Re: Why is Nvidia given GPL'd code to use in closed source drivers?

Helge Hafting
2003-01-08T09:57:21Z

Valdis.Kletnieks@vt.edu wrote:
>
> 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.

Perhaps their driver contains some IP. But I seriously doubt the
programming specs for their chips contains such secrets. It is
not as if we need the entire chip layout - it is basically
things like:

"To achieve effect X, write command code 0x3477 into register 5
and the new coordinates into registers 75-78. Then wait 2.03ms before
attempting to access the chip again..."

Something is very wrong if they _can't_ release that sort of
information.
Several other manufacturers have no problem with this.

> In the real world, ideology needs to be tempered with realism.
>
Sure. But in this case, it is more about common sense than ideology.

Helge Hafting