[mythtv-users] Via announces open source driver initiative

[David Shay]

On 4/9/08, Josh White <jaw1959 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
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> On Wed, Apr 9, 2008 at 12:17 AM, Paul Bender <pebender at san.rr.com> wrote:
> >
> >
> >
> > Kevin Kuphal wrote:
> > > As the article says, is Nvidia next?  Now Intel and VIA are both firmly
> > > in the driver development camp
> > >
> > >
> http://linux.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/04/08/202227&from=rss
> > >
> <http://linux.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/04/08/202227&from=rss>
> >
> > While Intel and AMD/ATI are both support Open Source driver development,
> > I would wait before saying that VIA is supporting Open Source driver
> > development. I would love for it to be true. However, VIA has mad
> > promising announcements in the past and not delivered.
> >
> At this point, all they've agreed to do is create a website that will host
> community developed drivers...that's not the same thing as opening the API.
>

Actually, if you read the release here :
http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=via_oss&num=1
they are doing more than opening a site.  Frankly, I'm not sure I care
if *they* write the drivers, and given the state of the current
drivers and support for various distros, I'd almost rather they don't.
 The main thing of interest in the site above is their intent to
"provide technical specifications" and "source code" which they have
been unwilling to do for certain components in the past, particularly
anything around video acceleration.

My hope would be that even by releasing this info alone other current
drivers like OpenChrome could benefit.  Of course, if they do release
their own different driver it would likely need to be integrated into
the video acceleration code in myth as well.  If it does, I'd have 2
fewer paperweights, errm, CX700-based file/web servers.