Support Open Source Nvidia Drivers - what do you think?

General Forums Off-topic Chat
1

I just found this pledge (routed from digg.com) to help develop open source Nvidia drivers:

http://www.pledgebank.com/nouveaudriver

What do you people think?

Personally, $10 is not too much to ask for to allow graphics drivers to be included in linux and switched on by default without having problems with GPL. This would mean that the awesome Kororaa LiveCD with XGL enabled could come back - and perhaps other linux distributions could have XGL on by default (no configuration needed).

My only question is whether or not they will deliver the goods. Of course ATI users will be left in the cold but I am using Nvidia for now. :wink:

Koba

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I am amazed that no one has had anything to say.

There are a fair few Blender users who use linux and a good proportion of that will be Nvidia users. This could well affect them.

Seems everyone is apathetic.

Koba

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I’m on windows…

4

Interesting, but I’d rather either donate $10 directly or petition nVidia to open source it themselves.

I haven’t donated, but I’ve never heard of “nouveau” and this effort, so I’d rather find out more about it before giving them my money.

Ian

5

I’m on windows…

Actually, I am on windows too right now.

Doesn’t mean I am not allowed to support linux development - in fact I support it all the more as it illustrates the need for a real alternative OS.

For some reason, the latest version of Ubuntu didn’t work on my system.

Koba

6

Well actually developers can have the nvidia drivers along with the distro. But many dont as the drivers are not open source an therefore break the point of the distro. And so many dont supply nvidia drivers when installing.

It is then up to the user if he wants to use non open source drivers.

So yeah start a petition that aks nvidia to make there drivers Open source and you will see more distros supporting it from install.

If you want a distro that supports nvidia drivers out the box, checkout mandriva. It also has pre-setup XGL.

7

I think that anything that supports free drivers is a good idea. It’s a shame that we’re seeing distros like Ubuntu consider using non-FLOSS drivers in the kernel even in their “free” repositories.

Obviously, it would be preferable if Nvidia open sourced their own drivers, but they’ve said before that they wouldn’t, and the reason for it is that they’ve signed agreements with certain parts of the code that they can’t disclose those trade-secret parts.

Of course, I don’t see why Nvidia couldn’t just free the sources to the rest of it, and cut out the parts they couldn’t, like staroffice->openoffice did.

8

Personally I wish nVidia would produce at least basic open source drivers, with enough OpenGL support to make Blender run fast, not necessarily lots of whizzy shader support.

As it is they risk having Intel integrated graphics becoming the Linux graphics option of choice, and they get less crap with each year.

It’s also distinctly bad for non-x86 Linux users.

9

OK, I spent my 10$ vote!!!

I use Kanotix! which is a debian based distro… what they do to get around the GPL is just provide a script that dose a quick Wget of all the needed packages and depancys… then it compiles everything for you… and pops you back into your new 3d accelerated system…

Now all I have to say to all the other distros out there… is why the hell don’t you guys do this as well until Nvidia and ATI stop kissing m$ butt…

i really don’t see why they cant make the installers just do this by themselves. Let the user choose that they want propriatory drivers/software packages, and have it download and install the requested packages…

It is a BIG waste of time, you have to sit there while the installer puts drivers and kernels that you are going to replace anyways…

I have installed MANY MANY distros in my time. and every one has a little forum post hidden away with a few little cryptic commands to make things work properly.
Every time it is stuff you can copy and paste into a shell script…
Why don’t they just make a $%^$ing shell script that is distributed with the distro?

anyways… hopefully Nvidia or ATI will some day think that the Linux customers are cool people too, and just make things right.

I personally think that all the graphics card companies suck with linux drivers.
If there was an alternitave, i would switch in a day!!

10

support the Nouveau project , project for makin’ opensource nividia driver rather than to waste money with the closed sucky drivers.
Or spare money for the OpenGraphic™ card, a full open graphic card for everyone on any platform and O.S.

Cause, it’s dangerous, ask to distros to load closed drivers, it’s like asking to wipe out whole the hard works until now.
Closed driver is dangerous for opensource kernel, it’s time, we aren’t dependant yet. You can do it yourself, but you know the consequences.

