RE: [Xorg] DRI merging

[Matt S. <ma...@ge...>]

I agree with both you guys :)

Linux basically falls behind on two simple fronts at the moment:
it has no "simple" 2D or 3D framework capable of much more than
simple framebuffer support. So, unless you buy Qt, the deeply
embedded market is out from an "out of the box" standpoint, 
where developers need to define new custom interfaces for specific
graphics chips in order to succeed. I don't think Linux is going
to survive much inbetween the "desktop" and "router" segments in
that case.

The other thing it is hampered by is X - not the XFree vs. X.org
argument, not a licensing issue, just the X protocol, X libraries
and everything else as a suite. Again, as an embedded product, X
provides many features and functionalities that are well beyond the
environment - networked GUI support via TCP/IP and UNIX sockets,
client-server architecture, it really won't work on small devices
(see Qtopia's dominance in the very very small Linux PDA market
for an example of people needing alternatives..)

Having a capable accelerated 2D and 3D architecture, something
like DirectFB but at more of a "core" and "commercial" level
would benefit everyone. Building a single DDX driver to 
interface with this would simplify support for X - no drivers
in the X tree but one! "Console Framebuffers" could be built
on top of the same low-level graphics API. In the end losing
the 4-driver system for each card would both simplify and
optimise the Linux graphics experience.

We need a low-level "kernel" graphics API (much like Windows
has, although Windows favours microkernels with high-level
kernel functionality, rather than monolithic kernels with
user-level functionality.. the two philosophies are at odds)
which can perform and accelerate the expected functionality of
everything from router to PDA, past desktop to display of
remote-served apps.

ATI and nVidia could release a single, binary driver, and have
it support everything. Not just XFree86, not just a console
driver, but everything that runs on this API.

(oh, and of course restricting it to Linux would just be mean,
FreeBSD, NetBSD et al. should be catered for, but with a more
user-mode API as Linux philosophy currently dictates that
should not be a problem).

Okay, I'll stop rambling now :)

-- 
Matt Sealey <ma...@ge...>
Genesi, Manager, Developer Relations

> -----Original Message-----
> From: dri...@li...
> [mailto:dri...@li...]On Behalf Of Jon Smirl
> Sent: 13 June 2004 20:14
> To: Alan Cox
> Cc: Eric Anholt; Alex Deucher; DRI Devel; xo...@fr...
> Subject: Re: [Xorg] DRI merging
> 
> 
> --- Alan Cox <al...@lx...> wrote:
> > You have no solution to non 3D heavy cards, you have no solution to
> > non-Linux hardware platforms. Most of your linux ideas have been thrown
> > out repeatedly as half-baked on multiple lists.
> > 
> > mesa-solo is a *research* project. If it works out then in two years
> > time its going to be rather cool. In the mean time trying to stop people
> > doing important work to cripple what you perceive as a rival is just
> > wrong.
> 
> I don't know why I continue to waste my time on this project. The MS Longhorn UI
> is clearly a generation better than anything available on Linux. Right now Linux
> is starting to get a foothold on the desktop. All of the desktop effort will be
> wasted if Linux has an obviously inferior UI for several years and Linux's
> desktop acceptance backslides during that period. Of course things might easily
> go the other way if Linux beats or ties MS's GUI efforts.
> 
> So if my ideas are so bad, why don't you propose your own solution to the
> Longhorn problem? I have no attachment to anything I've proposed, I'll work on
> any solution that solves the main problem.
> 
> =====
> Jon Smirl
> jon...@ya...
> 
> 
> 	
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