Bickering Continues About NVIDIA Using DMA-BUF

[devguy]

So, nVidia is being Cox blocked?

[tehehe]

Alan Cox logic:
Advocates Open Source. Forces NVIDIA and it's users to use more closed source code.

Haha yeah. I mean if proprietary vendors can't use this interface then what is even the point of it?

Actually this would probably make things worse in general? 0_o

Personally I don't wish bad things for Cox. He is great asset. I just think he should be glad that nvidia wants to use MORE open source in their drivers instead of reinventing the wheel behind closed doors.

[kirillkh]

Alan has been very vocal about rejecting the NVIDIA-requested change as he doesn't want NVIDIA's binary -- but widely-used -- graphics driver to support the DMA-BUF infrastructure.

This is simply a slander. It says little about Alan, but much about Michael.

[TheCycoONE]

It sounds like a lot of people here would rather be using BSD.

It's entirely Nvidia's fault they're in this situation - there's no reason the Linux kernel devs should accommodate them. David was nice enough to write GPL code to solve a need for the kernel, if Nvidia wants the functionality they can play by the rules or they can write their own and ask Intel to use it.

[pingufunkybeat]

Guys, once again:

Kernel devs did not pick the kernel licence yesterday. They (Linus) picked it more than 20 years ago. They can't change it.

Binary kernel module using internal stuff like DMA-BUF violates the GPL, and nobody would be allowed to distribute that without risking a devastating lawsuit. That's the way it is. Renaming symbols just clarifies this, but does not in any way change the GPL, which prohibits it.

What Nvidia wants is some kind of tacit approval that this violation is "OK" so in the case of a lawsuit they can claim that they were acting in good faith and were misled. What Alan wants is for them to take the responsibility for the violation. If they think that it's legal for them to call kernel code from their binary module, they should simply ignore the symbol names. After all, there's nothing to worry about, right?

[Chewi]

I don't know if Linus has already taken part in the discussion but if he hasn't then I think he needs to make a decision. I wouldn't normally support closed source but he called on NVIDIA to do something and now they're trying to do the best that they reasonably can and the community is blocking it. I wouldn't be surprised if they turn around and say "well fuck you too."

[moilami]

I don't know if Linus has already taken part in the discussion but if he hasn't then I think he needs to make a decision. I wouldn't normally support closed source but he called on NVIDIA to do something and now they're trying to do the best that they reasonably can and the community is blocking it. I wouldn't be surprised if they turn around and say "well fuck you too."

No. They can do more.

[gamerk2]

It sounds like a lot of people here would rather be using BSD.

It's entirely Nvidia's fault they're in this situation - there's no reason the Linux kernel devs should accommodate them. David was nice enough to write GPL code to solve a need for the kernel, if Nvidia wants the functionality they can play by the rules or they can write their own and ask Intel to use it.

Question: Whats the point of DMA-BUF if the people who need to use it, can't?

[tomato]

Haha yeah. I mean if proprietary vendors can't use this interface then what is even the point of it?

AMD Radeon drivers? Multitude of mobile GPUs? I'm not sure, but it could be also used by video editing/rendering software...

[pingufunkybeat]

Question: Whats the point of DMA-BUF if the people who need to use it, can't?

Most drivers can use it just fine.