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To some degree they have opened the Power9, which is hardware. For hardware it's like leaps and bounds more open than anything else out there that can compete w

by zie 8y ago

To some degree they have opened the Power9, which is hardware. For hardware it's like leaps and bounds more open than anything else out there that can compete with it. RISC-V is more open, but the hardware isn't necessarily open, and it's not yet really competing at the same scale as Power9 does... yet. There is hope :)

monocasa 8y ago
Where's the source to Power 9 then?
- zie 8y ago
  https://github.com/OpenPOWERFoundation https://github.com/OpenPOWERFoundation and https://github.com/open-power https://github.com/open-power This is not the entire source, but if you join the foundation you get the chip blueprints, etc. But the entire BIOS is open. that's huge.
  - monocasa 8y ago
    I mean, following that logic x86 is open because Coreboot exists. Or all of ARM and MIPS is open because YABOOT and U-BOOT are opensource. You can get the HDL for both those archs if you join the right orgs too. No, open source means more than having 'open' in your pproject name.
    - zie 8y ago
      Coreboot requires Intel/AMB blobs, you can disable most of the ME, but it's still binary-blobbed to hell. Also none of that is done by Intel/AMD. OpenPower has the entire firmware Apache licensed, see the link I gave. that's WAY more than any Intel/AMD CPU. Even all the secure-boot stuff is open(Apache Licensed). Joining the OpenPower Foundation is free for < 300 employee companies, academics and individuals. see the membership kit: https://openpowerfoundation.org/membership/how-to-join/ https://openpowerfoundation.org/membership/how-to-join/ If you had read any of the links I gave you would have seen all of this for yourself. I provided proof. Please provide proof of your claims :) Is it perfect, of course not. I never claimed it was, but it's WAY more open than anything else out there, except perhaps RISC-V.. except I don't believe any of the hardware for RISC-V is open at all, and none of the hardware that I'm aware of is yet able to compete with x86.. YET.
throwaway2048 8y ago
Their open power initiative is really no more "open source" than say Intel's processors, with the possible exception of Management Engine shenanigans from Intel.
- zie 8y ago
  https://github.com/OpenPOWERFoundation https://github.com/OpenPOWERFoundation and https://github.com/open-power https://github.com/open-power It's a lot more open than Intel's. You can get the hardware chip blueprints if you join the foundation. But the firmware is all Apache 2 licensed.

by zie 8y ago

monocasa 8y ago

Where's the source to Power 9 then?

zie 8y ago
https://github.com/OpenPOWERFoundation https://github.com/OpenPOWERFoundation and https://github.com/open-power https://github.com/open-power This is not the entire source, but if you join the foundation you get the chip blueprints, etc. But the entire BIOS is open. that's huge.
- monocasa 8y ago
  I mean, following that logic x86 is open because Coreboot exists. Or all of ARM and MIPS is open because YABOOT and U-BOOT are opensource. You can get the HDL for both those archs if you join the right orgs too. No, open source means more than having 'open' in your pproject name.
  - zie 8y ago
    Coreboot requires Intel/AMB blobs, you can disable most of the ME, but it's still binary-blobbed to hell. Also none of that is done by Intel/AMD. OpenPower has the entire firmware Apache licensed, see the link I gave. that's WAY more than any Intel/AMD CPU. Even all the secure-boot stuff is open(Apache Licensed). Joining the OpenPower Foundation is free for < 300 employee companies, academics and individuals. see the membership kit: https://openpowerfoundation.org/membership/how-to-join/ https://openpowerfoundation.org/membership/how-to-join/ If you had read any of the links I gave you would have seen all of this for yourself. I provided proof. Please provide proof of your claims :) Is it perfect, of course not. I never claimed it was, but it's WAY more open than anything else out there, except perhaps RISC-V.. except I don't believe any of the hardware for RISC-V is open at all, and none of the hardware that I'm aware of is yet able to compete with x86.. YET.

throwaway2048 8y ago

Their open power initiative is really no more "open source" than say Intel's processors, with the possible exception of Management Engine shenanigans from Intel.

zie 8y ago
https://github.com/OpenPOWERFoundation https://github.com/OpenPOWERFoundation and https://github.com/open-power https://github.com/open-power It's a lot more open than Intel's. You can get the hardware chip blueprints if you join the foundation. But the firmware is all Apache 2 licensed.