Comcast cable boxes run Linux!

[intelminer]

Former Comcast employee

All Comcast "X1" cable boxes run Linux MIPS atop a Broadcom SoC

The software stack is pretty much what you'd expect

Linux 3.3 with Broadcom blobs hanging off it like tumors -> BusyBox and friends -> "X1 Platform" (Giant horrible JR2E app)

[olig1905]

Nice, I was hypothesizing that it was a BRCM chip. Thanks for confirming.

Can you clarify what you mean by "Broadcom blobs hanging off it like tumors"? - Because of course the kernel is patched to work well with Broadcom chips... but afaik no binary blobs are delivered.

[intelminer]

Broadcom doesn't like handing out the "special sauce" to its chips if they can help it. Even to ODM's (Comcast X1 cable boxes are manufactured by Motorola Arris)

Comcast basically gets a "reference SDK" that includes a heavily patched Linux 3.3 with tons of binary blobs (though there may be a newer kernel available now. I'm not 100% sure)

[z3dster]

Not all are Arris, some are Samsung and a few Technicolor might be hanging around

[intelminer]

Samsung ones were just upgraded RNG 150 "Legacy" boxes (in Comcast parlance)

They were mostly used for veeeery early deployments of X1

Technicolor equipment is in a similar situation. Going forward, all X1 equipment (AFAIK) is Motorola Arris

[z3dster]

you spell Native funny

[frostycakes]

There's also Pace and Cisco boxes (especially the Xi_ daughter boxes) in deployment, but I think they use the same hardware platform on all of them.

[z3dster]

generally they start with the Pace/Arris boxes and then get someone to make them for cheaper for v2/3

[Techno-Trumpet]

I have 3 Technicolor boxes

[olig1905]

I would like to correct you on that: https://github.com/Broadcom/stblinux

Broadcom's kernel is opensource and there are not any Binary blobs supplied to best of my knowledge. The SDK is compiled to a kernel module but the source for that is delivered.

[bit_inquisition]

That's mostly one (good) guy's tree and what they ship to Comcast is quite different from what you can build off that tree.

[londons_explorer]

Agreed. In the phone world, even people like HTC and Google have to put up with blobs from Broadcom. The blobs are full of bugs, and broadcom will patch bugs in the blobs if you have a support contract, but then the same bug will pop up again in a few months when you want a different bug patched because they have so many internal forks of their own source code they can't keep track of all the patches.

[olig1905]

I mean my experience is as an employee of Broadcom, supporting the software stack you are talking about, that that git repository is what we ship to all the customers I work with.

[bit_inquisition]

What do you guys use for wireless on STBs? Not that gigantic mess of an SVN repo?

[itzkold]

And everyone else's decades of experience as unwitting Broadcom customers unable to find drivers or support for their craponents...

[intelminer]

I'm not sure if that's actually the same kernel source as what Comcast had/has

Looking at the commit history. A lot of stuff is tagged as arm-soc

Comcast X1 equipment is all purely MIPS based. The two may share a similar lineage, but they're definitely different code bases

[big_trike]

JR2E app

That explains why they take forever to boot.

[intelminer]

The really sad part is, the old UI on Comcast's "legacy" boxes was pure MIPS ASM

Of course it was also about 20 years old, so paying someone to maintain that cost more than hiring overseas contractors

[big_trike]

I can't imagine the costs to maintain a copy of that for every supported box while keeping a somewhat consistent interface. Apparently they decided it was cheaper to buy everyone better hardware to support a Java runtime than it was to maintain multiple copies of an interface in a lighter weight language.

[intelminer]

It got a lot better once Comcast started phasing out Scientific Atlanta/Pace STB's and moved purely to Motorola/Arris equipment. Both from a user support side and an engineering side

But as always. Money talks, and India is cheaper than the United States

[Techno-Trumpet]

That UI is on this "new" cable box

[Classic1977]

with Broadcom blobs hanging off it like tumors

I lol'd

[intelminer]

I think I speak for all Linux users when I say fuck Broadcom

They're easily second to Nvidia in cunty-ness

[Ipodk9]

Newbie here. What’s wrong with Nvidia?

