VIA Graphics, Non-Free Blobs?
Can I have a fully free system but for the dam bois with a VIA system?
http://www.via.com.tw
I'm currently seeing if there is any source code.
A friend of my was locally working on a server-like computer using Trisquel 6. The cursor was disappearing and no graphical acceleration was possible. I am pretty sure the graphical chipset was from VIA...
If I understand your question correctly, you want a system with
everything free except for the BIOS. I.e. just something that works
with Trisquel out of the box with all needed features, like ThinkPenguin
computers (that also use money to support free software, not like
vendors where compatibility is accidental) with Intel chips. Why look
for VIA in that case?
If you want fully free boot firmware, VIA Nano CPU needs nonfree
microcode update, so it's probably not ok (I don't know if it affects
all reasonable VIA CPUs), I don't know if they have other blobs. VIA
graphics (unaccelerated?) works in X without using the VGA ROM, unlike
e.g. AMD graphics needing blobs both in boot firmware and the OS.
On 08/09/14 15:27, Michał Masłowski wrote:
> If I understand your question correctly, you want a system with
> everything free except for the BIOS. I.e. just something that works
> with Trisquel out of the box with all needed features, like ThinkPenguin
> computers (that also use money to support free software, not like
> vendors where compatibility is accidental) with Intel chips. Why look
> for VIA in that case?
>
> If you want fully free boot firmware, VIA Nano CPU needs nonfree
> microcode update, so it's probably not ok (I don't know if it affects
> all reasonable VIA CPUs), I don't know if they have other blobs. VIA
> graphics (unaccelerated?) works in X without using the VGA ROM, unlike
> e.g. AMD graphics needing blobs both in boot firmware and the OS.
>
see the new thread I started "Home Server Mother Board Recommendation?".
thats what this is for. I don't believe TP offer something that fulfils
the features I'm after. I was wondering about VIA as i'm always on the
lookout for a lesser evil and I was hoping they might be. After I posted
it this VIA thread. I continued my research and it seams (from a few
years ago at least) that 3d,video,etc acceleration requires non-free
bits don't know if it's still the case. I'm assuming it is still the
case that for 3d acceleration non-free things are needed so I've givenup
on VIA. I don't need 3d acceleration but if I'm plugging this home
server into a screen I would love to use gnome-shell :D.
I am a member!
Not a name I've heard in years... but from what I remember when they had a segment of the desktop market were not free software friendly. In fact there was no 3d acceleration what-so-ever. This was probably around 2006. I actually had a system with this and it worked great besides the 3d. Back then 3d wasn't so critical though and only became an issue in the later years (it remained a useful system until not that long ago).
In later years they said they'd release a driver (binary presumably) for whatever next-generation stuff they were working on, but backed out as far as I can recall. Which was really odd considering that GNU/Linux had gained a foothold on the market in which they were primarily targeting (if my recollection is correct).
I'm not sure what the story is today, but they don't seem to exist in the desktop arena. However I suspect they might still be around in the embedded market or similar. Which we all know is full of proprietary software dependent graphics and wifi components.
* Unless I'm thinking of a totally different company, but I think I'm recalling the right company.
thanks for the history/info.