

Intel Says Clover Trail Atom CPU Won't Work With Linux - autotravis
http://linux.slashdot.org/story/12/09/14/1236219/intel-says-clover-trail-atom-cpu-wont-work-with-linux

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s_henry_paulson
Intel never said that the processor won't run Linux, but that they aren't
going to support it.

Huge difference.

The reason they aren't going to support it is because Windows uses different
system calls relating to shutting down cores on the processor in order to save
battery life, and they designed the chip specifically for Windows.

If you used Linux with the processor, you'd get horrible battery life, and
Intel understandably does not want the blame for that.

~~~
st3fan
Sorry but this sounds like marketing speak. I highly doubt that Intel designs
anything _specifically_ for Windows at the CPU level.

There is no direct mapping between _Windows System Calls_ and functionality of
a specific chip. There is a ton of code between that system call and what
actually happens on the chip or in its firmware.

The top layer sure is Windows specific because it runs as part of Windows.
However, the bottom layer is just bits to fiddle with or instructions to send
to the CPU and any OS can implement that. Including Linux.

Again, marketing blah.

~~~
s_henry_paulson
If you click through to the source article, they even describe what I'm
referring to:

>"Intel went to great lengths to highlight the new P-states and C-states in
which it can completely shut down the clock of a core. The firm said the
operating system needs to provide "hints" to the processor in order to make
use of power states and it seems likely that such hints are presently not
provided by the Linux kernel in order to properly make use of Clover Trail."

Also: [http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-
us/library/windows/desktop/ff19...](http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-
us/library/windows/desktop/ff190969\(v=vs.85\).aspx)

~~~
swasheck
>"presently not provided by the Linux kernel"

How long until the commits start rolling in for this?

~~~
rbanffy
I'd imagine that they'll start as soon as the right developers gain access to
the right specs. Real hardware wouldn't hurt either.

------
buster
Noone writes why, but i'm quite sure why:

Atom contains the superawful PowerVR chip that is a nightmare in Linux and
Intel never got around to release open source drivers (because it's only
licensed form PowerVR).

~~~
rbanffy
Since I don't have an Atom with a PowerVR GPU, I cannot say how well (or not)
it works. I'm not unhappy with whatever is in the N270, however.

<http://www.unix-heaven.org/intel-powervr-gma3600-for-linux>

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driverdan
Original article was already posted 9 hours ago:
[http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2205462/idf-
intel-s...](http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2205462/idf-intel-says-
clover-trail-will-not-work-with-linux)

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rjzzleep
i'm not really surprised. I remember intel guys talking about hybrid tablets
in the near future, with a iX CPU's running on the docks and atoms in the
tablet part.

don't forget that we're talking about atom CPU's here. for all I care atoms
are shit anyway, the AMD fusion alternatives are much better.

on the one hand, why would the linux kernel support some stuff that isn't
there yet and only relevant to new windows 8 tablets.

on the other hand I don't see the intel linux driver teams disappearing
anytime soon.

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zeruch
Then I guess I won't be running Intel chips...that was simple.

