Re: Apple's M1 processor

On Dec 1, 2020, at 2:18 PM, austin <[email protected]> wrote:

> https://erik-engheim.medium.com/why-is-apples-m1-chip-so-fast-3262b158cba2
>=20
> I wonder what this means to the future of independent operating systems.

I wouldn=E2=80=99t despair too much. Marcan is already working on a Linux p=
ort:

https://www.macrumors.com/2020/11/30/linux-apple-silicon-port-patreon/

Anybody who has an extra $700 laying around (certainly not me in the COVID-=
19 era, and I=E2=80=99m sure many fewer others than before =E2=80=94 but ho=
pefully not all of us) can donate an M1 mini to OpenBSD.

Apparently the GPU is expected to be the toughest nut to crack, with a bare=
-bones bootable port using existing ARM code probably comparable to the int=
roduction of any new platform.

I=E2=80=99ll bet a cup of coffee =E2=80=94 but certainly no more than that =
=E2=80=94 that, if hardware donations are made in a timely manner, somebody=
 will have the OpenBSD kernel running on an M1 before the end of 2021.

How long for it to be officially supported by OpenBSD/arm64 I won=E2=80=99t=
 pretend to speculate. Nor do I care to speculate on how long it=E2=80=99ll=
 be after it=E2=80=99s officially supported before all the SoC =E2=80=9Cext=
ras=E2=80=9D (neural engine, etc.) that make the M1 so fast are also suppor=
ted.

One step at a time. First step: a generous and fortunate soul to get a mach=
ine into the hands of a developer....

Cheers,

b&=