« previous 1 2

Graphics drivers for AMD, Intel and VMware

Not having released a new version for some time, the developers of the X.org open source drivers for Radeon graphics chips have recently released version 6.12.5, which contains mostly minor improvements and bug fixes. The release email for the relevant pre-release version, 6.12.191 explains that major advancements are to be included in the 6.13 series. For instance, the forthcoming version will offer experimental and rudimentary support for Evergreen GPUs, which are used on the Radeon series HD 5000 cards introduced last autumn; the plan for the new version is that it will co-operate with the KMS driver for Evergreen graphics chips that the kernel developers merged for Linux 2.6.34 last Thursday night.

Further advancements include KMS and DRI2 support for all Radeon GPUs including the R700 series used on Radeon's HD 4000 cards; also new is the acceleration support for series R600 and R700 GPUs (Radeon HD series 2000, 3000 and 4000). However, some Linux distributions already offer these and several other improvements mentioned in the release email because they already include the code from the drivers' main development branch that version 6.13 is based on.

The Intel developers are also preparing new drivers and have released xf86-video-intel 2.10.901, the first release candidate of the X.org-Intel 2.11 drivers. Among its most significant improvements is support of several new DRI2 features which, as already mentioned in a previous Kernel Log, allow improved synchronisation of new display data when flipping pages.

The developers of the drivers for the virtual graphics hardware used in some VMware hypervisors have completed their test phase and recently released version 11.0.0 of the xf86-video-vmware X.org driver. Intel developer Eric Anholt has released version 2.4.19 of the libdrm.

In brief

Kernel

• Three Evidence developers have set the second version of a deadline process scheduler for Linux, developed as part of an EU project called ACTORS (Adaptivity and Control of Resources in Embedded Systems) to the LKML for inspection. Its predictable behaviour makes it particularly interesting for real time environments.

• During the development of Linux 2.6.33, the kernel sources increased by an average of 9,000 lines of code; 2.6.29 included more than 14,500 additional lines. These and other statistics can be found in an OpenOffice table maintained by Greg Kroah-Hartmann and recently mentioned by the developer in a "Dent" (the identi.ca version of Twitter's tweet).
  

• Atheros developer Luis R. Rodriguez ("mcgrof") has created a page in the Linux Wi-Fi developers' wiki that describes the interaction between the various kernel hackers who contribute to the development of the kernel's Wi-Fi support and illustrates the relevant data flows.

Kernel environment ("plumbing layer") and userland drivers

• Debian.org servers are offering links to the numerous videos of presentations given in the "Distribution Developer Room" at this year's FOSDEM – for example one about the Bootchart2 tool we already mentioned in the previous Kernel Log. It also offers a video in which Harald Hoyer explains the modular and distribution-independent Dracut tool for creating initial ramdisks (initrd); the presentation transparencies are available on the developer's homepage.
  

• Junio C Hamano has released Git 1.7.0.1.

• The developers of the HPLIP project have released version 3.10.2 of the HPLIP drivers for printers and multi-function devices by HP. According to the release notes, supported devices now include various models in the OfficeJet series; the developers also improved the code for many other models.

• In a blog post, Lennart Poettering describes various volume control problems in connection with PulseAudio and explains how to locate and fix related driver-side problems.

Graphics

• Tias Guns has released version 0.6.0 of the xinput calibrator. The release email says that this version is to replace various, mostly rudimentary and driver-specific touch screen calibration programs, and that this goal has already largely been reached.

Previous Kernel Logs can be found in the archives or by using the search function at The H Open Source. New editions of Kernel Logs are also mentioned on Identi.ca and Twitter via "@kernellog2". The Kernel Log author also posts updates about various topics on Identi.ca and Twitter via "@kernellogauthor".

(thl)

« previous 1 2