Chip maker VIA joins the Linux Foundation

[microchip8]

VIA Technologies, maker of chip-sets, graphics chips and other components, has joined the Linux Foundation. Richard Brown, VP of marketing at VIA Technologies Inc, said in the announcement "VIA shares the Linux Foundation’s goal of fostering the growth of the Linux ecosystem".

Chip Maker VIA joins the Linux Foundation - News - The H Open Source: News and Features

Hopefully this will result in better VIA drivers

[Caleb_IX]

I m waiting so log for this step!!!

[ednso]

Originally Posted by Caleb_IX

I m waiting so log for this step!!!

I became tired of trying make my old laptop that has this ****
VIA chipset work with openSUSE. I have now a laptop based
on Intel chipset, and I am just happy with it (although the video
Intel driver is really messed). I cannot stop hating VIA since
it make me pass through a too bad time with Linux. I cannot
forget I had to use a dual boot system with openSUSE and
Window$ because I was not able to watch videos in a good
quality and never play 3D games, and never suspend in
openSUSE.

Well, I just hate VIA so hard, that I am planning never buy any
thing related to its hardware, never!

I hope you that have VIA hardware to be patient to wait for
Linux support.

Good luck!

[microchip8]

Originally Posted by ednso

I became tired of trying make my old laptop that has this ****
VIA chipset work with openSUSE. I have now a laptop based
on Intel chipset, and I am just happy with it (although the video
Intel driver is really messed). I cannot stop hating VIA since
it make me pass through a too bad time with Linux. I cannot
forget I had to use a dual boot system with openSUSE and
Window$ because I was not able to watch videos in a good
quality and never play 3D games, and never suspend in
openSUSE.

Well, I just hate VIA so hard, that I am planning never buy any
thing related to its hardware, never!

I hope you that have VIA hardware to be patient to wait for
Linux support.

Good luck!

Oh come on dude, stop your illogical hatred. You bought a system with a VIA chip and you expect to play games on it? Are you serious or what? Even some higher end ATI/NV chips have problems with games, yet you buy a system which isn't meant for games at all and then complain how you can't play them. Well, duhhhhh. .... Suspend? even I have suspend problems with my NV cards and others do too with their ATIs so your point is very moot - I guess you hate them too, huh?

Fact is, no matter how much you hate VIA for giving you a hard time, it won't take the fact away that VIA is actually making very good steps to bring better compatibility of its products to Linux. They open up (have released specs too) and will work much closely with Linux now which can only result in one thing: better compatibility and quality. If you can't see that, then you're really blind and holding past grudges because at some point you had problems with a VIA product is childish. I've had to many problems in the past with various products from different companies (3Com, Marvell, Realtek, etc) yet I don't hold grudges because now most of them work like they should and nitpicking about the past won't changes anything for you in the present or future

[microchip8]

btw, I give two thumbs up to VIA in joining the foundation and actually wanting to work with them (they made the first step, not the foundation) unlike other HW companies which are far more hostile towards Linux

Two thumbs up, VIA.

[deano_ferrari]

I completely agree with you on this microchip. Here we have a company that is being proactive with the Linux Community. It would be great if other hardware manufacturers followed their example.

[consused]

Originally Posted by microchip8

btw, I give two thumbs up to VIA in joining the foundation and actually wanting to work with them (they made the first step, not the foundation) unlike other HW companies which are far more hostile towards Linux

Two thumbs up, VIA.

It's only an announcement, or is it "too little too late" for VIA. They claimed they were working with linux many moons ago. They have done a totally **** job thus far, apart from onboard audio which is good. All talk and no delivery! I have a lot of sympathy for @ednso, even though I am still using a via unichrome pro chipset. I didn't purchase it for games, or 3D. The only sanction a purchaser has against such a company's overselling is to exclude them at the next purchase. This announcement won't prevent that.

It's been a hard road, and lots of wasted time, especially with the lack of support from openSUSE (with an 8+ month old ****-up/bug still to be resolved) for the leading open-source (VIA) unichrome driver - openchrome. VIA's best open-source efforts so far have been chrome9, a cut down version of their proprietary driver, which apparently didn't work that well even on windows. Coming from where they are right now, it can only get better. That's a lousy recommendation.

VIA have a track record in this arena for making announcements purely for marketing purposes only. This must be at least the third one, and still no delivery.

I completely agree with you on this microchip. Here we have a company that is being proactive with the Linux Community.

Deano, I can't believe you said that. This is just uninformed BS. The last thing VIA have been is pro-active. They have spent years evading the requests of linux driver developers for detailed specs. They have only done this recently because of bad press in the media, particularly across the internet, and Intel stole their thunder some time ago.

[deano_ferrari]

Deano, I can't believe you said that. This is just uninformed BS. The last thing VIA have been is pro-active. They have spent years evading the requests of linux driver developers for detailed specs. They have only done this recently because of bad press in the media, particularly across the internet, and Intel stole their thunder some time ago.

Don't get me wrong, I understand the disappointing history, but I'm an optimist. Lets see what happens over the coming months. Companies that don't act on their publicly announced statements will lose more customers.

[TaraIkeda]

Good news indeed

[microchip8]

Point is that now VIA is a member of the foundation. When you are one, it'll ask you to do things, to collaborate and check on your progress. You can't just sit there in the corner, make circles with your thumbs and expect something magically to happen which favors your products. If this was just a "publicity stunt" on VIAs part, and they do nothing at all after becoming member, the foundation could very well kick them out if it likes. VIA may have done many claims in the past which turned to nothing but now they are members of the foundation which won't work if they try the same thing. Also VIA has been losing ground constantly for the past years and this could be very well a move due to them realizing that something needs to change. VIA used to be years ago one of, if not the "leader" in chipsets for both Intel and AMD platform and you'd find them virtually everywhere. Now VIA is, along with SiS nowhere to find or hear. It may very well be that VIA is trying to turn things around not just for publicity but to strengthen itself which can be only a good thing.