NVIDIA Proposes Mesa Patches To Support Alternative GBM Back-Ends

[phoronix]

Phoronix: NVIDIA Proposes Mesa Patches To Support Alternative GBM Back-Ends

NVIDIA has proposed a merge request to Mesa that would lay the infrastructure for allowing alternative GBM (Generic Buffer Manager) back-ends to be loaded, such as for NVIDIA's proprietary driver should it presumably implement GBM in the future...

https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=NVIDIA-GBM-Mesa-Backend-Alt

[Rauros]

Finally!

[rastersoft]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSwsJLfH0tQ

[Alexmitter]

All the things Nvidia states about EGLStreams are true, its an Open Standard by Khronos, its good for performance, and its portable. But it does not suite well for whole desktop environments. It needs lots of hacks to get EGLStream based Desktop Environments to run well.

GBM is a 10 times better solution for Desktop Environments and a environment in which many clients live and I am happy that Nvidia realized that too now.

[ssokolow]

How much do you want to bet it was following through on the decision to split out XWayland and abandon direct-on-hardware X.org that forced nVidia's hand on this?

[d3coder]

They implemented and improving EGLStreams for XWayland. If they are about to implement GBM, then it's weird to see that they are improving EGLStreams for XWayland.
Let's wait and see what they invented.

[tildearrow]

Yes please, bring GBM to your driver and make it more AMDGPU-PRO-like.

[mppix]

This is probably commendable but IF they are now doing GBM, this is once more completely backwards (or is it just me?)
Now mesa should merge a Nvidia authored feature because maybe (who knows?) they plan to support it with their driver?
Nvidia, can you just be 'open' about your intentions for once? You have an entire open-nvidia community that is ready to pave the way for you (and mesa community would likely be highly supportive).
As is, this puts mesa pretty much on the wall: they are the bad guys if they decline the merge request (due to unclear future) and they risk problems with (code and other contributing members) in the future if the accept it.

I know this is a bit pointy but beloved Nvidia (I run a number of your titan cards) please get your Linux desktop act together.

[kpedersen]

How much do you want to bet it was following through on the decision to split out XWayland and abandon direct-on-hardware X.org that forced nVidia's hand on this?

Heh, I actually hope so. NVIDIA under the crazy bi-polar thumb of the Wayland project. The engineers are going to have an infinite workload on their hands

Unless of course they open-source their driver platform and get some outside help with upstream integration like Intel, AMD have managed...

[fafreeman]

well congrats on nvidia for after almost a decade coming to their senses in supporting GBM. i'm glad the wayland dev's didn't cave in to nvidia's desires. hopefully this can spur nvidia to embrace more open source by opening up their drivers. follow a driver model similar to what amd did.