Alex Deucher writes: > > > We also have to consider the trade off between the interfaces a modern > graphics driver needs verses maintianing multi-platform availability.
> If linux merges the FB/DRM drivers and moves certain things to the > kernel, there is nothing stopping other OS kernel developers from > adding similar features to their kernels, potentially even re-using the > linux fb/drm model (pending licenses). If X standardizes on an 1. We are not only supporting OS kernels. And if we do there may exist licenses problems (as you've noted already). Disfranchising these OSes and showing them the finger would be extremely rude. 2. A single code base with thin abstraction wrappers will help to reduce the support burdeon. Requiring to duplicate code in different kernels will introduce different errors on every OS. > interface to hardware, we can leave it up to the kernel people to > implement that interface. X develpers won't have to worry about > re-implementing support for various buses and quirks that the OS > already handles. OSes that choose not to support the new interfaces I agree that we should get rid of this crap. When we were finalizing XFree86 4.x I already suggested to move a lot of functionalities that currently exist in the Xserver to the kernel. At this time I was stonewalled by people saying that we will have to be able to support older kernels anyway. Finally I gave up and stuck everything into the Xserver (even duplicating stuff that was already in the newer kernel - because people wanted to use the old cruft) > can always fall back on the older releases of X. Future chipsets may > not even be useable down the road in the current model. > That would be a support nightmare. We still occasionally see bug reports for XFree86 3.x. We probably can dump a lot of the stuff that is currently in the Xserver into an external lib and not worry about it much any more. This lib can be used by everybody who - for whatever reason - doesn't have the kernel interfaces. Egbert. ------------------------------------------------------- This SF.Net email is sponsored by Sleepycat Software Learn developer strategies Cisco, Motorola, Ericsson & Lucent use to deliver higher performing products faster, at low TCO. http://www.sleepycat.com/telcomwpreg.php?From=osdnemail3 -- _______________________________________________ Dri-devel mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/dri-devel
