R7.1 roadmap, and additional goals

[Philip Prindeville]

Egbert Eich wrote:
> Philip Prindeville writes:
>  > Is it too late to be adding additional goals to the R7.1 roadmap?
>  > 
>  > http://xorg.freedesktop.org/wiki/ChangesForX11R71
>  > 
>  > I was thinking that it might be nice to draft an API for supporting
>  > various video back-ends for supporting composite, VGA, DVI,
>  > LVDS, DFP, etc. and having a standard API for transmitters/encoders/
>  > whatnot that's decoupled from the video engine itself, since one often
>  > finds board manufacturers (or video controller manufacturers) mixing
>  > and matching vendors when it comes to back-ends...  You might have
>  > a Cirrus video controller, but it will be using a VIA or Sigma or TI
>  > encoder or transmitter... etc.
>  > 
>  > For instance, if support gets hacked into the unichrome drivers for the
>  > VT1631 LVDS transmitter, should all of the work have to be duplicated
>  > to get the Intel 915 or S3 or Trident drivers to support the same
>  > transmitter?  Seems like wasted effort.
>  > 
>  > Or is this more than can be realistically done?
>
> Not for 7.1. But it should be a goal for a future release.
> It is something that is greatly required and we need to start
> moving on this.
> However just having an API does not help. It needs to be verified
> that this API meets what is needed. Therefore we need to carefully
> look thru the individual drivers and see if we can identify common
> requirements different drivers may have.
>
> Cheers,
> 	Egbert.
>   

Ok, so the next question is...  Can someone create a ChangesForX11R72 so we
can starting making a roadmap?

And do we want to have a working group (and its own mailing list) for 
the various
issues regarding supporting encoder, transmitter, etc. modularity?  I'd 
like to make
this a closed list because there are a lot of people with strong and/or 
conflicting
opinions... that might not have any compunctions about inducing 
paralysis into the
project... to be quite blunt.

I'd prefer that the group be limited to those that want to see a timely 
result only,
rather than being locked in discussion stalemate...

I'd also like to suggest that while we're yanking things out of drivers 
that don't
belong there, that DDC be put into the charter as well.  Why?  Because 
an NxM
matrix of testing monitors/panels/tubes with video adapters isn't 
feasible.  We
can cut the complexity of that issue right down to N.

I'm ambivalent about whether the list should be viewable by anyone... 
but definitely
want members-only posting.

Suggestions?

-Philip