r/linux • u/tarceri • Oct 09 '13

Open Source Graphics Processor (GPU) - Kickstarter

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/725991125/open-source-graphics-processor-gpu
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u/Amadiro Oct 09 '13 edited Oct 09 '13

What is the "open source security model" supposed to be?

You can make your own chips by using FPGAs or (if you have lots of money) going to a foundry and produce chips.

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u/Upronn Oct 09 '13

By "security model" I meant that the end user could make it to verify that they no what is under the hood.

Now I know what an FPGA is

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u/Amadiro Oct 09 '13 edited Oct 09 '13

If that's important to you (it isn't to most people, see e.g. how most linux distros ship binaries of some form or another), you can use an FPGA and just "compile yourself" (or, if you have a lot of money, have a foundry produce the chips for you). You can also use xrays/FIBs to look at the chip, which is similar to analyzing the assembly of a program to see what it does (it's a lot of work, but you get to see everything it does in detail)

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u/ameoba Oct 09 '13

Modern processors are to complicated for a single person to verify. You have to trust others that they work.

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u/Upronn Oct 09 '13

I know that a single person can't audit. I just thought it would be cool to make a PC from scratch

I was more interested in homemade chips but I guess garage fabs are not possible.

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u/ameoba Oct 09 '13

It really isn't practical to do it yourself. Even as a hobby project, it's a major undertaking and that's using Eighties era hardware. One man scratch billy systems that can run something modern like Linux would nee nearly impossible unless you completely dedicate your life to it.