Synaptics Releases DisplayLink 6.0 USB Graphics Driver Package For Linux

[phoronix]

Phoronix: Synaptics Releases DisplayLink 6.0 USB Graphics Driver Package For Linux

Synaptics this week published a big update to their out-of-tree graphics driver package for DisplayLink USB graphics...

https://www.phoronix.com/news/DisplayLink-Linux-Driver-6.0

[harre]

Cool, I wonder when that will land for my Steam deck

[Xake]

Cool, I wonder when that will land for my Steam deck

Do your monitor/dock you use it with for your steamdeck really need it?
I would personally rather use DisplayPort-over-USB which is another protocol, more standardised, and overall more stable then the POC called DisplayLink, at least with this driver.
I have had to use it with my work computer on old Dell docks that did not support DisplayPort, and the driver only ever created instabilities, strange behavior with regards to displays in relation to suspend/standby, and other odd problems, crashes and spurious CPU-spikes of load, so in the end I opted to rather not use the docks at all then have this driver installed.

Also, with regards to how much lag and stutter this driver created on a pure desktop I would never ever consider it for something like games.

[rene]

IMHO proprietary, binary-only drivers are not proper, first-class Linux drivers and should not be called out and shunned instead of being promoted. Can you fix bugs? No. Does it run on non-x86, ARM, PowerPC, RISCV? No. Does it work on the next major kernel release? No. Do open-source drivers but don't bring your binary blobs into the Linux kernel space.

[timofonic]

Usual Synaptics crap...

[trapexit]

IMHO proprietary, binary-only drivers are not proper, first-class Linux drivers and should not be called out and shunned instead of being promoted. Can you fix bugs? No. Does it run on non-x86, ARM, PowerPC, RISCV? No. Does it work on the next major kernel release? No. Do open-source drivers but don't bring your binary blobs into the Linux kernel space.

Unfortunately, there just isn't a good alternative. Multiple display tech in general is somewhat niche. When I first found out about https://github.com/notro/gud I had hoped more would come of it but most people are content with what they have it seems.

[pong]

Has anyone found any good resources for developing / configuring these things in beyond the usual well documented use cases?
I've got personal desktops I'd love to be able to get a modern (evdi, ...) displaylink converter to work usefully
in both / either:
1: displaying LINUX console / frame buffer output if there is no present / active other GPU/IGPU
2: displaying some or all of the "bios" / boot process console / frame buffer video as the BIOS / LINUX boot progresses, maybe even enable
editing BIOS setup menu stuff over the DL when there isn't another video output device. I think on some laptops they use UEFI based drivers/modules to enable
this sort of thing but I've never seen it on a desktop and I can't imagine why.

Having a "it really works" USB connected GPU that works for BIOS / console boot / framebuffer & text mode / able to substitute for an
IGPU / DGPU if this is all one needs would be really nice.

Adding display monitor(s) to systems that already have GPUs and monitor ports is great and useful but not completing the "whole picture" and making it
more like an independently useful display device seems much more in line with "linux" display / console capability and can be essential to view the
actual BIOS / boot setup / boot process screens in many use cases.

I don't get why "real GPUs" have all the UEFI support to act as functional at-boot displays whereas these don't commonly.

I am hoping there's a way so I don't have to stuff expensive GPUs in every box just to perform setup / maintenance on what's otherwise
going to be headless / not normally operated from the console in some use cases.