In April of 2003, this driver was imported into XFree86. Eventually, VIA was convinced to release the driver in source form, and it did so.
This is equally true of XFree86 (and X.org).
#Via chrome9 hc igp driver linux drivers#
As anyone that’s been involved with the Linux kernel will tell you, binary-only drivers rarely last very long in the Linux community due to the simple fact that no one in the community can keep them up to date as the kernel continues to develop and interfaces change. Several years ago, VIA had written a Linux driver for the Unichrome device present in the CLE266 chipset that it released in binary-only form. Some of the historical details are hard to come by, but here’s what I’ve managed to piece together: I’ve provided the time line to the right for reference. March, 2004 Unichrome Project started April, 2005 openChrome Project forks December, 2003 X.org tree up to date with XFree86 4.4 RC2. Background April, 2003 VIA releases source for CLE266 driver, and it is imported into the XFree86 tree.
#Via chrome9 hc igp driver linux pro#
VT3225 Unichrome Pro on the CN750 and CN800. VT3343 Unichrome Pro on the P4M890 and VN890. VT3230 Chrome9 IGP (but effectively a Unichrome) on the K8M890. VT3344 Yet another Unichrome Pro on the P4M800Pro, VN800, CN700, and P4M800CE. VT3108 Unichrome Pro, later renamed Unichrome Pro B, on the K8M800 and K8N800. This device list was compiled by the Unichrome Project: VT3122 Originally named CastleRock. I’ll investigate the events that led up to the current situation in this post. Historically, Linux support for the VIA Unichrome and Unichrome Pro families of graphics controllers has been highly indicative of some of these trends. This is compounded by development upheavals in related open-source projects.
As VIA, like other manufacturers in the industry, continues to adjust to this model, the pace of development fluctuates rapidly. However, with open-source operating systems like Linux, implementing that support requires working with a community of developers. Feasibility is largely a consequence of operating system support for the hardware. Thus, it is along this boundary that VIA’s EPIA mainboards will need to prove their viability as a platform for application development. The combination of a modern Linux distribution with the small, yet powerful Mini-ITX platform is popular because the two are so well-suited to the challenges posed by an emerging set of applications requiring more computational power and platform flexibility than the embedded platforms of the past, but with much of the size, efficiency, and cost advantages that embedded applications have always sought after. To a large extent, Linux has an application overlap in that domain. Much has been said of the suitability of VIA’s Nano-, Pico-, and Mini-ITX mainboards for embedded and appliance computing.