Subject: Re: HARDWARE: Open-Source-Friendly Graphics Cards -- Viable?
From: Raphael Jacquot <Raphael.Jacquot@imag.fr>
To: Linux Kernel Mailing List <linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org>
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Date: Fri, 22 Oct 2004 11:02:01 +0200
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On Wed, 2004-10-20 at 22:00 -0400, Stephen Wille Padnos wrote:

> I would think that a chip that has a lot of simple functions, but 
> requires the OS to put them together to actually do something, would be 
> great.  This would be the UNIX mentality brought to hardware: lots of 
> small components that get strung together in ways their creator(s) never 
> imagined.  If there can be a programmable side as well (other than 
> re-burning the FPGA), that would be great.
> 
> I guess I would look at this as an opportunity to make a "visual 
> coprocessor", that also has the hardware necessary to output to a 
> monitor (preferably multiple monitors).

this being an fpga, why not have various contents for it, such as all
the heavy lifters required for theora encoding, for instance,
so, you take 5 of those cards, and build a digital recorder that can
encode 4 tv shows in real time while viewing them at the same time,
you can sell the device for video surveillance, and so on...

Raphael

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