“SciTech Software, Inc. today announced that it has ceased further development of its SNAP device driver technology in favor of a new line of web and business logic technologies. SciTech also announced that it would begin looking for a buyer for the company’s existing core technology, SciTech SNAP.”
I suppose it isn’t worth my time hoping that this will ever end up open sourced, is it? I wonder what the going rate is for something like this.
I’m sure that most if not all the drivers were written with specs from the original manufacture so it’s very unlikely anyone owning SNAP could just open it.
I always thought the tech behind SNAP was pretty neat (multi-platform, multi-OS unified device driver model). The problem is the market for people willing to pay for drivers has got to be small. Either you get drivers from a manufacturer who supports your OS or you run an OS that supports the hardware. A unified driver model is very neat but it’s not really in demand.
I hate to say it but if this were open sourced, I can’t help but think it would be a huge boon. Imagine the progress SkyOS, Syllable, and Haiku would make overnight while more established products like Linux and the BSDs would get a meaningful influx of high quality video drivers.
I truly hope SciTech are properly compensated for all their hard work over the years and that they find a motivated investor who doesn’t let this die on the vine. Good luck.
I have to agree that something like SNAP would be nice to have as FLOSS. If SciTech can make it FLOSS it would be interesting to know how much want for it. Then maybe something like the Blender fund raiser could be organized. Like you said, there are a lot of projects (and people) that could be interested.
Agreed. I’d love to see some large Linux supporter purchase this from them, then do what they can to integrate this into the kernel as a full fledged alternative to the current Linux driver model.
The one thing is, they’d need to flush out some kind of similar 3d abstraction (if it’s even possible) for OpenGL (and maybe pluggable so D3D or even Glide could conceivably be added). Otherwise, it’s not all that useful, since 2d drivers are pretty common, even on less known platforms.
Actually, even better if it’s BSD licensed (or dual licensed), so that Windows device drivers could use it as a development tool, assuming they can achieve the abstraction without a noticeable performance hit. (yeah, I know, fat chance.)
collect money and buy it. And I cannot a better organizer that OpenGraphics Project.
Edited 2006-11-17 16:43
There is no significant way to make money from this code and no one will deal with the legal problems of open sourcing it. Besides, in the long run OpenGL based systems are going to kill old style 2D X servers.
The only positive I see is that all of this code is written by SciTech. So if your were able to get the ok from the hardware manufacturers this code could be open sourced. Much of this hardware is old, but you still need to ask permission.
It will end up in the trash can.
Sourrce Code? xD
Maybe the poster just worships at the Church of FSM! (http://www.venganza.org/)
Aye! Therrre be a typo in the title!
I noticed that be so also!
–bornagainpenguin