Progress in development of open firmware for Raspberry Pi

Available To test the boot image for Raspberry PI boards, based on Debian GNU / Linux and supplied with a set of open firmware from the project LIBRERPI . Image formed using the Late Debian 11 repositories for the ArmHF architecture and is characterized by the package of librepi-firmware , prepared on the basis of the firmware RPI-Open-Firmware .

The firmware development status is brought to a level suitable for starting the XFCE desktop. In the current form, the firmware provides the V3D driver for the VideoCore graphics accelerator, 2D acceleration, DPI video, NTSC video (composite output), Ethernet, USB Host, I2C Host and SD cards on Raspberry PI 2 and Raspberry Pi 3 boards. Among not yet supported features: Acceleration of video decoding, CSI, SPI, ISP, PWM Audio, DSI and HDMI.

Recall that despite the presence of open drivers, the work of the video screen VideoCore IV is provided by the proprietary firmware loaded in the GPU, into which there is enough extensive functionality, for example, the OpenGL ES support is implemented on the firmware side. Essentially on the GPU side, the operating system is selected, and the open drivers work down to the change of calls to the closed firmware. To get rid of the need to download Blobov C 2017, the community develops a free version of the firmware, offering components to Performing on the side of the GPU VC4.


/Media reports.