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    SubjectRe: starting with 2.7
    On Tue, Jan 11, 2005 at 09:19:24AM +1100, Dave Airlie wrote:
    > Say theoretically ATI decide tomorrow:
    > 1. GPL in kernel source code (ATI is based on the DRM so it isn't such
    > a leap of faith as say NVIDIA doing it...)
    > 2. clean it all up so that it follows every single kernel coding
    > practice to the letter
    > 3. submit it for inclusion into the kernel as a device driver,
    > drivers/char/drm/fglrx.c
    >
    > Now would you include it? we can't use the no-one is using it excuse,
    > as people are using fglrx already and many have no choice, the driver
    > would have no userspace applications other than the binary only 2D/3D
    > drivers they supply for X... ATI would then benefit from the kernel
    > development process for keeping the things up-to-date with respect to
    > interfaces etc...

    I think so, yes. We'd be able to fix kernelspace bugs in it, for
    starters.

    > In this way, people who are running on ppc etc would still not have or
    > be any closer to 3D acceleration for their graphics cards, but ATI
    > would have followed the rules as far as the kernel is concerned....

    They'd certainly be closer in that userspace code is significantly
    easier to emulate and/or reverse engineer.

    > The main reason 3D graphics drivers are the big one here as of course
    > we can't put OpenGL into the kernel, so it requires a split
    > kernel/userspace solution, and one is of little use without the other,
    > if the kernel one is GPL and userspace one is closed source how do
    > people sit with it? (uneasy?)

    If the userspace portion is using a standard API and not just using
    the driver to open gaping holes in the kernel/user barrier, I see it
    as a step forward.

    --
    Mathematics is the supreme nostalgia of our time.
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