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Nvidia's New GeForce Experience 3.0 Requires Mandatory Registration (pcworld.com)
An anonymous reader writes: With the newly released GeForce Experience 3.0 software, Nvidia might irk some users. While you will still be able to download the drivers from their web site sans registration, You will now be required to register in order to use the GeForce Experience software While the Experience software does add some powerful streaming features for games and is "three times faster and consumes 50 percent less memory than the old GeForce Experience," it might seem like a bit of overkill for those users that only used the software to keep their drivers up to date.
Information technology is good at eroding your consumer surplus. This is only the beginning.
Bundled crapware in the drivers can't install through deceptive practices if I don't feed it a throwaway email address?
Cool!
Considering that Nvidia released broken drivers that borked my computer *twice* this year, it's not even useful for that.
AMD for the win!
As an AMD user I can't confirm, but I've also heard that they force your shit to go to YouTube now. Fuck that.
Hey Marketing and Execs,
You're not going to get any useful data out of things like this. Those people you've decided to ignore? The ones who brought up the statistics which made your eyes glaze over and your money-boner wilt? Well, they're correct. There's nothing new to be discovered in terms of trends or about the people purchasing your products. All the data you need about those people has already been captured at the point of sale. In fact, all you really need to know is the fact that you sold another one of your products. Forcing them to register a piece of spyware, and we really need to be honest that is what this is, isn't going to do anything but hurt you in the long term.
Now, you may be of the mindset that you're going to be out in another job in the next business cycle. That's fine, but just know that future employers are going to looking closer and closer at your results. If all you can show them is a net loss of Good Will (I'm talking about the accounting term here, not the general sentiment the purchasing public has towards your products, although that does play a factor in determining the value of said term) they're going to be much less inclined to hire you. So it's really in your own best interests if you take that step back, look at the larger picture of what's going on, and ask yourself if this is wisest decision you could be making on behalf of the brand and company that you're working for.
Fuck you.
When it first came out I tried it and after discovering it's a complete waste of resources, I uninstalled it. For years now I have deliberately unchecked it during installation of NVidia drivers. I also turn off the system tray icon. I feel that drivers must just do their job quietly in the background without ever bothering me. For those twice a year occasions when I need to tweak something, it's a 1.5 seconds away in a start menu search. I definitely prefer NVidia's low key control panel on my home machine over the flashy horrific mess that AMD puts on my work laptop.
The only vaguely useful feature GeForce Experience provided was ShadowPlay, NVIIDA's own screen capture video recorder. However, there are plenty of third-party offerings that accomplish the same thing. I could create a fake ephemeral email address or hack the registry to make it work, but frankly the features it provides do not merit the effort. I have since uninstalled GeForce Experience 3.0, leaving just the drivers.
Now that they've (unnecessarily and gratuitously) made the cloud login mandatory, I would also be interested to see some security researchers dig in to GFE3 to see how well NVIDIA is protecting people's login credentials...
Editor, A1-AAA AmeriCaptions
The GeForce experience software is a joke anyway. Oh, it can scan my disk and locate games and set the settings for me. What? It didn't detect that game, or that one, or that one, or that one...plus it's historically unstable, and offers NOTHING of value. I'll just not install that from now on. KThxBye
I use 'the geforce experience', and my experience is crap.
Hit the upgrade button and the app appears to hang. No progress, no nothing. But it does seem to be downloading - I guess - since it snaps out of it sometime later.
All in all, I would absolutely not recommend it.
From now on I'll just install the drivers. No more GeForce experience.
To be honest I've always found that its prtty much just bloatware anyway.
Not installing the Geforce Experience in the first place.
I've been doing without it for years. Nothing seems to have broken as a result, and I suspect I saved myself a lot of nagging popups.
You know what is infinitely faster, and uses 100% less memory? Not installing the "GeForce Experience" at all. And, there's no registration required!
Perhaps on expereince 3.1 they could will offer higher screen resolutions at pay-per use basis? Or more than 256 colors with monthly subscription fee? The games could also have onscreen ad banners and videos, with sound of course.
Windows users should be used to this by now. Proprietary software users gave up their right to privacy long ago.
"it might seem like a bit of overkill for those users that only used the software to keep their drivers up to date."
You're seriously expected to have multiple update services running on your PC for each different piece of hardware? That doesn't sound too effective, convenient, or secure, and a nightmare to schedule (if the given tool even supports that functionality).
Twinstiq, game news
It's optional software. Dont installed it if you dont want it.
Your hair look like poop, Bob! - Wanker.
So it will only take an hour to start now? GeForce experience was the worst way to keep your drivers up to date. It was so horribly slow and bloated that by the time it took it to start you could have downloaded the new driver and installed it. Plus it had that weird incompatibility with Steam that would make it lock up until you shut down Steam.
