Obtaining VIA Datasheets? 32
driv3l asks: "This is totally frustrating! I'm trying to write some drivers for my Epia M10000 with a CLE266 chipset (VT8235 southbridge and VT8623 northbridge). The problem is that I can't get datasheets or info on any of the Via chipsets. I have a driver that works on my Intel ICH4 (knock Intel as much as you want... at least they're forthcoming with their technology). The Via datasheets request page does not work, and from what I've heard it's damn near impossible to get datasheets from them. I dislike looking through other people's source code, so looking through Linux drivers is counterproductive for me, especially since the driver I'm developing is not for Linux...or Windows, for that matter. This project is on its last legs due to the frustration I have been experiencing. Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can solve this problem or how I can go about obtaining the necessary datasheets?"
+5: Obvious (Score:1)
If you want it really bad (like it seems you do), try being social. It really doesn't hurt to talk to people every once in a while.
Re:+5: Obvious (Score:2)
Re:+5: Obvious (Score:2)
Re:+5: Obvious (Score:2)
Re:+5: Obvious (Score:1)
have you asked them yet ? (Score:2)
Have you asked them yet ?
A quick search reveals mailing lists where VIA engineers freely handed out technical data sheets for earlier models.
"So" (Score:2)
I fail to see the link that the "so" implies.
Just because you dislike reading other's code, doesn't mean it is counterproductive.
Re:"So" (Score:2)
Re:"So" (Score:2)
--
Re:"So" (Score:2)
b) He can look at the code all he wants, and use it to work out how the device works, and then write his own driver.
Just looking at GPL code doesn't mean you can't then write your own proprietry code. What you can't do is just copy and paste the code.
Re:"So" (Score:2)
Re:"So" (Score:1)
Maybe it's just me, but I find the linux code fairly complex to read and follow.
It gets more hairy when trying to understand the interactions of the code with certains bits of hardware.
By the time you've finished plugging in the constant values (#defines) and looking through the 10 different source files, you could have written 4 drivers.
Also... working fro
Letters. (Score:2, Insightful)
Then, looking at their who's who corporate page find the closest things to their technical department, and customer service department. If they take longer than a week to respond to your e-mail with something that isn't computer generated, write a letter.
The first paragraph should be high, how ya doing,
Re:Letters. (Score:2)
There are other vendors, other products,
and much much better ways of doing business
and treating your customers.
Instead, I suggest telling everyone in the
industry how VIA is hostile to its customers
and refuses to provide technical documentation
for its products, rendering them useless.
When you do a design, turn to a competitor.
VIA's intransigence can be resolved by
destroying VIA as an agent in the marketplace.
Only the good survive. Helping this lawyer-crippled company to survive
woul
VIA sucks for GCC too! (Score:2)
Now with the nehemiahahaha CPU I think the -march=c3-2 target just points to i686+sse.
If they kicked a few spec sheets and a small donation to the GCC folks I'd bet GCC-generated code would run 30% faster on their chips. The C3 series should have it's own pipeline description and scheduling backe
Re:VIA sucks for GCC too! (Score:2)
Re:VIA sucks for GCC too! (Score:2)
Right now XFree86 doesn't even have native drivers for the CLE266/CastleRock 2D video, you'll have to use the FBDev driver (slow as molasses) or wait for XFree86 4.4.
Overall these EPIA systems pretty much su
Re:VIA sucks for GCC too! (Score:2)
Re:VIA sucks for GCC too! (Score:2)
If you intend to release a product that is inherently slower than even modern low-end systems you think you'd make a heavy investment in getting the most out of it.
Re:VIA sucks for GCC too! (Score:2)
Ask in forums? (Score:1)
There are numerous "fan-sites" about mini-ITX boards, especially those from VIA. Maybe some of the folks on there have already managed to obtain some docs.
For example: forums.sudhian.com [sudhian.com] have sections about linux and mini-itx boards.
Or how about the kernel mailing lists? I think that Alan Cox himself mentioned in his diary (before he started writing it in Welsh, that is) that he's a fan of these machines and had done some driver development.
contact their rep or distributor (Score:1, Informative)
these are the normal channels to deal with a semiconductor mfg.
the rep will be able to provide the datasheets etc (perhaps under NDA, depends on company).
Re:contact their rep or distributor (Score:1)
LinuxBIOS (Score:2)