diff --git a/doc/news.txt b/doc/news.txt index 641055da49d..a60f8551ca1 100644 --- a/doc/news.txt +++ b/doc/news.txt @@ -4,6 +4,48 @@ =========== +Genode OS Framework release 21.11 | 2021-11-30 +############################################## + +| Genode 21.11 puts the spotlight on device drivers. Interactive Genode +| scenarios come to the Pinephone, hardware-accelerated graphics becomes +| available on Intel Gen9+ and Vivante GPUs, and Xilnx Zynq receives +| new love. + +The previous release presented our new take on porting drivers from Linux, and +the architectural integration of hardware-accelerated graphics in Genode-based +systems. The just released version 21.11 is the continuation of both topics. +Thanks to our streamlined approach for transplanting Linux drivers to Genode, we +were able to reuse the Pinephone's Linux drivers for the display and +touchscreen without modification. But, in contrast to running those drivers in +the Linux kernel, we are walking on new ground by confining each driver in a +separate sandbox. + +With our GPU line of work, we followed two major directions during the release +cycle. For one, we applied our architectural approach to a second GPU vendor +besides Intel, namely the Vivante GPU as used by the i.MX SoC family. +Combined with the etnaviv Gallium driver of the Mesa library, Genode thereby +becomes able to render graphics with hardware acceleration on the MNT Reform +open-hardware laptop. The second branch is the promised extension of our +custom Intel GPU multiplexer to GPUs of generation 9 or newer. Thereby, GPU +support has now become a regular feature of the Genode-based Sculpt OS that +can be taken for a spin on commodity PC hardware. + +Regarding 32-bit ARM platforms, the current release revives our engagement +with Xilinx Zynq devices, which combine FPGA fabric with a 32-bit ARM CPU. +In particular, the release brings the framework to the USRP E310 board, +opening new hardware-software co-design opportunities. + +Besides the many hardware-related topics outlined above, two functional +improvements stand out. First, the Genode version of VirtualBox 6 has reached +feature parity with version 5. Both versions can now be used interchangeably +on Sculpt OS. Finally, libSDL2 got upgraded with support for audio and OpenGL, +which is a nice pathway for hosting games on Genode. + +The new version is described in full detail by the +[https:/documentation/release-notes/21.11 - release documentation of version 21.11...] + + Sculpt OS release 21.10 | 2021-10-14 ####################################