VIA’s Linux Strategy Takes A Turn With Hidden Driver

“Yesterday we reported on VIA’s Linux dreams not materializing
with their GEM/TTM memory management support still missing even
though we are half-way into 2010 — more than two years after VIA
announced its most recent open-source initiative. It turns out,
however, for what VIA views as its memory management work is
actually done. VIA has inconspicuously handed over some of its code
to the OpenChrome developers in order to create a new driver that
has been dubbed the “openvia” driver. VIA has supposedly provided
the source-code to an X driver plus TTM/GEM DRM, but this new
project largely remains a hidden mystery.

“VIA’s Bruce Chang, who has been their face for this most recent
open-source strategy, was contacted yesterday by Phoronix and he
replied with an update regarding this work. According to Bruce, VIA
has handed over source-code to an X driver that has GEM/TTM support
to the OpenChrome developers with they along with VIA’s “friends”
have been migrating their code-base to this VIA code-base in order
to create a unified driver.”

Complete Story