Here i’m using an ATI 9000 with DRI and i’m pretty lucky, it runs smooth, i can even run Compiz with AIGLX.
Also, you’ll note ATI/AMD stopped the support for chipset <r350, it’s a good proof of the “suckiness” politic of closed drivers. Thanks to Freedesktop to support us again.

Note, you could get an Intel also, these are quite fast. :slight_smile:
It be could if a product that famous than Blender makes more pressure on the importance of using Opensource drivers, by why not “boycotting” NVIDIA™ or ATI™ closed drivers.
But i can hardly think they’ll do that.

We are in position to ask something, Opensources Softwares and Operating systems are very powerful now, it’s time to get something… like a total freedom about graphic hardware.

Damn, i’m in hurry to try an OpenGraphic card.

EDIT:

No, no and NO!
INDEED, you don’t see as you don’t know nothing about Opensource!
You, users, are really boring and dangerous for the opensource’s future.

Devs fought to get specs on some hardware, dev fought to “reverse ingeneer” closed hardware to give us the chance to use GNU/Linux/FreeBSD/OpenBSD freely, and here, you, you’re asking to wipe all out?

You want 3D accel by default, ask to Nvidia/ATI to open their drivers and support Opensource project… or go simply to OSX/WindowsVISTA. that’s it.

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Personally I wish nVidia would produce at least basic open source drivers, with enough OpenGL support to make Blender run fast, not necessarily lots of whizzy shader support.

Yeah, just OpenGL 1.0 support, or similar. Then the person can install the more advanced drivers later.

12

You, users
Haha!
And what may I ask is your title Oh Guru elite? how the view from up there on 'oh yonder mountain high?
If you dont “use” linux what do you do with it? are you a commander? a president? a god?
man, i never felt so dirty… I am a “user!!!”

I believe in automated machines, that serve their master’s every wish ,with as little effort as possible.
I also believe there is a place for people who need to type, it is called GENTOO… enjoy, I will keep my kanotix. and my automated scripts, and all the freetime I saved not looking thu the forums for some trivial command that the distro packagers failed to execute upon the installation.

you don’t see as you don’t know nothing about Opensource!
So you are saying that a shell script that downloads propriatory software, cant be open source?

you seem like the confused one here…

I am an artist , and i use a computer to make my art… the more time I spend re-installing stuff, means the less time i have for my artwork, sleep, and sex.
A computer is a tool to me, not a life style.
I use linux, and I enjoy my Kanotix system.

You want 3D accel by default, ask to Nvidia/ATI to open their drivers and support Opensource project… or go simply to OSX/WindowsVISTA. that’s it.
sorry… i like my linux, and I am here to stay… :slight_smile:

Linux is no longer just for anal snobbs … real people can use it now too!

the graphics drivers would be a major leap for linux popularity…

more people means more $$$ to donate!

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i’m happy with the drivers, closed source ok, but they work just fine.

.b

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EDIT: I made a mistake sorry. I though it was a post to ask Closed Drivers being shipped with Distros. i read it in diagonal, my fault!
I was short-circuit(ed) by the recent Mark Shuttleworth’s announce.
(Ubunt mainteners)
Damn, you was especially talking about “nouveau” here, shame on me.
Just a mistake, Sorry

Sp00f:
No, in fact i’m a common user, but an user who knows what he is using and what he can’t use. Calm down fish, i used bad word.

So you are saying that a shell script that downloads propriatory software, cant be open source?
That already exists for most popular distros. Now here you use Kanotix, “Yet Another Debian spin-off”, so i don’t know.
No what i meant is: they shouldn’t ship closed drivers with distros, that’s it.

I am an artist…
LOL, and he dares to tell i’m taking myself as being a commander or anything.
No man, i’m a againe more common than you, mister Artist.

A computer is a tool to me, not a life style.
I’m a regular gnu/linux for 6years now, it’s not a trend for me.
Yes it’s a tool, but a tool you have to know how to use and with what.
Obviously you are not obliged to know all the mess but then, you decrease your right to criticize some stuff.

Linux is no longer just for anal snobbs … real people can use it now too!
Damn, what are you saying?!
Attack, this is just what you can do? cause i tell why we shouldn’t use Closed driver, does it mean i’m a super linux zealot runing blender in ASCII mode???
Your “anal snobbs” are the people who made of linux what it is today, so take care of your words, Sp00f.

Be happy