Microsoft works to bring DirectX into Linux drivers with Mesa

After years of not too hidden war, Microsoft has started to engage a lot in the Linux world with small and big goals such as the distribution of its Microsoft Edge browser, Powershell, Visual Studio and even its CBL-Mariner Linux distribution. In addition to this, Microsoft has created Windows Subsystem for Linux or WSL, a software (now in version 2), which allows you to run a Linux instance inside Windows, allowing developers and simple enthusiasts to have all the versatility of the open source operating system without need to leave Windows.

As part of WSL2, Microsoft has just presented its latest project related to Open Source graphics drivers with the introduction of Direct 3D 12 video acceleration in Mesa.

The role played by Mesa 3D in Linux Mesa 3D is a generic software implementation for OpenGL and Vulkan that allows to provide 3D rendering via software or hardware depending on the available support. Linux users with AMD and Intel graphics cards are using Mesa, while Nvidia with its proprietary drivers replaces Mesa with its Vulkan / OpenGL Stack.

As part of Microsoft's plan to support graphics applications in Windows Subsystem for Linux and provide a mapping and conversion of Vilkan, OpenGL and OpenCL calls on Direct3D, Microsoft developers are also working to provide Direct 3D video acceleration in Mesa.

Microsoft aims to render Other video front-ends are also available: in theory, Mesa's VA-API and VDPAU could also benefit, gaining access to hardware video acceleration via D3D12. Microsoft's work on their video driver can be found on the project page on GitLab.

the Mesa-Direct 3D project was presented by Microsoft on the freedesktop.org mailing list, discussing the integration of Wayland in WSL2. Currently the code is in an embryonic state and will require a lot of testing and cleaning work before being introduced to the general public, but it is still interesting to see how Microsoft is actively continuing to work in the world of open source.