[Openchrome-devel] [ANNOUNCEMENT] OpenChrome Version 0.4.0 is almost ready

[Kevin Brace]

Hi everyone,

I will like to make this announcement that OpenChrome Version 0.4.0 is almost ready for release.
I still have not changed the version from Version 0.3.3 yet, but with the last few commits I have made within the past 24 hours, the display detection regression related to the elimination of a known device table is mostly resolved.
If you have a computer with VIA Chrome IGP (UniChrome and Chrome9, but not S3 Graphics derived Chrome 500 through 600 series) and you do not mind installing a compiled graphics device driver for testing purposes, please test the latest master branch code located over here.

https://cgit.freedesktop.org/openchrome/xf86-video-openchrome/

This is the very detailed instructions on how to install the device driver.

https://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/openchrome-devel/2016-February/001753.html

If you think something is not working properly, please file a new bug report with http://bugs.freedesktop.org.
Except for a few active open bug report, please do not reuse the existing bug report that has been filed in the past few months since substantial changes have occurred in the code in the past 2 months.
Some of the bug reports have grown very long with the topic drifting away from the original bug report, and I do not like to see this happen again.
Please do not file a bug report against stock OpenChrome Version 0.3.3 that comes with many Linux and BSD distributions anymore since the code has changed tremendously from that version.
As for OpenChrome Version 0.3.4, I cancelled the release of it due to the severe difficulty of maintaining many legacy features OpenChrome has had since the forking from UniChrome that happened 10+ years ago.
Legacy features like VBE (VESA BIOS Extension) mode setting and known device table have been eliminated completely from the code, and those are the major reasons why the new release of OpenChrome is called Version 0.4.0 rather than Version 0.3.4.
What this means is that, OpenChrome is almost fully automatic when it comes to display detection, although some work related to flat panel and external TMDS transmitter remain.
Looking forward, the patch level of OpenChrome will go up much faster than the past (Version 0.4.0, 0.4.1., 0.4.2, etc.) since it stayed at Version 0.3.3 for a very long time (almost 3 years), and this has caused tremendous amount of confusion among users.
If there are no major issues, I will release a new version of OpenChrome in the next few days.
I will send out another announcement when OpenChrome Version 0.4.0 is officially released.

Regards,

Kevin Brace
OpenChrome Project Maintainer