Intel X.Org Driver Update Gets New Features

[phoronix]

Phoronix: Intel X.Org Driver Update Gets New Features

Chris Wilson of Intel OTC announced the release of the xf86-video-intel 2.21.4 X.Org driver on Monday morning. This new driver has clumsy PowerXpress integration, run-time detection of available CPU instruction sets, Haswell fix-ups, and more work on the SNA acceleration architecture...

http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=MTMyNDE

[przemoli]

I almost wish I had Intel GPU :P

[asim75]

I almost wish I had Intel GPU :P

Same here. My next computer probably gonna have one of the intel APUs if AMD keeps ignoring GNU/Linux.

[Ericg]

Same here. My next computer probably gonna have one of the intel APUs if AMD keeps ignoring GNU/Linux.

I decided a year or two ago that from now on all my computers are gonna Intel unless AMD really gets their act together in a massive way-- which i don't see happening anytime soon.

[moilami]

I decided a year or two ago that from now on all my computers are gonna Intel unless AMD really gets their act together in a massive way-- which i don't see happening anytime soon.

I switched to Intel when I became aware of a blob required to get 3D acceleration to work with Ati cards.

That was X years ago with the help by BLAG GNU/Linux and the first deblob script to make fully free Linux.

Now that the performance issues has been solved for my needs I could not be more happy Intel customer.

[curaga]

Uhm, your Intel cpu still has a microcode blob inside it, that you can update at runtime.

[przemoli]

Uhm, your Intel cpu still has a microcode blob inside it, that you can update at runtime.

..

You can REDEFINCE each and every instruction for Intel CPU's at runtime.

Its not that binary blobs (firmware) are wrong. It their license. FLOSS? Then it can be improved. Proprietary? You can do nothing but replace them..

[curaga]

Yes, that was part of my point. Intel's CPU microcode is not open source any more than AMD's CPU or GPU microcode.

[moilami]

Uhm, your Intel cpu still has a microcode blob inside it, that you can update at runtime.

Interesting. I remember PII or PIII CPUs having binary blobs.

Are you talking now of some sort of firmware that is upgradable like in, say, CD-players?

Since I am using Libre Linux I should not have any non-free blobs put in use by the CPU. What I am missing if the microcode blob is not updated? That depends on my exact CPU version?

Oh well, guess I have to google stuff.

[curaga]

Are you talking now of some sort of firmware that is upgradable like in, say, CD-players?

The cpu would not function without the microcode. They burn in one version at the factory, and you can update it temporarily at runtime (this update can be done both by your BIOS and by the OS), effective until a reboot.

You are using the factory-built-in version of it.

What I am missing if the microcode blob is not updated?

Bugfixes and possible performance improvements. What exactly is kept secret, but both Intel and AMD come with a steady stream of updates for their microcode, for the life of a cpu.