Passing the torch

Signed-off-by: Alyssa Rosenzweig <[email protected]>

Author: alyssarosenzweig

content/blog/2025/02/12-passing-the-torch.md

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+date = "2025-02-13T14:00:00-00:00"
+draft = false
+title = "Passing the torch on Asahi Linux"
+slug = "passing-the-torch"
+author = "The Asahi Linux team"
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+
+With a heavy heart, we announce the resignation of Asahi Linux founder Hector
+Martin (marcan). His statement is on [his
+blog](https://marcan.st/2025/02/resigning-as-asahi-linux-project-lead/).  Asahi
+Linux brings Linux to Apple Silicon, supporting audio, webcams, graphics
+acceleration, and more. As the remaining developers, we are taking this as an
+opportunity to build sustainable project governance. No matter how talented an
+individual, a large project cannot rest on a single person's shoulders. So
+instead of one replacement... we have seven:
+
+* [**Alyssa Rosenzweig**](https://rosenzweig.io), graphics dev.
+* [**chaos_princess**](https://social.treehouse.systems/@chaos_princess), kernel dev.
+* [**Davide Cavalca**](https://github.com/davide125), Fedora dev.
+* [**Neal Gompa**](https://royalgeekworld.com/), Fedora dev.
+* [**James Calligeros**](https://social.treehouse.systems/@chadmed), audio dev.
+* [**Janne Grunau**](https://social.treehouse.systems/@janne), kernel dev.
+* [**Sven Peter**](https://social.treehouse.systems/@sven), kernel dev.
+
+When it comes to project decision-making, we will share equal power in
+accordance with our [new governance](/governance). Nobody's contributions last
+forever. These governance changes will allow the project to persist as
+developers come and go.
+
+Asahi Linux relies primarily on volunteer contributors. Although some
+contributors have individual Patreon or GitHub Sponsors accounts, individual
+funding streams cannot sustain a team. Going forward, our new fiscal sponsor
+Open Source Collective will instead facilitate donations to the project as a
+whole.
+
+Our [Open Collective](https://opencollective.com/asahilinux) therefore replaces
+marcan's Patreon as the primary funding source for the project. The Patreon
+will wind down soon. Four years ago, your Patreon support made this project
+possible. As his Patreon is winding down, today we ask for your support to make
+the project possible for years to come. Your support will allow us to purchase
+hardware and fund developer time. Please consider joining us on [Open
+Collective](https://opencollective.com/asahilinux)<!-- or our [GitHub
+Sponsors](https://github.com/sponsors/AsahiLinux) --> to continue supporting
+the project.
+
+What can you look forward to in 2025?
+
+Our priority is kernel upstreaming. Our downstream Linux tree contains over
+1000 patches required for Apple Silicon that are not yet in upstream Linux. The
+upstream kernel moves fast, requiring us to constantly rebase our changes on
+top of upstream while battling merge conflicts and regressions. Janne, Neal,
+and marcan have rebased our tree for years, but it is laborious with so many
+patches.  Before adding more, we need to reduce our patch stack to remain
+sustainable long-term. We cannot predict how the process will go, but we are
+committed to do our part.
+
+The other sustainability issue is testing. We must ensure that every supported
+feature works on all supported hardware, with no regressions over time. As we
+support more features and hardware, the testing requirements explode.
+Unfortunately, manual testing is time-intensive, and bugs *still* slip through.
+The solution is continuous integration (CI) that automatically tests Asahi
+Linux on many devices.  Like upstreaming, building this infrastructure is not
+glamorous, but it will protect the project's long-term health.
+
+Where do the M3 and M4 fit in? Until upstreaming and CI progress, the core team
+cannot prioritize new hardware. Nevertheless, some community members are busy
+reverse-engineering to prepare for when the foundations are solid.
+
+Of course, there *are* new features coming for M1 and M2 devices. In 2025, we
+expect to release...
+
+* **DP alt mode**, required for external monitors over USB-C on laptops without a physical HDMI port.
+* **Sparse images** in our [Vulkan driver](/2024/06/vk13-on-the-m1-in-1-month/), enabling DirectX 12. In the mean
+  time, you can [enjoy DirectX 11 games](/2024/10/aaa-gaming-on-asahi-linux/) on Asahi Linux.
+* **Internal microphones**. External mics already work via the 3.5mm jack, and internal mics are coming soon.
+
+How soon? On select laptops -- just a few days! Microphone support is made
+possible by a collaboration between James, chaos_princess, and [Eileen
+Yoon](https://github.com/eiln/).  On Apple Silicon, the microphones require
+kernel support for multiple hardware blocks, including the Always-On Processor
+(AOP) and the Secure Enclave (SEP), as well as userspace support for
+[beamforming](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beamforming) to make sure the audio
+sounds great. It's not just samples-in, samples-out... but those three were up
+to the challenge.
+
+Today's news is bittersweet. We are grateful to marcan for kicking off this
+project and tirelessly working on it these past years. Our community will miss
+him. Still, with your support, the project has a bright future to come.