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

Mark Hounschell
2003-01-08T15:36:28Z

Jesse Pollard wrote:
>
> On Wednesday 08 January 2003 06:28 am, Mark Hounschell wrote:
> > Helge Hafting wrote:
> > > 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.
> >
> > Aren't nvidias' chipsets really owned by SGI. It think there is some deal
> > nvidia has with SGI that prohibits nvidia from opening up their driver and
> > chip set info. It's looking like SGI might be gone soon. Maybe if they
> > disappear, nvidia can do what they want???
>
> Think they sold it to Microsoft....

I think what they sold to MS was some part of "OPENGL" software not anything
hardware
related.

Mark