VIA's relatively small hardware profile might get a new fan base and a significant boost following a new endeavor by the company to reach out to the open-source community. VIA will be launching later this month a new Linux portal website aimed at providing drivers, technical documentation, source code and a host of other information regarding their newer hardware platforms. The Via CN700, CX700/M, CN896 and VX800 platforms are all on the agenda. The idea is to acquire a more open driver development platform, encouraging developers to use their equipment.
VIA hopes to benefit with improved quarterly software releases for its integrated graphics and better 2D and 3D performance on open source platforms. Aligning their updates with kernel and major distro updates could also give the company a PR boost among developers dedicated to Linux.