The problem is that it doesn't always work with your kernel. If the binary driver causes a problem with the kernel, the kernel developers have no way of tracking down the bug since they don't have access to that code. That is the point of having binary modules taint the kernel. How would you like to receive bug reports for someone elses software and not realize that it's someone elses bug?
I'll upgrade as soon as my they fix whatever is wrong with the 2.6.* firewire code. All the releases of 2.6 (as well as the latest snapshot from the linux1394 website) bomb with my firewire drive which works just fine with 2.4.25. I load the ieee1394 module, the ohci1394 module, and the sbp2 module, and the kernel starts spewing SCSI errors. All my posts on this subject to the linux-kernel mailing list (and as of this afternoon the linux1394 mailing list) have gone unanswered.
If X.org's license can be changed to be GPL-Incompatible, so can any other project, so your argument can be applied to any X Server, or any Open Source Project.
How is it FUD? It's not fear or doubt. It my be uncertainty (since the future of any project is uncertain), but it's still true. Any open source project could, in theory, change it's license at any point.
Perhaps NOW they aren't, but the new license is considered the official one. XLibs using old license are expected to change to the new one.
Since you know so much, perhaps you'd like to tell us when this is expected?
Consider that if distributions as Redhat or Debian, or people like Stallman say there *is* a license problem there, you'll have to do a pretty exhaustive work to prove the contrary better than them.
See, I prefer to do critical thinking myself, rather than depending upon others to do it for me. You should try it sometime.
(Yes I'm aware that xlibs still is old license, but who knows in the future).
And who knows that the X.Org libraries won't be made GPL incompatible in the future? At least with the XFree86 libraries, we know David Dawes is willing to compromise for the sake of the communitty.
That's still a load of BS. Video card manufacturers have plans laid out years ahead of time. When nVidia purchased all the 3dfx IP, it took them two years to incorporate any of it into their own product line. By that time, the entire industry had moved on. So it's hardly realistic to believe that a 3D manufacturer is going to be able to look at the specifications for a competitors current product, and produce anything with that learned knowledge in a competitive time frame.
Hahahah... I threw my nVidia card out after four releases of their drivers locked up my machines. Replaced it with a Radeon 8500, using open source drivers, and have had not a single stability issue.
Why do people keep spouting this BS? It took nVidia a full two years to incorporate 3Dfx technology into their own products when they bought all the 3Dfx IP. By this time, the entire industry had moved on.
Maybe you should actually research these things before you spout out crap, you pretentious fucking idiot.
My Synaptics touchpad works fine on my VAIO. Well, relatively fine. It takes a few seconds for it to start working under X, but it does kick in quickly.
My Firewire storage devices stopped working and my posts to LKM about it (once when 2.6.0 was released and one just yesterday concerning 2.6.3) have gone unanswered:-(
Open source is the way to go for software, but it may not be the best way for hardware.
On the contrary, the opposite is true. Stable and secure hardware drivers are key to a stable and secure system. When I'm running a binary driver, I have no way of knowing what's really going on under the hood. If the driver crashes, so can my whole OS. If a closed source app dies, only that app dies.
And because the GPL itself disallows future versions of itself to be more restrictive you as a developer can rest assured that your code is "safe" (safely free).
Yeah, but only according to the FSF's definition of the word "restrictive." They already have a problem understanding "derivative works" so why should anyone think they understand what "restrictive" really means?
Uhhhh... Both the closed-source ATI driver (for R200+R300 cards) and the open source R200 driver (maybe the R100 driver, but I haven't tried it) have worked with UT2k3 for a while now.
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The problem is that it doesn't always work with your kernel. If the binary driver causes a problem with the kernel, the kernel developers have no way of tracking down the bug since they don't have access to that code. That is the point of having binary modules taint the kernel. How would you like to receive bug reports for someone elses software and not realize that it's someone elses bug?
Dinivin
modinfo, when passed the name of a module, will list (among other things) the license.
Dinivin
I'll upgrade as soon as my they fix whatever is wrong with the 2.6.* firewire code. All the releases of 2.6 (as well as the latest snapshot from the linux1394 website) bomb with my firewire drive which works just fine with 2.4.25. I load the ieee1394 module, the ohci1394 module, and the sbp2 module, and the kernel starts spewing SCSI errors. All my posts on this subject to the linux-kernel mailing list (and as of this afternoon the linux1394 mailing list) have gone unanswered.
