AMD Develops New Linux Open-Source Driver Model 142
An anonymous reader writes "AMD privately shared with Phoronix during GDC2014 that they're developing a new Linux driver model. While there will still be an open (Gallium3D) and closed-source (Catalyst) driver, the Catalyst driver will be much smaller. AMD developers are trying to isolate the closed-source portion of the driver to just user-space while the kernel driver that's in the mainline Linux kernel would also be used by Catalyst. It's not clear if this will ultimately work but they hope it will for reducing code duplication, eliminating fragmentation with different kernels, and allowing open and closed-source driver developers to better collaborate over the AMD Radeon Linux kernel driver."
Phoronix... sigh. (Score:1, Interesting)
As I've been Linux user for a while now, and am well aware of the articles that Phoronix put out on their god-awful website, is there a particular reason that AMD and other companies seem to cater to them on this front? As far as I can tell, they don't do much that's special other than being an announcement portal of sorts. If their claim to fame is just the latest 'bleeding edge' of graphics support for games on the Linux desktop and slapping it up on an advertised site, I guess I get it. If they're target audience is Linux desktop rookies pontificating of about framerates while waiting for the dev's to up the performance, they seem to have hit the mark. I'll admit, there was a time early on, pre in kernel radeon and AMD doc's share that they hit the mark on a few articles, but since then, I don't see them contributing much that's new to the conversation. I just don't see them doing much more than what you would find several thousand Linux users doing with their various dists. to squeeze more out of the graphics front. I guess they just have the name recognition. I can't be the only one who has heard them referred to as Moronix. Am I?
Maybe it's their hideous website. Maybe it's the ho-hum web illusion that they're an analysis site. Maybe it's just me. It just seems like they get special treatment for, well, not being special.