NVIDIA Drivers for 2.6 Kernel

fmileto writes "Kerneltrap.org is reporting that Nvidia has released drivers for the 2.6 series kernel. The driver and install directions can be found on Nvidia's website."

Comments

Re:But when

[c_oflynn]

They won't - there is too much good stuff in there for people to steal. I haven't had trouble with them yet, so if they work who cares.

at least we get a driver...

[Mark19960]

that is more, or less stable and WORKS.
im quite happy with that.
I understand the IP issues involved probably prohibit a source release.
I would just.. let this one go and thank them for at least supporting the linux driver.

GPL soul?

[Rosco P. Coltrane]

For those who've sold their GPL soul to use the binary drivers from NVIDIA (like me) you can get them now.

While I support the GPL and don't particularly like binary-only drivers, I reckon this little phrase has no place in this announcement. To NVidia's credit, they seem to be somewhat serious about supporting Linux in a somewhat timely manner. This sort of allusion won't be a great incentive for other hardware vendors to support Linux at all, they'll just think "whatever we do to be nice to them, those Linux folks will always have something to complain about".

When Linux has 80% marketshare and is a true force to be reckoned with, then perhaps the community will be able to afford sarcasm and get away with it, but in the meantime, there must be other, more constructive ways to entice vendors to embrace open-source.

Re:GPL soul?

[mattACK]

It's difficult to have a movement without any movement, or at least momentum. If they were stealing GPL code that would be one thing. If they support you without embracing your dogma, that is entirely another.

Re:GPL soul?

[swordgeek]

Hmm...

I get a bit annoyed (OK, sometimes REALLY annoyed) at people in the Linux world equating the use of Linux and being an OSS zealot.

Personally, I don't give a rat's ass. If Linux does the job I want it to, better or cheaper than someone else, then I'll use it. If I want to use it, I'll use it. I am not, however, going to town banging on doors and windows about GPL, OSS, and the purity of my morals. If someone else wants to, that's fine. Just don't ruin it for the rest of us. (i.e. by discouraging companies who make good hardware from supporting Linux at all.)

Your post doesn't make me think that you're one of these, but it was a good segue to my point.

As for the car analogy, it brings up the question of compromise. To wit: I live in an area where I can't do without a car, so I had to buy one. I did, however, put fuel efficiency and reliability near the top of my 'important features' list, to cut down on the environmental costs. Furthermore - because I can, I take the bus to work.

Re:GPL soul?

[Watcher]

I really get tired of hearing this same dispute come up every time nVidia and Linux are mentioned. nVidia can not release their drivers as open source due to the licensing for the AGP interface code in their drivers-pure plain and simple. There is not some huge conspiracy within nVidia to keep you from getting their source, they are not sitting here playing games with you, they are trying to support a market as best as they can within the restrictions imposed upon them by a business decision. If you don't believe me, the do a search here on slashdot into the history of this-even Carmack has chimed in on this one.

I sometimes wonder if there is a more thankless group out there than the Linux user market. Yes, it would be great if the nVidia drivers were open source. The truth of the matter is that unless someone wants to reverse engineer everything in these drivers, you're not going to have that anytime soon.

To all the Open Source Whiners

[Adnans]

The Linux drivers NVIDIA released are actually newer than the Windows 2000/XP ones! I call that pretty darn good support!
I'm all for Open Source, but there are probably far too few 3D/OpenGL engineers who have the time to work on and release quality Open Source 3D/OpenGL drivers. NVIDIA has practically their whole driver engineering team working for us. I consider the closed part just an extended piece of 'firmware' for the (closed source) video hardware. The 'loader' and glue code are open source.

It would take a couple of man years to produce quality drivers that even come close to what we have now, and by that time the current crop of 3D hardware cards will be thrice obsoleted (hi Matrox!)

Better to spend our resources improving other things (like GNOME, D-BUS, whatnot) than to duplicate driver magic, just for the sake of being open source.

Now, if you're a PowerPC user, I take everything I said back *grin*

-adnans