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3DLabs Releases Linux Drivers

Posted by michael on from the not-just-nvidia dept.

wilfie writes "3DLabs have released linux drivers for their for Wildcat III and Wildcat 4 Graphics accelerators. Being closed source they'll taint your kernel, but what the heck. Press release with penguin-friendly quotes available too." DataSquid has a note about ATI's Linux support: "While on the job hunt, I came across this posting at ATI seeking a project team lead. Last on the list of key responsibilities is "Act as a leader to improve the overall quality of Linux support at ATI." Good news? Certainly better news than what was suggested before."

4 of 201 comments (clear)

  1. Re:This taints our image by Dicky · · Score: 5, Informative
    Taint, in this case, is a technical term. The kernel keeps a flag showing if all the code in it or loaded into it (i.e. modules) is open source, and if a module containing closed source code is loaded, the taint flag is set.

    The point, of course, is that when you post on the lkml saying "Wah wah my kernel's dead", they can come back and say "Sorry - we can't fix that because you're running code in your kernel which we don't have access to". Or possibly something less polite :-) But anyway, that's why the taint flag exists.

    --
    Paranoia isn't an infectious condition, it's a way of life
  2. Re:This taints our image by wirelessbuzzers · · Score: 3, Informative

    Another point of the taint flag is that you cannot make a binary distribution of a tainted kernel. Under the GPL, if you distribute any modifications of the original kernel, you must include the source, which you can't do if you have closed-source drivers.

    --
    I hereby place the above post in the public domain.
  3. Re:Why not open source graphics card drivers by The+Analog+Kid · · Score: 5, Informative

    In nVidia's case they licensed code from SGI or some company like that. If they GPL'd the code their would be a lawsuit which I don't think they want. Now you could atleast release the spec for the cards , so the community could create its own drivers. That is proabably why many companies don't get involved in Linux for drivers, because the community already made them.

  4. Re:hmf. kinda poor effort if you ask me. by caseih · · Score: 3, Informative

    I wouldnt come to that conclusion. If anybody has ever installed RedHat's new'ish version and then NMAP'ed it, you'll find some interesting things started.

    I always find: Telnet, Finger, Chargen, Mail, and other services started on DEFAULT install.

    Guess you haven't tried RedHat out in quite a while. The telnet server hasn't ever even been installed by default, let alone turned on since the RedHat 6.2 days. Sendmail is installed and turned on by default, but it is only bound to 127.0.0.1, so you can't even connect to it remotely unless you explicitly turn it on.

    In that case, Windows AND RedHat both fall in the same category.

    Hardly. RedHat out of the box in workstation install has no services running by default (except ntp), and the default firewall config only allows in ssh anyway. Even in custom or developer install, only ssh is on.