I read the internet for the articles.
I used to feed fish@stream.net when I don't care about the email which I provide. Sadly, I can't confirm that email if that's required in the process..
Use an address @ aaathats3as.com .
Just use those and it's not a problem. "Noah.Boddy@some_throwaway_email.com" can register something like that just as easily as anyone else.
On an tangentially associated subject, anyone know who owns 'somewhere.org' or 'nowhere.org'? I've always wanted email accounts for real at either of those domains.
Are YOU using the TOOL, or is the TOOL using YOU? Think about it!
When it first came out I tried it and after discovering it's a complete waste of resources, I uninstalled it. For years now I have deliberately unchecked it during installation of NVidia drivers. I also turn off the system tray icon. I feel that drivers must just do their job quietly in the background without ever bothering me. For those twice a year occasions when I need to tweak something, it's a 1.5 seconds away in a start menu search.
This.
I install the driver and nothing else. I don't need nor want extra crap on my machine. Mandatory registration is just going to see more people figure out how to de-select it during install.
Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
After having a rough time with a legacy Nvidia Drriver and Linux 4.4, I will never buy any system that has Nvidia until they supply a 100% GPL Open Source Driver. And this puts the last nail in the coffin.
Maybe you should upgrade your drivers:
AMD is pouring resources (documentation, and salary - i.e.: some developers are on AMD's own payroll) on the opensource driver stack.
Nowadays you have 2 solutions:
- the opensource driver which is fully functioning and not so bad on later hardware iteration. For the latest (Polaris) AMD actually managed to pull a fully functioning opensource driver within reasonable time - it was available on launch day! (even not necessarily in most disto - one might need to upgrade to versions packaged on 3rd party repositories).
Long term target for AMD is *this* to become the official driver for end-users.
- AMDGPU-Pro: it basically reuses most parts of the opensource driver (e.g.: kernel driver) only the OpenGL library is different (uses the catalyst one instead of Mesa/Gallium3D).
(Long terme target for AMD is to only keep this driver around for professionnal users of CAD software that relies on werid stuff)
It is MUCH MORE stable that the clusterfuck that early "flgrx" used to be, before the overhaul.
And as *BOTH* rely on the opensource driver which is upstreamed into the mainline kernel, they BOTH work with the latest vanilla kernel. No need to wait for the developer to release a new driver whenever something change in the kernel.
"Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
When you get forced to upgrade to 3.0, the installer uninstalls the old version, and then it crashes. That's how it uses less memory.
What the bleepin' fuck are you talking about?
I'd recommend that next time you don't simply go for the cheapest card that has "1080" in the name but actually try to get one that really integrates the GPU sensibly. There are vast quality differences between the various integrators and it's about time people finally accept that. Time and again I get to hear stories like yours from people who bought the cheapest, crappiest graphics card they could possibly find, from an integrator nobody has ever heard of (because anyone who has already jumped ship before you could ask them, knowing that they might be tasked with troubleshooting the train wreck). Get a card from a reputable hardware house and you will not suffer such odd problems. I really don't get it, people buy graphics cards costing 500 and more bucks but can't be assed to spend those 10 bucks more that will buy them ease of mind and functionality.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
After it updated itself and wanted me to login I just uninstalled.
I did use it a few times to update my drivers but a Chrome Bookmark could do the same job.
Uninstalling also removed another exclamation mark from my task tray
.
no joke.
it said i needed to upgrade my drivers.
i told it to go ahead and i got a the application has stopped working crash.
uninstalled it, been installing the drivers by hand whenever i feel like it.
weird.
Absolute statements are never true
waiting on *soon* promises
Polaris is out there now.
Mesa 12.1 works with it right out of the box at OpenGL 4.3 level.
So unless you're on some ancient distro (e.g.: you're locked on some LTS cycle for version-stability reasons) you can have it right now.
(otherways you wait until *your distro upgrade*)
I'll just stay with what always just works for me under Linux: Nvidia.
You mean this piece of shit in my laptop which was a nightmare to upgrade with the official drivers (always needing to wait until Nvidia finally release an upgrade to the kernel driver to follow evolution of the upstream kernel) with very slow pace (my laptop isn't covered by the latest drivers anymore, I need to wait for the older legacy driver to get updated too) and that on occasion has massive graphical corruptions ? (And that's when the text console doesn't outright stop working ?)
And thus is completely unusable on any rolling-release distro (e.g.: Opensuse Tumbleweed ?)
Whose opensource drivers are developed by a bunch of volunteer to which Nvidia gives no documentation nor any other help except once every blue moon when they throw a bone with some Tegra-related docs that also happen to miraculously help the GeForce efforts too ?
