VESA Releases DockPort Standard To Compete With Thunderbolt

[phoronix]

Phoronix: VESA Releases DockPort Standard To Compete With Thunderbolt

VESA has released the DockPort standard today from Computex that's an extension of the DisplayPort interface and allows for USB data and power charging capabilities as a royalty-free, industry standard...

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

[dimko]

Thunderbolt on Linux market is a...

Phoronix: VESA Releases DockPort Standard To Compete With Thunderbolt

VESA has released the DockPort standard today from Computex that's an extension of the DisplayPort interface and allows for USB data and power charging capabilities as a royalty-free, industry standard...

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

Niche in a niche market.
Makes no economical sence whatsoever.
How many Linux users are there? Unfortunately not so much. How many can afford Mac? Not too many. How many of them actually have Mac? Even less. How many would switch to Mac with Linux on board? Virtually none.

So yeas, hope more open standard will take a place in OSS world.

[przemoli]

My understanding was that Thunderbolt is supported nicely, and only Apple refusal to support that standard on the host side (moving responsibilities from frimware to OS drivers), made it problematic for Linux support efforts.

[rdnetto]

My understanding was that Thunderbolt is supported nicely, and only Apple refusal to support that standard on the host side (moving responsibilities from frimware to OS drivers), made it problematic for Linux support efforts.

That's correct. You know you've fucked up when even one of the top kernel maintainers can't get it working.

[BSDude]

Niche in a niche market.
Makes no economical sence whatsoever.
How many Linux users are there? Unfortunately not so much. How many can afford Mac? Not too many. How many of them actually have Mac? Even less. How many would switch to Mac with Linux on board? Virtually none.

So yeas, hope more open standard will take a place in OSS world.

I think that was not the main intent of VESA. This is more aimed at the hardware manufacturers to unify support. I hope intel will open-source their implementation or it can just as well turnout like nvidia G-sync.

[dimko]

let me transalte that

My understanding was that Thunderbolt is supported nicely, and only Apple refusal to support that standard on the host side (moving responsibilities from frimware to OS drivers), made it problematic for Linux support efforts.

to geek language.

Apple decided to act assholes on that. As usual. I am really uncomfortable with LLVM, it's because of Apple.

Devs that develop LLVM should really support GCC. Apple is known to be assholes when it comes well, to think of it, in pretty much everything.

[mark45]

to geek language.

Apple decided to act assholes on that. As usual. I am really uncomfortable with LLVM, it's because of Apple.

Devs that develop LLVM should really support GCC. Apple is known to be assholes when it comes well, to think of it, in pretty much everything.

Like any other non-opensource big corporation, which is everyone.

[Grawp]

I'm little disappointed that the non-video data link is USB. I guess that the video & USB data are multiplexed on the same lanes. Why couldn't they have just chosen PCIe..? (and create royalty free Thunderbolt alternative.)

[chithanh]

Why couldn't they have just chosen PCIe..? (and create royalty free Thunderbolt alternative.)

Because USB already works over passive cables. Extending PCIe would likely require active cables like Thunderbolt has, thus eliminating most of DockPort's cost advantage.

hopefully the Linux support for DockPort will get lined up quickly and be in better shape than Linux's Thunderbolt support.

DockPort switches the PC's existing USB and DisplayPort controllers, there is no extra driver or software needed. Unlike Thunderbolt which requires complex logic in the firmware or drivers to handle hotplug.

[Luke_Wolf]

I'm little disappointed that the non-video data link is USB. I guess that the video & USB data are multiplexed on the same lanes. Why couldn't they have just chosen PCIe..? (and create royalty free Thunderbolt alternative.)

Because exposing PCIe lanes to the outside world and giving everything from a random flashdrive to mice DMA access, where they can fuck over the hardware itself much much more easily is a bad thing and further for everything except for storage there's no benefit to not using USB instead.