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Only partially true on the Pi4: The complete OpenGL stack is now open source using Mesa (it was optional on previous models). Video decoding is slowly moving ov

Only partially true on the Pi4: The complete OpenGL stack is now open source using Mesa (it was optional on previous models). Video decoding is slowly moving over from the closed MMAL stack to KMS and V4L2. The boot firmware is still closed though.

messe 6y ago
> The boot firmware is still closed though. Not much worse than a PC then in that regard.
- mobilio 6y ago
  UPDATE - mine fault. CPU doesn't have AES instructions! Actually it is. For example some RPi CPUs have AES acceleration instructions built similar as AES-NI on x86. But due firmware limit we can't use them. Probably it's licensing and pricing issue...
  - messe 6y ago
    I looked it up. That's not true. The hardware isn't there, and would require the RPi foundation purchase a license to implement. See the engineer reply in this thread: https://www.raspberrypi.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=63&t=207888 https://www.raspberrypi.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=63&t=2078... > That is licence for the HW, so you buy it then add the requisite HW to the die, so no, it cannot be added later without redeisgning the HW, which would cost about $1M Plus the licence....
    - messe 6y ago
      Can't edit my own post, but please stop downvoting mobilio. They admitted they were wrong, and there's no shame in that. Even if they had been wrong, they shouldn't necessarily have been downvoted, because it still ended up adding to the discussion.
  - my123 6y ago
    It's an export law issue. Raspberry Pi is an educational product that should be exportable all around the world. They can't let crypto regulation laws upend that goal.
psykotic 6y ago
Wasn't one of the issues with earlier Pi versions that the driver just serialized high-level GLES-like commands to a front-end processor that ran a huge closed firmware blob? All GPUs have built-in command processors but this was closer to a full driver running as a firmware blob on an auxiliary CPU.
pabs3 6y ago
There is open RPi boot firmware here: https://github.com/librerpi/rpi-open-firmware/ https://github.com/librerpi/rpi-open-firmware/
rasz 6y ago
Video decoding is still a binary blob. There is no documentation to start writing your own decoders.

messe 6y ago

> The boot firmware is still closed though. Not much worse than a PC then in that regard.

mobilio 6y ago
UPDATE - mine fault. CPU doesn't have AES instructions! Actually it is. For example some RPi CPUs have AES acceleration instructions built similar as AES-NI on x86. But due firmware limit we can't use them. Probably it's licensing and pricing issue...
- messe 6y ago
  I looked it up. That's not true. The hardware isn't there, and would require the RPi foundation purchase a license to implement. See the engineer reply in this thread: https://www.raspberrypi.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=63&t=207888 https://www.raspberrypi.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=63&t=2078... > That is licence for the HW, so you buy it then add the requisite HW to the die, so no, it cannot be added later without redeisgning the HW, which would cost about $1M Plus the licence....
  - messe 6y ago
    Can't edit my own post, but please stop downvoting mobilio. They admitted they were wrong, and there's no shame in that. Even if they had been wrong, they shouldn't necessarily have been downvoted, because it still ended up adding to the discussion.
- my123 6y ago
  It's an export law issue. Raspberry Pi is an educational product that should be exportable all around the world. They can't let crypto regulation laws upend that goal.

psykotic 6y ago

Wasn't one of the issues with earlier Pi versions that the driver just serialized high-level GLES-like commands to a front-end processor that ran a huge closed firmware blob? All GPUs have built-in command processors but this was closer to a full driver running as a firmware blob on an auxiliary CPU.

pabs3 6y ago

There is open RPi boot firmware here: https://github.com/librerpi/rpi-open-firmware/ https://github.com/librerpi/rpi-open-firmware/

rasz 6y ago

Video decoding is still a binary blob. There is no documentation to start writing your own decoders.