NVidia says no to request to release open source drivers, once again
Summary: Nvidia reiterated that it won't provide open source drivers for Linux because the company claims there is no need for it.Nvidia provides binary Linux drivers and has open sourced some drivers such as the nv X driver and other utilities that work with the proprietary driver, including the installer, config and settings.
Nvidia reiterated that it won't provide open source drivers for Linux because the company claims there is no need for it.
Nvidia provides binary Linux drivers and has open sourced some drivers such as the nv X driver and other utilities that work with the proprietary driver, including the installer, config and settings.The company is a leading provider of graphics cards and software for the desktop and embraces a cross platform strategy.
"NVIDIA supports Linux, as well as the Linux community and has long been praised for the quality of the NVIDIA Linux driver. NVIDIA's fully featured Linux graphics driver is provided as binary-only because it contains intellectual property NVIDIA wishes to protect, both in hardware and in software," the company said in a statement released today, in response to Linux kernel developers' criticism of vendors that produce only closed source drivers.
More than 100 Linux kernel developers signed off on a letter dated June 23 maintaining that closed source drivers are "harmful" to end users because it cuts them off from additional support and upgrades they might enjoy from the community. NVidia's closed source ways was highly publicized and criticized in an essay published by the chairman of the Linux Foundation Technical Advisory Board Chair.
But in an email to this reporter, Nvidia shot back, noting that its own kernel development team supports Linux users and "NVIDIA doesn't expect Linux kernel developers to debug issues in NVIDIA's kernel module."
Nvidia also noted that customers can gain access to open source updates from Linux kernel.org even if if they use closed source modules. "NVIDIA's Linux graphics driver kernel module is structured so that all the code that is Linux-specific is provided in source code as a kernel interface layer. When customers upgrade their kernel to get the latest from kernel.org, they have everything they need to rebuild and even patch, if necessary the NVIDIA driver's kernel interface layer," the company said.
Reader feedback on an earlier piece on the issue is mixed. Some posted comments defending NVidia's decision to stay closed source and protect its code while others say that Nvidia's Linux drivers are faulty and in need of better support.
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Talkback
Not that it makes a difference
Don't get me wrong - many are great games. But Carmack's games alone isn't enough to make Linux a good gaming OS. I'd like to see a lot more than shooters for Linux.
Frankly, I really don't care if nVidia's drivers are open source or not - it really doesn't matter. What matters is getting more games ported to Linux.
Agreed. Spread the word.
http://www.linuxlinks.com/article/20080530054213402/CommercialGames.html
TripleII
RE: NVidia says no to request to release open source drivers, once again
Nvidia doesn't get it
documentation I only buy desktop boards with Intel Graphics
(I'm not a gamer).
Watching closely the GMA4500 and Intel supported VAAPI
http://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/vaapi
Support those that support open source.
RE: NVidia says no to request to release open source drivers, once again
I keep hearing that...
I'm not a gamer nor will I ever be but I do a lot of 3D work (Blender) and I rely on the NVidia drivers for that and NVidia hardware for the simple reason that it does OpenGL massively better than Intel or ATI.
If you have to jump through all the gymnastics you say you do then I'd complain to the distro maintainers not NVidia.
In principle I support the call for open source drivers but NVidia seems to be wearing a lot of the spew for far worse examples like Broadcom and Atheros.
ttfn
John
Update Yourself
Atheros just Released a driver for their draft-n based devices under 100% free license ( ath9k ), better, that license is even compatible with BSD, which means they are far more open than the great majority of the other wireless chip constructor.
And broadcom has a proprietary binary driver that works with openwrt, it is this driver that the developers of b43 have used to get the firmware for their free driver.
Regrettable, but the Nvidia service is good
However, I should be fair: Nvidia provides good service for it's Linux drivers. On a few occasions I contacted the Nvidia tech support about issues with their Linux driver, and I was helped quickly and expertly.
Don't give too many accolades
Nvidia's choice
This is as should be.
They clearly believe they have IP that should be protected--that's about the only reason *not* to open source, after all!
Don't like it? Don't use Nvidia. :) Simple.
And maintainers reserve the right to disagree
And GNU/Linux users and maintainers retain the right to disagree with that line of thinking. I personally don't know of any hardware hackers copying ATI's and Intel's graphic-card designs, do you? Yet they have open source drivers <<gasp!!>>.
On the other hand, I am an NVidia card user and honestly do appreciate the work NVidia has done supporting Linux.
They juste ask, they could force
If they really wanted, the kernel devs could force nvidia to release the source code of their driver [already done once for some broadcom wireless chips, that were used in APs]. The reason they don't is only because it would be a pain for everybody, specially the users. And because Linus Torvalds doesn't really care about openness.
Something, something else...
Note: since fglrx 8.43, AMD/Ati's Linux driver got much better, now being on par feature- and performance-wise with their Windows drivers (even better, in some cases). At the same time, a few FOS drivers are being developed to explore the capabilities of AMD hardware, and provide support for older GPUs - much better than Nvidia's current support for "older" (Geforce4 and older) hardware.
Mitch
wouldn't mind the binary driver if the installer actually worked.
linux is always telling me that the nvidia driver doesn't support 3D games.
what a crock!
back to win2k. :(
:)
.
It works fine...
Then again configuring any video driver with Fedora is nothing short of a nightmare.
Of course neither Ubuntu or Fedora are Linux they're distros.
With Mandriva and PCLinuxOS I've never noticed a any problem with NVidia drivers. And I don't get warninga that the driver doesn't support 3D.
ttfn
John
nVidia Doesn't Play Well w/Ubuntu, Either
Open Source Propoganda
The people who issued the notice aren't zealots...
In fact, if anything, this group is practical and adaptive enough to live with the situation as it is. The point they're making is that it could be made better.
If that's Ivory Tower idealism in your view then so be it.
There are problems with closed source drivers though NVidia, to their credit, does a far better job than many many others with their binary blob drivers.
Then again, realism has little to do with your preaching, does it?
ttfn
John
Corporate Propaganda - Courtesy of Bush Nazis and the DLC!
Geez, Mister Corporate Apologist - Get a Grip.
RE: NVidia says no to request to release open source drivers, once again