Asahi Linux loses another prominent dev as GPU guru calls it quits
- Reference: 1742459353
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2025/03/20/asahi_linux_asahi_lina/
- Source link:
On Tuesday, a developer going by "Asahi Lina" announced she would be pausing work on Apple GPU drivers indefinitely. Asahi Lina [1]posted on Bluesky : "I no longer feel safe working on Linux GPU drivers or the Linux graphics ecosystem."
The Asahi Linux project added the developer to the "Past major contributors" list and described Lina as a "GPU kernel sourceress."
[2]
"Lina joined the team to reverse engineer the M1 GPU kernel interface, and found herself writing the world’s first Rust Linux GPU kernel driver. Outside of GPUs, she sometimes hacks on open source VTuber tooling and infrastructure."
[3]
[4]
A VTuber is an online entertainer who uses a virtual avatar instead of a webcam to present on video streaming platforms. It's an effective way to conceal one's identity.
Lina's departure follows that of Hector Martin, Asahi Linux project lead, [5]who resigned in February , citing developer burnout, demanding users, and Linus Torvalds's handling of the integration of Rust code into the open source kernel.
[6]
The departure will cause headaches for Linux graphics support on Apple Silicon. Alongside Alyssa Rosenzweig, Asahi Lina had been one of the most prominent developers working on the Apple Linux GPU graphics stack.
When Martin resigned from the project, [7]a list of seven contributors was compiled to manage the project going forward. Asahi Lina was not on that list.
[8]After clash over Rust in Linux, now Asahi lead quits distro, slams Linus' kernel leadership
[9]Fedora Asahi Remix 41 for Apple Macs is out
[10]Fedora Asahi Remix 40 served on Apple Silicon
[11]Asahi Linux team issues promising update on efforts to conquer Apple Silicon
Asahi Linux aims to port Linux to Apple Silicon Macs. It has made solid progress over the years and in December 2024 pushed out [12]Fedora Asahi Remix 41 , which, in the experience of this Mac Mini M1 user, worked admirably well. Considering it was only 2022 when the first Asahi Linux Alpha release turned up, work has been rapid, and the installation process is now far less daunting.
Despite the changes within the Asahi Linux project, Fedora Asahi Remix 42 Beta was [13]announced this week , with the non-beta version due in approximately a month, alongside the overall Fedora Linux 42 release.
One notable change for Apple Silicon users will be the integration of FEX in Fedora Linux. This should make the running of x86 and x86-64 binaries via emulation easier. ®
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[1] https://bsky.app/profile/lina.yt/post/3lkny44jr2k2m
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2Z9v1U3DoPoLikXTPFZKHhQAAAZY&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Z9v1U3DoPoLikXTPFZKHhQAAAZY&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Z9v1U3DoPoLikXTPFZKHhQAAAZY&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2025/02/13/ashai_linux_head_quits/
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Z9v1U3DoPoLikXTPFZKHhQAAAZY&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://asahilinux.org/2025/02/passing-the-torch/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2025/02/13/ashai_linux_head_quits/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2024/12/20/fedora_asahi_41_out/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2024/05/10/fedora_asahi_remix_40/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2024/01/16/asahi_linux_progress_update/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2024/12/20/fedora_asahi_41_out/
[13] https://fedoramagazine.org/announcing-fedora-asahi-remix-42-beta/
[14] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
One would have to be willfully ignorant to deny they're the same person.
Don't buy closed hardware in the first place
This kind of thing is why, as much as you'd like to use an open OS on closed hardware, you can't.
Buy hardware from other suppliers who offer what you need and deserve your money more than Apple.
Re: Don't buy closed hardware in the first place
If I was in the market for new hardware to run Fedora etc, I'd rather pivot towards a Framework laptop instead of a Macbook.
Re: Don't buy closed hardware in the first place
Why a Framework? It's mid spec for premium price...the modularity is cool and all...but really it's just a thinly disguised dongle fest...you'd be better off buying higher quality dongles for the same price as their modules.
They also kind of feel like they're built like clown cars as well. Friend of mine has one and based on that, I don't think a Framework laptop could withstand the torture of being an engineers laptop...fine as a showpiece or something you occasionally travel with.
If it's going to be in your bag all the time and on the move constantly, not a great plan.
Not sure what I'd recommend these days as pickings are slim and I haven't been in the market for a laptop for a while...I'm still hammered an X1 Carbon Gen 6. It's been all over the world with me and won't die...and thanks to the shitty performance of Intel since then, has aged rather well in terms of performance...I'd like something faster, of course, but it's fine...I've upgraded everything that matters, RAM, NVME, wifi etc...and I carry a phalanx of dongles with me (2.5G ethernet, external NVME etc) so it has everything I need it to have.
Re: Don't buy closed hardware in the first place
Mm, not really got hands on with a Framework but had heard they were built rather well. A shame if that isn't the case!
I've always had some luck with HP Elitebooks (admittedly all second hand). Current one is a heavily rebuilt 840 G2. Core i5-5200 and 16GB of RAM, plus a nice zippy SATA SSD and a new iFixit battery. It's also aged very well and can do just about everything I need on the road - more so than the Dell Latitude that work supplied me with....
Re: Don't buy closed hardware in the first place
This, as interesting as Apple hardware is right now, it's far too closed off for my liking...plus I fucking hate MacOS.
Re: Don't buy closed hardware in the first place
Yes, but…
Some of the stuff is important if you can work your way round the restrictons, you can identify potential security problems, which locked-down OSes tend to have in spades. But I've never really understood the buy-a-Mac-to-run-Linux crowd: the BSD userland is great but if you want more, VMs and Docker are also available and you have access to some of the great GUI apps to don't exist on another platforms.
Re: But I've never really understood the buy-a-Mac-to-run-Linux crowd
There comes a day when Apple no longer supplies any updates for their kit. Form my last MBP, it was 7 years. In that time, it never missed a beat. I replaced it a few months ago with an M4 MBP.
The old one now runs linux. Think of it as a second life for the hardware.
I use it as a prototyping platform for my Train Control system which will end up on an RPi. Most of the code is written using Lazarus, Having a nice display makes developing and debugging the software a lot more pleasurable.
When the M4 becomes EOL then I'll probably do the same.
I find their phrase "I no longer feel safe…" both highly disturbing and deeply saddening.
What sort of toxic environment pushes a talented contributor to make this decision?
> When Martin resigned from the project, a list of seven contributors was compiled to manage the project going forward. Asahi Lina was not on that list.
Asahi Lina was suspected of being an alter ego of Hector Martin, so that's not surprising.