[Xorg-driver-geode] Plans for next releases

[Huang, FrankR]

Geode hardware has limit 2d hw accel capability. When you meet low speed hw accel issue, you should look into code to see which operation will consume more time, then improve that.
For the KMS, few weeks ago, when I developed ATI code, I found it is a huge project, graphics asic initialization and modeset will be done here. And 2D hw accel will be done here. It will need some guys who is familiar with KMS and DDX driver structure to do it. Unfortunately, right now I am still be occupied in ATI driver. If there are some questions about how to split the KMS fro current UMS driver, I am happy to give advice.

Thanks,
Frank 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: xorg-driver-geode-bounces+frankr.huang=amd.com at lists.x.org
> [mailto:xorg-driver-geode-bounces+frankr.huang=amd.com at lists.x.org] On
> Behalf Of Martin-éric Racine
> Sent: 2011年4月1日 20:13
> To: Christian Gmeiner
> Cc: xorg-driver-geode at lists.x.org
> Subject: Re: [Xorg-driver-geode] Plans for next releases
> 
> 2011/4/1 Christian Gmeiner <christian.gmeiner at gmail.com>:
> > I want to know what the plans for the next releases of the driver are.
> Currently
> > I am using the geode driver for an embedded system and I am not that
> happy
> > with the speed of the driver with enabled hardware acceleration. At the
> moment
> > the driver preforms much better if I disable acceleration.
> 
> That is quite possible, given how libpixman constantly changes and the
> driver is, in its current state, having to work its way around it.
> This being said, a few Geode developers recently gathered and started
> looking into ways to improve the speed of the driver. There's already
> a few minor fixes in GIT that haven't been released and more are
> coming.
> 
> The main issue we have right now a lack of developers interested in
> the Geode. In theory, AMD assigned two engineers to maintain the
> driver but, in practice, their assignment was short-lived and they
> have been transfered to the former ATI team right after their
> contributions to 2.11.9. In other cases, access to the hardware
> remains, but the motivation to work on such antiquated hardware is
> gone; developers always want to work on the next cool thing, rather
> than perform boring maintenance on existing code. This leaves us with
> very few people who still have any interaction with Geode hardware
> that have sufficient coding skills to maintain the driver.
> 
> Bear in mind that the above only concerns the LX component of the
> driver.   Meanwhile, the GX2 component is barely usable. On this
> point, AMD clearly indicated that supporting anything older than the
> LX is of extremely low priority and, as such, they haven't even
> provided their two engineers with test hardware that features a CS5535
> and GX2. None of us have access to GX2/CS5535 hardware either, so it's
> really up to someoen from the community with sufficient coding skills
> to step up and bring the GX2 component at least up to the LX
> component's health status.
> 
> > I am using a Debian based system with X.Org X Server 1.7.7.
> 
> I assume that you are using the version of the Geode driver that ships
> with Debian/stable?  If that's the case, you're already missing on a
> few fixes.  I suggest trying to build the driver currently in unstable
> against stable X development packages.
> 
> > Where are the current problems in the area of hardware acceleration?
> 
> Mostly that it isn't well-integrated with the best coding practices of
> the X.org community, because that's how NSC and AMD, initially coded
> it.
> 
> > Is it planned to introduce a KMS driver?
> 
> There's been some talks about it. See our wiki page (URL in the
> README) for details.  Again, lack of interested coders remains the
> main obstacle.
> 
> I hope that the above answers shed some light.  Feel free to ask for
> clarifications as appropriate.
> 
> Best Regards,
> Martin-Éric
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