Messages in this thread | | | Subject | Re: Why is Nvidia given GPL'd code to use in closed source drivers? | From | Valdis.Kletnieks@vt ... | Date | Tue, 07 Jan 2003 10:15:20 -0500 |
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On Tue, 07 Jan 2003 10:08:00 +0100, Helge Hafting <helgehaf@aitel.hist.no> said: > loss. Giving away driver code (or at least programming specs) > wouldn't be a loss to nvidia though - because users would still > need to buy those cards.
It would be a major loss to nvidia *AND* its customers if it were bankrupted in a lawsuit because it open-sourced code or specs that contained intellectual property that belonged to somebody else. Of course, if that happened, you'd still have the "freedom" to buy the other vendor's cards - maybe(*)
In the real world, ideology needs to be tempered with realism.
(*) there's a ripple effect here - if the otherwise-best laptop is only available with an nvidia card, you now have the "freedom" to choose a otherwise less-suitable model. And so on.... [unhandled content-type:application/pgp-signature] | |