Dinivin
Retail availability for the nVidia card is around April 26th. So, in fact, it's not King of the Hill yet :-)
Dinivin
But The main issue isn't about freeness, but about that it is not legal to link something like VNC which is GPL with the new license.
Only if a judge and/or jury can be convinced that dynamically linking is creating a "derivative work," which would be quite a stretch.
Dinivin
No, I'm not depending upon Redhat, Debian, or Stallman to tell me whether or not there is a licensing problem. I can make that decision on my own.
Dinivin
If X.org's license can be changed to be GPL-Incompatible, so can any other project, so your argument can be applied to any X Server, or any Open Source Project.
How is it FUD? It's not fear or doubt. It my be uncertainty (since the future of any project is uncertain), but it's still true. Any open source project could, in theory, change it's license at any point.
Dinivin
Perhaps NOW they aren't, but the new license is considered the official one. XLibs using old license are expected to change to the new one.
Since you know so much, perhaps you'd like to tell us when this is expected?
Consider that if distributions as Redhat or Debian, or people like Stallman say there *is* a license problem there, you'll have to do a pretty exhaustive work to prove the contrary better than them.
See, I prefer to do critical thinking myself, rather than depending upon others to do it for me. You should try it sometime.
Dinivin
As could the Xorg developers. What's your point?
Dinivin
(Yes I'm aware that xlibs still is old license, but who knows in the future).
And who knows that the X.Org libraries won't be made GPL incompatible in the future? At least with the XFree86 libraries, we know David Dawes is willing to compromise for the sake of the communitty.
Dinivin
Except that the XFree86 libraries, you know those things that actually links to GNOME and KDE, aren't under a new license.
Dinivin
That's still a load of BS. Video card manufacturers have plans laid out years ahead of time. When nVidia purchased all the 3dfx IP, it took them two years to incorporate any of it into their own product line. By that time, the entire industry had moved on. So it's hardly realistic to believe that a 3D manufacturer is going to be able to look at the specifications for a competitors current product, and produce anything with that learned knowledge in a competitive time frame.
Dinivin
Hahahah... I threw my nVidia card out after four releases of their drivers locked up my machines. Replaced it with a Radeon 8500, using open source drivers, and have had not a single stability issue.
Dinivin
That's ood, I'm happily using the drivers on two Debian systems.
OF course, I would be happier if they drivers were open source, but not because they're simply packaged as RPMs.
Dinivin
Why do people keep spouting this BS? It took nVidia a full two years to incorporate 3Dfx technology into their own products when they bought all the 3Dfx IP. By this time, the entire industry had moved on.
Maybe you should actually research these things before you spout out crap, you pretentious fucking idiot.
Dinivin
Except that the subject isn't a grammatically correct question. Hell, it's not even a grammatically correct statement.
Dinivin
knx-hdinstall
Dinivin
My Synaptics touchpad works fine on my VAIO. Well, relatively fine. It takes a few seconds for it to start working under X, but it does kick in quickly.
Dinivin
My Firewire storage devices stopped working and my posts to LKM about it (once when 2.6.0 was released and one just yesterday concerning 2.6.3) have gone unanswered
Dinivin
Open source is the way to go for software, but it may not be the best way for hardware.
On the contrary, the opposite is true. Stable and secure hardware drivers are key to a stable and secure system. When I'm running a binary driver, I have no way of knowing what's really going on under the hood. If the driver crashes, so can my whole OS. If a closed source app dies, only that app dies.
Dinivin
And because the GPL itself disallows future versions of itself to be more restrictive you as a developer can rest assured that your code is "safe" (safely free).
Yeah, but only according to the FSF's definition of the word "restrictive." They already have a problem understanding "derivative works" so why should anyone think they understand what "restrictive" really means?
Dinivin
if only building XFree from source where that simple.
Typing "make World && make install" is too complicated?
Dinivin
It's not our fault the FSF is narrow-minded enough to consider dynamic linking the same as creating a "derivative work".
Dinivin
Uhhhh... Both the closed-source ATI driver (for R200+R300 cards) and the open source R200 driver (maybe the R100 driver, but I haven't tried it) have worked with UT2k3 for a while now.
Dinivin
You even said that you can think of three uses.
Therefore you agree with me that taking the life of a living entity is not the only use for a gun.
Dinivin