Dissecting the Apple M1 GPU, the end

Achievement and Impact of the M1 GPU Work

• Commenters are stunned by the scope and speed: going from “draw a triangle” to a fully upstreamed Vulkan driver on undocumented hardware in a few years is seen as almost legendary.
• Many note this effectively made modern graphics and even GPU compute (via Vulkan compute/OpenCL/SYCL) viable on Apple Silicon under Linux, including use in virtualized environments (Venus/virtio).
• The work is frequently compared to other “once-in-a-generation” engineering feats, inspiring both admiration and a sense of personal inadequacy among seasoned developers.

Move to Intel and Vendor Culture

• The author’s move to work on Intel’s open-source graphics drivers is broadly welcomed; people see Intel’s GPU efforts as one of the company’s more promising, consumer-friendly bets.
• Some lament that Apple didn’t hire her, but others argue Apple’s closed culture, restrictions on outside open-source work, and lack of Linux graphics contributions would have wasted this kind of talent.
• There’s debate over Intel’s long‑term prospects: some think the company is in decline, others point out that similar things were once said about AMD and Apple.

Asahi Linux Status and Future

• Several worry that her departure is “heartbreaking” for Asahi, but others reply that the hardest GPU work is done and can be extended by others.
• Project updates cited in the thread show a strong focus on upstreaming a large downstream patch stack to the mainline kernel before heavily tackling newer chips.
• Users report mixed real‑world experience: some daily‑drive M1/M2 with excellent performance and battery life; others complain about missing features (external displays, fingerprint reader), occasional instability, and no support yet for M3/M4.

Reverse Engineering vs Building New

• One camp argues such talent should be used to build new, open hardware rather than compensating for a “hostile, anti‑consumer” vendor.
• Others counter that reverse engineering is a distinct, valuable skill; it extends the life of widely deployed but closed platforms and pushes back against lock‑in, much like past DRM‑busting efforts.

Apple, Openness, and Legal/Social Context

• Apple is criticized for minimal contribution to Linux graphics and strict employee control over side OSS work, but also credited for not technically blocking alternate OSes on Apple Silicon.
• Asahi is contrasted with Corellium: Asahi is non‑commercial and doesn’t redistribute Apple IP, which is seen as a key reason it hasn’t drawn lawsuits.
• A significant subthread highlights that multiple leaders in Linux graphics are trans, and links this to broader arguments against discrimination and for protecting access to gender‑affirming care.