Same-day upstream Linux support for Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Overall sentiment

  • Many commenters welcome same-day upstreaming as a big step up from Qualcomm’s historic behavior, especially for ARM laptops, tablets, and handhelds.
  • At the same time, there is strong skepticism based on prior experience with Snapdragon X / 8cx and Android SoCs: “press-release upstreaming” versus solid, long-term mainline support.

Open source, blobs, and documentation

  • Several people say “nice, but release the docs”: kernel drivers without good public documentation, open boot chains, and stable user‑space interfaces are seen as insufficient.
  • Closed firmware blobs are accepted as unavoidable for radios, but proprietary user‑space GPU libraries, BSPs, and opaque bootloaders are criticized.
  • Qualcomm is praised for funding Mesa/Freedreno/Turnip work, but many note that a lot of the GPU stack still originated from reverse‑engineering.

Real-world Linux support on Snapdragon

  • Past Snapdragon X Elite laptops are cited as cautionary tales: special kernels, missing KVM, poor battery life under Linux, broken or limited USB4, fan control, BIOS/firmware update pain, and weak media decode support in common apps.
  • Tuxedo’s recent decision to drop Snapdragon laptops over “crap support” is repeatedly referenced as evidence that upstream patches alone don’t guarantee a good Linux experience.
  • Several note that CPU-level support is easy; full device support (Wi‑Fi, modems, audio, power, displays) and per‑device devicetrees are the hard part.

Business motives vs “turning over a new leaf”

  • Many argue this is clearly a business move: ARM Windows hasn’t taken off, Android OEM kernels are a maintenance burden, and Valve’s success with Linux + open GPUs pressures vendors.
  • Commenters prefer a profit-driven FOSS strategy over “goodwill”: if it makes money, it’s more likely to be sustained.

Boot chain, hypervisors, and control

  • Qualcomm’s proprietary boot chain, Gunyah hypervisor, and locked EL2 are seen as major blockers for serious Linux and virtualization use; some report partial improvement on newer platforms (X2E/Glymur, some IoT SKUs).
  • There is debate over integrating Gunyah with KVM APIs vs. exposing a separate interface; concerns center on fragmentation and vendor lock‑in.

Comparisons and alternatives

  • Compared to Apple: Apple’s silicon is considered technically stronger, but Qualcomm is credited with materially better upstream participation.
  • Compared to Intel/AMD: x86 still wins on mature Linux support and “it just works” distros; ARM wins on perf/W in principle, but Snapdragon laptops often underdeliver in practice.
  • Asahi Linux is cited as impressively usable but still missing features, highlighting how far non‑vendor efforts must go without full vendor cooperation.