[Arm-netbook] AMD considering releasing the PSP

[Paul Boddie]

On Friday 10. March 2017 17.08.47 Julie Marchant wrote:
> Trisquel forum thread here:
> 
> https://trisquel.info/en/forum/amd-apparently-taking-requests-feedback-comm
> unity
> 
> And this is the Reddit thread where it happened:
> 
> https://www.reddit.com/r/Amd/comments/5x4hxu/we_are_amd_creators_of_athlon_
> radeon_and_other/def5h1b/
> 
> It would be a good idea to encourage AMD to do this. Who knows? It could
> lead us to an x86 EOMA computer card of some sort in the future. ;) Not
> to mention, it would just be better for us overall to have AMD on our side.

Interesting comment:

"Unfortunately AMD is licensing Trustonic's PSP firmware. They do not have the 
option to open source it."

https://www.reddit.com/r/Amd/comments/5x4hxu/we_are_amd_creators_of_athlon_radeon_and_other/defn8l1/

Of course, this is just one aspect of AMD's technologies, but similar 
obstacles probably appear along each of the paths towards freedom for all the 
different things their products provide. Even with all their GPU expertise, 
they are unlikely to make the technologies transparent because every patent 
troll and potential competitor might try and sue them over some detail or 
other. That, unfortunately, is the pact of silence all the GPU vendors adhere 
to, whether or not the explanation really has much merit.

It's interesting that this happens now. I was vaguely aware that AMD had just 
launched their Ryzen line of products, and was also vaguely aware that they'd 
been trying to get their Zen microarchitecture out. However, AMD have a 
history of underwhelming the market in many ways, so it makes one wonder what 
an appeal to the "community" is all about. One can be cynical and say that 
companies only appeal to anyone if the market is too tough, and once they're 
doing fine again, they forget about all their friends in the "community".

Still, their stock price has gone up sixfold over the last few months, so 
maybe I'm not the one to second-guess them.

Paul