix (subscriber, #2304) [Link] (1 responses)

Yes. A piece of ATOMBIOS code is known as a 'script' because, well, it's a script: like ACPI, it's fed to an interpreter in the driver and executed by it (the general result being to frob a lot of ports and mess with a lot of card state, just like old-style modesetting used to be).

NVIDIA deprecates the xf86-video-nv driver

Posted Mar 29, 2010 15:33 UTC (Mon) by Trelane (subscriber, #56877) [Link]

Thanks! I'm not trying to really argue anything as much as understand (although the "honest actor" part is perhaps an argument)

NVIDIA deprecates the xf86-video-nv driver

Posted Mar 29, 2010 14:17 UTC (Mon) by mjg59 (subscriber, #23239) [Link] (4 responses)

The Linux implementation of the ATOM interpreter is based on the Windows one, rather than
being written to a spec.

NVIDIA deprecates the xf86-video-nv driver

Posted Mar 29, 2010 15:32 UTC (Mon) by Trelane (subscriber, #56877) [Link] (3 responses)

"based on" how? Like sharing snippets of code or a cleanroom reimplementation?

NVIDIA deprecates the xf86-video-nv driver

Posted Mar 29, 2010 15:51 UTC (Mon) by mjg59 (subscriber, #23239) [Link] (2 responses)

AMD provided their implementation. It's since been modified somewhat to resemble kernel code
rather than CamelCased Hungarian notation misery, but it should be functionally equivalent.

NVIDIA deprecates the xf86-video-nv driver

Posted Mar 29, 2010 17:31 UTC (Mon) by Trelane (subscriber, #56877) [Link]

Ah, awesome. :)

"StudlyCaps", please

Posted Apr 1, 2010 2:24 UTC (Thu) by ncm (guest, #165) [Link]

The standard term for that is "StudlyCaps", not "CamelCase". The latter is too inderise; i.e., it lacks derision.