Sorry, I didn't make the connection over the paragraphs and took it the wrong way.
The principle of not mingling closed and open source software, might be important to you. It is not even what I would call a principle to me. It is something to strive for though.
To me, the principle of choice is more important. The ones not releasing either source, drivers or docs and/ or trying to stop open source alternatives with lawyers are a much bigger problem. And that's where we where 7 or so years ago when I first tried linux. I don't see nvidia's drivers poiinting in that direction at all.
Sacrificed? It doesn't go away because of a videodriver. I don't know what choices nvidia have. Maybe they could release enough to make it possible to write a good driver? And if so, they should. And we should definitely keep bugging them for not doing it. But to say that chosing a binary only driver sacrifices the whole operating system including the effort of "1000s of volunteers" is a bit over the top.
Of course, it's a dead end. If you believe in the open source model, you know that. But for now, it gives us the opportunity to run good hardware in linux.
In this capitalist world you also have to concider things like price/ performance ratios. Should I by an external modem, when I have a fully functional built in? Should I by a more expensive card with crappy performance, when the one I chose performs excellently? Am I doing my part? No, not in this anyway, but I don't have to, neither does nvidia. Choice and diversity. Nobody's beeing harmed. No choices are being removed. Some get benefits. Where's the problem?
Your suggestion fits better with hardware where no driver nor specs are released. And the real problems start when you can't return _that_ hardware.
It is a regression. But that doesn't make the reverse engineered driver work any better.
If I want to buy (hypothetically) better hardware and use/ struggle with binary modules instead of maybe help reverse engineer a driver, I think that's my problem. If I whine about my system not working at lkml -- just ignore me or taunt me for being stupid enough to use that hardware.
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Sorry, I didn't make the connection over the paragraphs and took it the wrong way.
The principle of not mingling closed and open source software, might be important to you. It is not even what I would call a principle to me. It is something to strive for though.
To me, the principle of choice is more important. The ones not releasing either source, drivers or docs and/ or trying to stop open source alternatives with lawyers are a much bigger problem. And that's where we where 7 or so years ago when I first tried linux. I don't see nvidia's drivers poiinting in that direction at all.
Sacrificed? It doesn't go away because of a videodriver. I don't know what choices nvidia have. Maybe they could release enough to make it possible to write a good driver? And if so, they should. And we should definitely keep bugging them for not doing it. But to say that chosing a binary only driver sacrifices the whole operating system including the effort of "1000s of volunteers" is a bit over the top.
Of course, it's a dead end. If you believe in the open source model, you know that. But for now, it gives us the opportunity to run good hardware in linux.
In this capitalist world you also have to concider things like price/ performance ratios. Should I by an external modem, when I have a fully functional built in? Should I by a more expensive card with crappy performance, when the one I chose performs excellently? Am I doing my part? No, not in this anyway, but I don't have to, neither does nvidia. Choice and diversity. Nobody's beeing harmed. No choices are being removed. Some get benefits. Where's the problem?
Your suggestion fits better with hardware where no driver nor specs are released. And the real problems start when you can't return _that_ hardware.
It is a regression. But that doesn't make the reverse engineered driver work any better. If I want to buy (hypothetically) better hardware and use/ struggle with binary modules instead of maybe help reverse engineer a driver, I think that's my problem. If I whine about my system not working at lkml -- just ignore me or taunt me for being stupid enough to use that hardware.