Messages in this thread | | | Date | Thu, 2 Jan 2003 02:57:48 +0000 (GMT) | From | Paul Jakma <> | Subject | Re: Why is Nvidia given GPL'd code to use in closed source drivers? |
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On Wed, 1 Jan 2003, Bill Huey wrote:
> On Thu, Jan 02, 2003 at 12:31:13AM +0000, Paul Jakma wrote:
> > subsystem, the VFS, etc.. These systems are rather large bodies of > > code - without which the NVidia kernel driver could not work. > > Well, no, look at the "nm" dump of the object file. It's got a lot of > proprietary code
indeed. that doesnt change the fact that this large body of NVidia specific code still must make use of large parts of linux code (through function calls).
> It's a very practical solution to do it this way.
yes, but the legalities of it are rather grey.
> > How are the standard interfaces not covered by the GPL? > > All I saw where kernel header files include in the sources, nothing > more.
indeed, and if that were the only issue it would be clear there is no issue. however, it must make use of linux code at runtime through function calls - as linux makes use of the NVidia proprietary code by calling the functions it provides.
> I'd rather have the experts do it at NVidia, than a half completed > open source implementation that isn't terribly optimized.
I run systems that use many GPL and fully open drivers that are quite well optimised. Some of these drivers were written by the vendor's "experts" and are distributed seperately - still GPL though. Sometimes one has a choice between drivers written by the vendor and drivers written by (non-expert???) "community" authors, and often one finds the vendor driver is the one that isn't terribly optimised.
> Matrix multiplies, T&L, etc...
none of this stuff is done in kernel (least it shouldnt be). Its done in user-space libraries.
The XFree licence allows binary only modules, indeed XFree 4 was designed to make distribution of (possibly binary) modules as easy as possible.
There isnt that much magic the NVidia kernel modules ought to be doing really.
> communication between user and kernel space that provides this to > the OpenGL libraries are all exotic. I'm glad that nobody has to > deal with this stuff directly and that a vendor is willing to > provide support for it.
aha.. yes, all that complicated hardware stuff - you dont really want those linux kernel amatuers writing that.
> bill
regards, -- Paul Jakma paul@clubi.ie paul@jakma.org Key ID: 64A2FF6A warning: do not ever send email to spam@dishone.st Fortune: The system will be down for 10 days for preventive maintenance.
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