GPU drivers aren't open.

[jackffmm]

Why you dont release the source code of the gpu drivers binary ? You are slowing the sales of your product. First because a lot of people dont trust the blob. Second because the community can help and improve the drivers.

Thanks.

[coderamen666]

The GPU and the drivers are licensed from Imagination Technologies. Imagination is trying to write an open mesa driver that supports the VF2. This is something temporary that StarFive doesn't have the power to do. This is not an ideal situation, agreed, but you just have to wait. It is exactly like the Raspberry Pi's situation a few years ago with their proprietary stack from Broadcom. It will take time, but this is a known issue.

[jackffmm]

why the open drivers should be different from the licensed drivers ?

[coderamen666]

I get how you feel. I wish that NDAs and corporate IP secrecy was less prevalent as well. It's just that corporations and their fondness of intellectual property suck. That's your answer.

[jackffmm]

but the owner of the IP can release the code

[coderamen666]

Yeah the owner of the IP should do it but they won't unless there is some kind of pressure.

[jackffmm]

theyr loss

[coderamen666]

I agree with you it's just corporations are shitty.

[coderamen666]

Ok bud I got my board now and I heard they are working on a Vulkan driver that will be useful in this effort.

[intx82]

Hi guys, does anyone tried to use PVR kernel-module from MediaTek? Seems they should be compatible with our closed-source firmware (1.15) and works on VF2

https://github.com/PQEnablers-Devices/android_kernel_xiaomi_mt6877/tree/719e9bfb4d55716158a51911f6e370a08a97a532/drivers/gpu/mediatek/gpu_rgx/m1.15ED5904022

[coderamen666]

I thought that the out of tree kernel build used by SiFive already had an open kernel module. This thread is mainly concerned with userspace drivers.

[jackffmm]

I knew that the open drivers are 2d only