Nvidia gets the finger from Linus Torvalds

[MarthinusSwart]

Get a Mac

[diabolus]

Is that as I there’s no number you can call or email address you can ask for support if you use linux? As opposed to nvidia not providing drivers?

This entire issue is not about the -lack- of drivers from Nvidia. Nvidia has provided drivers for a decade. The issue is actually about the closed manner at which Nvidia is operating. They only provide closed binary drivers (whenever they feel like it) which doesn't always work well with the latest Linux kernels . So instead of allowing Linux devs to build around it and/or improve it into Linux for a more integrated configuration, now everyone has to wait for Nvidia to "fix their drivers" or "make new drivers" for whatever issue there might be on Linux.

In other words, there are zero collaboration.Since Linux is all about open platforms and collaboration, this sort of thing most likely frustrates the hell out of anyone developing on Linux.

In contrast, other companies give out open drivers (kinda like providing an SDK) with all the information to "slot" the drivers into Linux distros and use it. This allows devs to easily find ways to fix and improve things when using the drivers.

Since Linux is most likely not a priority platform for Nvidia, i bet they simply don't care if Linux ends up running like crap on their graphic cards due to poor driver implementation. Whereas Nvidia will fix their drivers pretty quickly on Windows etc.

[prOd]

shame you posted that after someone has shown they understood the point i was making. maybe next time.

Maybe next time you can type with your eyes open?

[Pr⊕phet]

MS > linux

[unskinnybob]

Last time I checked OpenGL on OS X was lagging way behind Linux. They're also running several versions older than what ships on Linux.

OSX is winning in terms of performance:
http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?pag...1_ubuntu&num=1
http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?pag...graphics&num=1
http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?pag...ws_part3&num=1

[EtienneK]

Nvidia is in the wrong here. They want to make money from Android, but can't be bothered to follow the correct steps to integrate into the Linux kernel.

Linus is right, **** them.

[kingrob]

Get a Mac

I spotted the fruit fanboy!!!

What did I win?

[ponder]

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?pag...tem&px=MTEyNTE

NVIDIA Loses Huge GPU Order Due To Linux Blob

Posted by Michael Larabel on June 22, 2012

NVIDIA has lost an order of at least ten million graphics cards because their GeForce/Quadro driver is closed-source.

It's been a very interesting week in the binary Linux graphics world with Linus Torvalds calling NVIDIA the worst company ever along with making colorful comments about the green company, NVIDIA's bull**** response, and then on the opposite side of the table was XBMC developers publicly pointing out the problems with AMD Catalyst. Ending out Friday, assuming nothing else interesting takes place this weekend in the duopoly Linux graphics card battle, is word of NVIDIA losing a huge order due to their binary blob.

The Chinese, who also developed the Loongson MIPS CPU, were looking to order at least ten million graphics processors. The problem is that the GeForce / Quadro driver from NVIDIA is only available for Linux x86 and x86_64 architectures, not MIPS or even ARM (only the Tegra driver is for ARMv7). NVIDIA refused to release the source-code to their high-performance feature-complete cross-platform driver to the Chinese, and it would cost them millions of dollars to port the code-base, so they went to AMD for their GPU order.

The order was at least for ten million GPUs, which given the current low-end parts, would value the order at least 250 to 350 million dollars (USD). However, I've heard from a separate source that it was closer to the half billion dollar mark. This money will now be handed over to AMD since they have the officially-based open-source driver for their products.

Now let's hope upper-management at AMD will see the new opportunities presented by Linux and open-source so that they can ramp up their efforts... i.e. there's still really not any usable Radeon HD 7000 series support, documentation isn't complete, there's only OpenGL 3.0 compliance (no OpenGL 3.1/3.2/3.3/4.0/4.1/4.2 compliance in Mesa), there's missing features like CrossFire and advanced AA modes, OpenCL is still a work in progress, power management isn't as good as their proprietary driver, and the performance is still a ways off from hitting the Catalyst driver.

Additional details on the big loss for NVIDIA and big win for AMD in this forum thread.

[koffiejunkie]

Since Linux is most likely not a priority platform for Nvidia, i bet they simply don't care if Linux ends up running like crap on their graphic cards due to poor driver implementation. Whereas Nvidia will fix their drivers pretty quickly on Windows etc.

It's amusing to read comments like these, given that nVidia and AMD/ATI with their binary drivers offer vastly better performance than cards from any other manufacturer, even with fully open-source drivers.

The issue about drivers being open source or binary has little to do with the quality, and everything to do with ideology.

[MarthinusSwart]

I spotted the fruit fanboy!!!

What did I win?

You win a broken video driver on your favorite distro, enjoy

[kingrob]

You win a broken video driver on your favorite distro, enjoy

LOL....great comeback.

Damn, I've been pwned.

[kingrob]

It's amusing to read comments like these, given that nVidia and AMD/ATI with their binary drivers offer vastly better performance than cards from any other manufacturer, even with fully open-source drivers.

The issue about drivers being open source or binary has little to do with the quality, and everything to do with ideology.

I thought Intel was quite good with their Linux support?

[koffiejunkie]

I thought Intel was quite good with their Linux support?

That's my point. They're Linux support is good but their best graphics chips doesn't come close to providing the performance that even the low-mid range nVidia/ATI chips did a few years ago, even with the so-called broken binary drivers.

[Swa]

That's my point. They're Linux support is good but their best graphics chips doesn't come close to providing the performance that even the low-mid range nVidia/ATI chips did a few years ago, even with the so-called broken binary drivers.

Yeah but what good is the quality on a broken driver?

[fskmh]

Get a Mac

You win a broken video driver on your favorite distro, enjoy

http://www.h-online.com/open/news/it...s-1619092.html

Interestingly, NVIDIA recommends the GPU of the MacBook Pro laptops for applications running under Linux. In NVIDIA's announcement, Senior Product Manager Will Ramey does not clarify whether this is intended as a reference to the underlying Unix-like structure of Apple's Mac OS X, or whether NVIDIA is actually suggesting that developers should run a different operating system on the MacBook Pro computers.