(And thus doesn't handle the blanking of my laptop ?)
Sorry, but no thanks.
Nvidia is unusable on anything that isn't :
- a standard desktop with a generic GeForce card
- or evetually a very recent laptop with a very classical build
- running the latest official Ubuntu.
Meanwhile Radeon card gets docs and salaries by AMD.
Latest Polaris is a smooth "out-of-the-box" experience.
And in the past, the opensource drive has always been a smooth experience on the various build I've used it (though, I need to conceed, good OpenGL levels (e.g.: 4.x) have only been achieved in the recent iterations of Mesa).
"Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
The problem is that the kernel is always progressing.
So for the GeForce binary blob to work, you need to have an upgrade that works with the kernel version provided to you by your distro, which very often IS NOT available at the time of release.
Since Nvidia have discontinued their own 2D only "nv" driver, "nouveau" is the next best thing that is available in a modern kernel out-of-the box.
But that thing is developed by volunteers only, with nearly no help from Nvidia themselves.
So you're basically stuck to using only offical builds of Ubuntu, because at least Nvidia provide preview version of drivers in a timely manner.
Compare the situation with AMD, where Mesa/Gallium3D *AND* the closed source AMDGPU-Pro libraries both use the same opensource kernel module, that is upstreamed (its source is in the official kernel tree) and whose developpers include people on AMD's payroll:
- currently, you know that modern cards that you buy now (e.g.: the current Polaris) work out of the box with any modern vanilla kernel.
- drivers just boils down to swapping with dynamic library will provide OpenGL. Current Mesa 12.1 provides you with OpenGL 4.3 out of the box, or you could swap for the AMD's closed source AMDGPU-Pro library (which sits attop the SAME kernel driver which, as said, works out of the box) which will provide you the current latest OpenGL (4.5) and include all the weird quirks that you might need if you're working with CAD software.
- forgot to mention: on official launch day, performance of both Mesa and AMDGPU-Pro libs were reported to be relatively close.
That's the kind of dedication I'm willing to pay for.
"Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
Look at what walled-off, closed atrocity Apple has made out of Unix, and the people buy it. Why? 'cause it works.
Fixed that for you.
Apple also runs an Unix, but it is based on BSD kernel (running atop of a Mach micro-kernel) instead of Linux. Very probably for licensing reasons (BSD vs, GPL).
Using CSS drivers on an equally proprietary piece of hardware is a VERY small price to pay to get more people to join the ranks of Linux users.
The problem is that you need *to be able* to run said CSS drivers. And that's where things get problematic.
You see, Linux is a different beast than Windows where people still run the same Windows XP 15 years later.
Linux kernel get improved/fixed/modified/modernized. Some API/ABI change.
For opensource drivers, that are part of the kernel source tree, and that get dedicated developer to maintain (like those on AMD's payroll), that means that the driver will get also upgraded along and they will work with whatever latest vanilla kernel you get.
For closed source drivers, that means that they get regularly broken, and the hardware maker that wrote the driver need to get their shit done *ON TIME* so the closed source driver also works with Linux Kernel 4.8
And that's the problem here.
Nvidia closed source work atop of a shim that they write themselves and that needs to be modified to work with every single last kernel version out there.
So currently your only solution is to run Ubuntu to which Nvidia happen to deliver preview version of drivers matching the kernel version of the distro.
For everything else, the situation sucks, and "nouveau" is the only remaining opensource driver that will be more or less updated and will at least load on any kernel version.
Contrast the situation with AMD:
Since at least GCN 1.2 (previous generation of Radeon hardware - also doable with GCN 1.0 and 1.1, but currently not already mainstream), all drivers stack run atop the same kernal driver.
This driver is opensource.
This driver is in the main kernel tree and thus is available in any vanilla kernel.
This drivers gets maintainers/developers some even paid by AMD themselves.
Thus even on the latest kernel (4.8) you get a Radeon kernel module (amdgpu.ko) that actually works.
With the current generration of card (Polaris) on launch day, you could use it out of the box on your latest distro, it works.
- you either use the stock opensource stack, that uses Mesa/Gallium3D to provide OpenGL 4.3 (and in the case of Polaris, that has performance close to the closed source offer)
- or you swap the dynamic library providing openGL with AMDGPU-Pro, the official closed source openGL which runs atop *the same kernel driver, so also out-of-the box on the latest kernel version*, which will provide OpenGL 4.5 (and all the weirdness necessary for CAD software).
This is something you can buy and use *right now*.
Intel, although not playing in the same field, *also* provides launch day opensource support in upstream kernel.
