Many A20 features are in mainline kernels now, although sunxi-3.4 is still recommended for full hardware support.
http://linux-sunxi.org/Linux_mainlining_effort#Status_Matrix
EDIT: The GR8 is specifically called out on this page as having mainline support from kernel 4.9.
I've been running bananian with the 4.4 kernel on my bpi-R1 (A20 SoC) and everything seems to be working fine. Although I don't use it for anything graphical (it's a networking/storage/server device.) Can't say how much it's relying on binary blobs though.
Re:CHIP Pro
by mynameislegion on Wednesday October 12, 2016 @03:06AM
(#12690912)
Sadly Allwinner did zero of that mainlining.
The GR8 is an AllWinner R8 with RAM in a single piece of resin. They are targeting product builders, see the section:
> Powered by a chip you can actually buy. > R8 SoC + 256MB DDR3 > 1 package. 1 price. > $6 in any quantity.
(that's $6 for their rebadged chip.) TBH this looks like not a bad solution for someone looking to board-down a linux capable product. I wonder if the GR8 needs a power mgt chip or if that's integrated into the SoC as well.
Back to your original question, NTC (among others) worked with AllWinner I believe to mainline some of the R8 code and reduce (or possibly eliminate?) binary blobs.
> it supports mainline Linux. I assumed this meant without blobs
Fun fact, there are blobs in mainline Linux. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux-libre#History
It could be, but reading up on the features of the C.H.I.P. Pro it supports mainline Linux. I assumed this meant without blobs. Is there mainline support for any Allwinner chips?