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Re: Reasons Listed for NVIDIA to Open-source Its Driver (Just like AMD and Intel)

  • Subject: Re: Reasons Listed for NVIDIA to Open-source Its Driver (Just like AMD and Intel)
  • From: Rex Ballard <rex.ballard@xxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Fri, 7 Dec 2007 12:17:45 -0800 (PST)
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On Dec 7, 4:55 am, Roy Schestowitz <newsgro...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> What if nVidia had an open source driver?
>
> ,----[ Quote ]
> | A manufacturer of a very specific or less-known hardware pieces should also
> | release the drivers as FOSS, because, then, it will be possible to improve or
> | fix these drivers whenever needed. Of course, releasing a badly-written
> | driver as FOSS is not good.
> `----
>
> http://my.opera.com/CrazyTerabyte/blog/2007/08/10/what-if-nvidia-had-...

Often, the FOSS version has very little to do with the closed-source
version.  In some case there are legal restrictions on the license
terms.  They can be included into proprietary X11 and XGL terminals,
but only the "mod-probe" elements are provided in Open Source format,
to allow the kernel to detect the correct video chip.

Not every application running on Linux must be FOSS.  There are many
excellent proprietary applications, as well as a number of excellent
X11 implementations.  The good thing is that the standards have been
well documented and are completely compatible with "generic" FOSS
based implementations, just much faster in their implementations.

> Related:
>
> NVIDIA: Got Specifications?
>
> ,----[ Quote ]
> | This past week AMD raised the Linux graphics bar by not only announcing their
> | new fglrx graphics driver, which delivers Radeon HD 2000 support, immense
> | performance improvements, and AIGLX, but it was accompanied by an
> | announcement that they will be delivering specifications to the X.Org
> | development community. These two announcements came after intense work
> | internally at AMD and over a long period of time, but literally overnight it
> | changed the minds of many Linux users on how they judge this company with its
> | once notorious binary blob. AMD has really set a precedence for showing that
> | a semiconductor company once criticized to no end with their proprietary
> | software can update their views to assist and embrace the open-source Linux
> | community while remaining competitive as a company in a triopoloy market.
> | They have also thus reaffirmed that Linux is a viable desktop operating
> | system. But the ball has now landed in NVIDIA's court. NVIDIA can either play
> | ball by pushing forward with a similar effort, and then all of the big three
> | GPU manufacturers would be cradling an open-source strategy, or they may find
> | themselves in trouble down the road.
> `----

At this point, I'm just very glad that both ATI/AMD and NVIDIA are
offering enhanced 3D OpenGL support.  Remember, Microsoft has been
trying to get these companies to produce video boards that run ONLY
DirectX-10.  Those board include software and hardware technology
which are protected by Microsoft NDA and Patents.  Fortunately, the
market seems to be demanding OpenGL Linux compatible video boards.
Ironically, Microsoft has demonstrated how strong the demand is for
"Linux Ready" computers, and has slit it's own throat.  By not
supporting OpenGL based video cards, Vista buyers can't use Aero-
Glass, which means that to these users, Vista is just a memory hogging
pig of an operating system that is slower and riskier than XP, or even
Linux.

Meanwhile, OS/X which very closely resembles Linux in both technology
and capabilities, but with far fewer applications, has been enjoying
extraordinary demand.  Apple can't keep up with the demand.  If the
ever decide to license OS/X to 3rd party vendors, it could cook
Windows completely.

Meanwhile, Linux continues to offer extraordinary capabilities,
applications that Neither Microsoft nor Apple include as part of their
solution, and Linux promotes aggressive competitions between
applications in each application class.  In addition, commercial
software has to be substantially better than the FOSS included with
the Linux distributions.

If, and when, Linux does make it to the OEM distribution channel,
these extra application could become a major selling point.  Where
Microsoft uses it's monopoly of the OEM distribution channel to
exclude competitors, Linux distributions use teh OEM distribution to
promote aggressive competition between competitors.  The ultimate
result can only be better applications, in most cases far exceeding
the offerings of Microsoft.

> http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=831&num=1
>
> Could AMD move open desktop Linux market?
>
> ,----[ Quote ]
> | AMD's recent move to fully support open source graphics could be the best
> | news desktop Linux has had in a long time.
> `----

The aggressive stand for Linux by BOTH AMD and NVidia to create
outstanding 3D OpenGL graphics engines is good news indeed for Linux.
Even the major OEMs, including Dell, HP, and Acer, have shifted the
majority of their production capability to these OpenGL cards.  The
sticker on the box may say Vista or Windows XP, but it's very clear
that these machines are being DESIGNED for LINUX.

Ironically, only the marketing organization doesn't seem to know
this.  The telephone sales people don't know which machines are Linux
Ready (most but not all), and they don't seem to know that these
machines will even run Linux, or which distributions will run best.
This is even after Dell and HP have made public announcements in
support of Linux.  Acer has made most of their PCs "Linux Ready".

Ironically, this consolidation may actually result in more push-back
in future negotiations with Microsoft.  By this time next year, we may
see more machines being sold with BOTH Linux and Windows installed.
We may even see several lines being marketed with Linux as the primary
operating system.  Vista never delivered the promised huge profit
margins, huge revenue growths, and increased sales promised to the
OEMs.  Microsoft made huge profits and huge margins, by double-
charging and channel-stuffing, but the OEMs were watching PCs and
Laptops originally priced at $1500, drop to less than $500.  Today,
the most desired Christmas item is a PC, but most OEMs will be selling
these Christmas PCs at a huge loss.

Ironically, the OLPC "give one, get one" promotional campaign is
already 2-3 months into back-order.  The ASUS Eee is also a popular
Linux machine that is on back-order.  Other Linux based systems such
as the Nokia V810 are also on back-order.

It seems like Linux has become the new darling of retail and consumer
electronics.  Demand for these devices has outstripped supply.  This
is unlikely to escape the attention of companies like Dell, HP, Acer,
Toshiba, and Lenovo, who are losing as much as 20% per PC, with the
only hope of breaking even being that the customers purchase extended
warranties for several years.

> http://blogs.zdnet.com/open-source/?p=1427


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