NVIDIA Transitioning To Official, Open-Source Linux GPU Kernel Driver

[Templar82]

I just bought my first AMD gpu in ~20 years of owning a computer last week
I guess it will be a while before this driver is actually any good.

[Vermilion]

The kernel guys are fine with a closed source user space, provided that the kernel module is not a shim for stuffing proprietary software into the kernel.

Different Kernel subsystems have different requirements, and the drivers/gpu subsystem specifically requires fully open source userspace, including compiler.

[M@GOid]

Wow, how so much people get excited like dogs by Nvidia trowing bones to them. Wake me up when the entire thing is in the same level of openness as AMD and Intel.

[cjcox]

Tomorrow's headline:

Nvidia open source driver writer leaves, leaving the open source driver without a maintainer. Paragon Software has offered to pick up the support.

[sinepgib]

The use of the open source kernel driver is

So... we move from an open source "shim" around a binary blob running on the main CPU, to and open source "driver" requiring a binary blob running on a separate CPU.

Is it really such a big improvement ?

That's the state of affairs with pretty much all hardware.

[cl333r]

Holy molly, this is definitely The Year of Linux™!

Not yet, this will take 5-7 years to mature, just like AMD's stack.

[Mario Junior]

Thank you, hackers!

[Drago]

Why you people are happy so much? Given how nvidia *ucks you at all angles, you still want more?
They were open source hostile. And now they are open, but for the server space first. And frankly any big super computer project, probably had access to their source code drivers from long time ago.
They were selling cards directly to miners, and lying they don't.
They invent their proprietary stuff, just to vendor lock-in. CUDA, VDPAU, etc.

AMD are just better, in any way. Not to mention they just start beating nvidia on raw performance arena too.

[siyia]

Amen!

[lorenzo321]

Very nice development from nVidia, but I will probably think that they will keep CUDA closed-source.