Why couldn't Nvidia bother to move their ass and do the same? Oh way, that would require them to develop an actual linux driver, instead of simply recompiling their Windows code on linux and use a shim to pass along whatever is needed. (And thus regularly breaking/missing some corner case feature that aren't exactly handled the same way on linux... cough.. Optimus! ...cough...)
Because more people using Linux means more reasons for hardware makers, DESKTOP HARDWARE makers, to put out sensible support for their hardware.
But Linux developers currently don't have the resources to do the hardware makers' job.
If there's no launch day driver available, because closed-source code need to get upgraded and/or because there are no developer save a few volunteers,
nouveau is all you could get.
- Either you put up with nouveau until Nvidia does their shit and then you do
"Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
(continuing split)
support for 3D audio is barely there
The only manufacturer still making hardware with 3D Audio is Creative and they do put some half baked broken OpenAL drivers that might work when it doesn't crash everything (thanks for the effort, Creative... next time just release the docs to dev and throw some salary)
Nearly everything else is actually plain simple DAC hardware that is 100% handled by Asla and pulse (because there's no actual 3D hardware or anything. it just converts a 44100 or 48000 bitstream into analog signal).
All the "3D Audio" is actually entirely done in software, often using an official service (I think DirectSound is the official one in Windows ?) and linux *does have* an OpenAL implementation, or much more likely entirely done in the game's engine.
Currently, linux dev have done all the possible.
It's now up to:
- Creative to fix their shit or release XFi docs and pay a kernel developer.
- Game developer to try to leverage what is available (generally; either use OpenAL, or have the game engine do the processing and output to SDL which will handle the back-end interaction ALSA/Pulse)
and support for any kind of gaming hardware, from macro keyboard and multi-button mice to racing wheels to flightsticks to VR-hardware, is practically non-existing.
Razr is releasing docs (and I think giving donations to developers ?) so there's support underway, for all features including programmable coloured lights.
(But this has started only recently, so I have no idea, how far is the out-of-box experience).
Logitech is sometimes donating hardware to developers and thus lots of their hardware is working, including advanced features like force-feedback. But it depends on models, so sadly you currently also need to track down which exact model before buying.
Most of the hardware is generally still working through generic HID drivers that will expose simply a collection of buttons/axis, so they are still somewhat usable even without the advanced features (force feed-back, special macros).
But than the problem is again the game developers: they lack specially in the button assignment department, most games can't even assign buttons correctly and refuse to work with anything that isn't an Xbox controller.
And I tend to use a pretty simple setup when I play (regular mouse + keyboard, or regular joystick) so I don't pay attention to all the "macro" craze and thus can't give much more informations.
My general recommendation would be, in order:
- use something actually developed with Linux in mind and with strong software support, e.g.: Steam controller
- use simple vanilla controllers (keyboard + mouse, or joystick/wheels that work with basic HID).
- use something with active development: Razr and check hardware support (it has only started recently)
- use something with active development: Logitech and check hardware support (not everything is supported)
- use something widely popular like an Xbox controller: Microsoft hasn't moved an inch, but the thing is so popular that there is support (just check).
"Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
I got 2 people in my group of friends (which isn't that big, those 2 are pretty much my closer circle of friends) who are anything but geeks (one a mechanic, one an artist) who BEG me to show them how to get away from Windows 'cause they don't want to deal with Win10 and all they do with their computers is pretty much playing games (and watching porn, of course). Now, doing the latter isn't the problem, but I can NOT at the current moment recommend to a non-technical person playing his games in Linux.
Current best bet are:
- follow closely what Valve is doing (both in term of software: Steam, and SteamOS - and in term of hardware: Steam controller)
- stick for now to a distro that is immensely popular: Ubuntu would be a somewhat good bet for now.
- stick to hardware that is immensly popular, and check online forums, etc.
- AMD since the Polaris generation is safe for out-of-box.
- check games that use an engine that is well ported on Linux (something popular like Unity / Unreal / Cryengine / older idTech / etc.) rather than a game that use a homegrown engine that is only rushed to linux, or use actually a bad-quality wrapper.
- Phoronix is a good place to get info about hardware, etc. their forums is also a possible place to ask around for help.
"Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
I definitely prefer NVidia's low key control panel on my home machine over the flashy horrific mess that AMD puts on my work laptop.
I have a Radeon chip and somehow I managed to install the drivers with no control centre or anything. There's no indication of ATI stuff in the control panel, nothing in the systray, nothing in Display Properties -> Settings -> Advanced either.
All I can find is some .exes in C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32
Used 13-1-legacy_xp32_dd_ccc_whql.exe (106 MB) to install it back when I did.
Just saying that a bare-driver installation is possible.
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