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Reports: NVIDIA Launching a Distro of Its Own (phoronix.com)

An anonymous reader writes: There are unconfirmed reports that NVIDIA is working on its own Linux distribution dubbed "NLINUX." This NLINUX is supposedly a Linux platform optimized for gamers and similar to SteamOS, but NVIDIA has yet to confirm these reports and the sole evidence appears to be a circulating screenshot of an NLINUX install screen. Would you be interested in a Linux distribution created by an IHV? Somewhat similar is Intel's own Linux distribution, Clear Linux, that offers high performance Linux on Intel x86_64 hardware.

7 of 149 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Interested in Nvidia's version of Linux by elrous0 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Thanks for keeping us posted on what you're not interested in.

    --
    SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
  2. Depends on the Licensing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If they'll contribute upstream and make whatever they're doing available to people like SteamOS, Debian, and RedHat, I'm absolutely in favor of this!

    Hardware vendors should contribute code liberally to the linux kernel source. If all they're doing is a custom debian variant that they can control package versions on to make their drivers look better than they are, then I'll pass.

  3. Custom distro by manu0601 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So we have a custom Intel distro to have better Intel support and a custom Nvidia distro to have a better Nvidia support.

    What about if I have a system with Intel CPU and Nvidia GPU and I want to get better support for both?

  4. Will they supply source code for the drivers? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    This could be a boon for them if they are actually willing to open source the driver code for the platform in addition to whatever GPL'd code they are required to post. I'm guessing this OS will be free to use but costly to license if you want a peek at the driver source code. Count me as pleasantly surprised if this distro is fully open.

  5. In house testing version. So what. by BlueCoder · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I tend to think it's just made up. But even if it isn't then it is more than likely their own in house beta testing version.

    Just be grateful it's not FreeBSD which they they could totally embrace and not have to release any code for.

    But everyone needs to get it through their heads that the true future of gaming is not OS bound. The need to instead concentrate on visualized GPU infrastructure. Games will run in VM's in a client game OS. More than likely nVidia wants it's own so it's not dependent on Steam as well as allowing them to have their own store and builtin DRM. They are just playing with their own platform.

    Microkernel VM, Multiple windows version, SteamOS. nVidia OS, and multiple Linux systems and entire visualized applets.

    On an aside I am actually more surprised that VMWare hasn't tried to team up with AMD. AMD could create specialized CPU extensions that speed up Virtualization and before you know it VMWare could supplant Microsoft as the default software loaded on all systems by default. Microsoft might not be happy with $10-30 per computer but I think VMWare would jump at the billion dollar increase in revenue and increased name recognition.

  6. Re:Specific and Custom Linux by KGIII · · Score: 3, Insightful

    You've been responsible for 100,000 desktop system purchases? Note: That is not doubt, I've seen you post before and have absolutely no reason to doubt you, but it is me trying to make sure I understand completely.

    I thought that I might hold some sort of record in that area. I do not. If I had to guess, I'd say that I'm in the 2 to 3k region. However, it was either my company or a purchase that was gifted. For example, I keep a local elementary school's system stocked - I adopted them when I retired to the area. I refresh every couple of years and let them keep the old ones. (They've only got 56 students, a small staff, and a single IT staff.)

    100,000? I am duly impressed. I've bought servers, routers, load balancing equipment, HVAC gear, switches and hubs and even hardware firewalls. I've filled racks, I've filled entire server rooms, and even purchased giant disk arrays. Hell, I've even helped run fiber but mostly did the chasing. I've done a couple of splices but that's really not something I'm going to say I know how to do - I was aided in doing so.

    Oddly, I don't really use any Apple products but I guess I can probably still say that I have *personally* purchased more iDevices than anyone here, with the caveat that it was with my own money. (The school's rather fond of Apple gear and I understand why and agree with their choices. If you're unfamiliar with it, Apple actually gives a pretty good discount for school purchases.)

    But, back to the point... So that I'm sure I understand correctly, you mean 100,000 desktops have been purchased at your discretion? Remind me to *not* invest in a company that has pissed you off. Ripple effects on that kind of purchase power are immense. People like you need to fill out some good, thorough, surveys so that someone can crunch that data. InfoWorld and eWeek used to have some survey results and they used to make sure I got their whitepapers. I haven't seen anything like that in years. Years and years.

    Which leads to my real question... So... (This is me buttering you up.) Umm... You being all-powerful, master and commander, and knowing of all things - both good and evil... I don't suppose you know what happened to those whitepapers that said what the industry leaders where buying and why? Specifically for end-user gear would be my desire. It's time to prepare to refresh the school soon. I'll do it over this coming summer and I've not been paying enough attention. I've been leaning towards whatever iDevice gets recommended to me by the IT guy but I'm open to suggestions and able to greatly influence what he's interested in. He's not chained to Apple but Apple's the district's standard - sort of. They hook kids up with laptops in middle school. This is the elementary school. We do what we want. (And the district doesn't mind, they love that I help the kids out.)

    So, got any good links where I can find the latest opinions on enterprise grade from actual people in the trenches and a history of making purchases? I have, indeed, searched Google a bunch of times. I've not really found anything good and trustworthy. Half the papers are vendor "sponsored" crap and the other half are flawed by asking stupid questions to stupid people. At least those are what I've found.

    Hmm... How else can I appeal to your good, kind, soul? Oh! Ha! It's for the children. It really is, think of the children. Better, think of the poor single IT staffer (just one - and he's not always able to be on-site) and the work he'll have to go through. I've considered an AskSlashdot but, I gotta be honest here, I've *seen* the results to those. If it matters, I still have a CDW account and they were still pretty unbiased/good the last time I went through them. If it's not Apple, I'll almost certainly go through them again but I've actually considered NewEgg.

    Sorry for the novella but I figured I'd ask - seeing as you do appear to be a preeminent expert on the subject. (Not sarcasm. You don't get to those kind of numbers without knowing your shit.) Hell, that last part isn't even meant to butter you up. ;-) If you've got any direction - I'd love to know. I'd go so far as to tell the kids that they can "thank Mr. Bloodhawk" but I think that the moniker might not go over well.

    --
    "So long and thanks for all the fish."
  7. Re:Interested in Nvidia's version of Linux by Warma · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Did you actually just post to rant how little you care of the distro, because you turned your back on gaming after a single company betrayed you 15 years ago?