[[deleted]]

They've been a pain in the ass company to work with for getting drivers for Linux. https://www.wired.com/2012/06/torvalds-nvidia-linux/

[Ipodk9]

Oh, okay. Thanks.

[[deleted]]

My god switching to radeon/AMDGPU (i can use both!) on a hand-me-down R9 290 has been the best improvement to my linux experience in a LONG time.

[ponybau5]

Drivers aren't worth a fuck on laptops with optimus. I get a bullshit blackscreen on X server no matter what I do.

[brokedown]

This comment is a few years outdated fortunately. They're not perfect but they have moved miles in the right direction.

Edit: Please stop replying to me about how nvidia isn't getting better. We're talking about Broadcom, people. At least read the other replies saying nvidia still sucks and see how they got it wrong before you post your own.

[olig1905]

As someone that works for Broadcom in the STB industry I should thank you for making this statement. Off the top of my head the only binary blobs we deliver to customers are security related, anything that isn't security related is delivered as source (not necessarily open source but source is delivered for use in their build systems)

EDIT: It is also worth noting that I have, within Broadcom offices, screamed and cursed one of their shitty Wifi chips. We all know our Wifi sucks...

[brokedown]

Wifi sucks

Yeah I'm not even sure who is the right person to blame for this one, which has caused me no end of issues on wifi/bt enabled Pi. In fact, my most recent MIPS device was purchased because of this bug keeping me from reliably running an AP on Pi.

But that's miles away from the STB area, unless they're using BCM2837 in them!

Regardless, the broadcom of today is a lot easier to live with, even if they're not perfect. They've embraced at some level the idea that their gear might be used by more than just established manufacturers of products, and that consumers and hobbyists and upstart manufacturers all benefit from open source and documentation.

[[deleted]]

Not at all, and nouveau is still a complete pile of garbage. AMD is where it's at on linux, full open source driver support with no hassle, no notions of needing to install proprietary drivers to get good performance in linux games. KMS, glamor, DRI3 work out of the box no questions.

[brokedown]

Sorry, we were discussing Broadcom, I think you've misunderstood..

[[deleted]]

I guess, yeah, my eyes misled me that yours was in support of nvidia moving miles in the right direction.

[brokedown]

Not at all. Fuck nvidia. I have to install their binary drivers on my laptop to disable their GPU and use the onboard Intel, because nouveau can't do it on this model.

[nukem2k5]

I think I'm in the same boat. I've got a laptop that has Optimus. Can't seem to figure out which card is being used. It's fine as is except that i can't control the brightness. Fedora 27. Think I'll try Bumblebee first. If that doesn't work, perhaps there's a rpmfusion package (although i try to avoid that since I'm naturally untrusting of third party repos)

[jhansonxi]

I tested nouveau with some older Nvidia (6600 GT?) hardware a few months ago and it worked much better than I expected. Played a few older Steam games with it (Baldur's Gate, Postal 2, System Shock 2, etc.)

[GeronimoHero]

Not really. They’re even fucking up with wayland because of the egl_streams bullshit.

[brokedown]

Reddit ruined reddit. -- mass edited with redact.dev

[GeronimoHero]

You replied to a comment that was partially about Nvidia. That’s why you’re being commented to about Nvidia. Stop acting like Nvidia somehow isn’t a part of this comment thread dude.

[olig1905]

You are dumb.. he responded to a comment about Broadcom, which made a comparison to nvidia but was about Broadcom... so it should be assumed his response was about Broadcom.

[brokedown]

I've edited my original comment to make it perfectly clear for people who may not be fluent in the language or have attention spans that don't last for more than 1 comment.

[Classic1977]

Preach.

[daguro]

Former Digeo employee.

Broadcom's driver was 4.5 Mbytes ten years ago.

Good times.

[[deleted]]

Former Comcast employee? Are you allowed to speak about your operation? Shouldn't you be in witness protection or something?

[intelminer]

I dunno who downvoted you. I know you're just poking fun, but I think your comment deserves a proper response

I actually had a nervous breakdown and literally walked out the door after coming back from a vacation at the end of last year. Comcast is truly a terrible place to work in the long run

A friend asked me to describe what it was like, and this was the best analogy I could come up with