Bickering Continues About NVIDIA Using DMA-BUF

[phoronix]

Phoronix: Bickering Continues About NVIDIA Using DMA-BUF

The fight continues about not changing the Linux kernel symbols for DMA-BUF so that NVIDIA can support NVIDIA Optimus Technology within their proprietary graphics driver...

http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=MTIwOTI

[GT220]

One can only hope Alan Cox and every retarded kernel dev including Linus "Fuck You" Torvalds will die a horrible, slow, painful death.

[pingufunkybeat]

No need to be so objective and neutral, Michael, tell us whose side you're really on :P

[oleid]

As much as I'd like to see a proper OSS NVidia driver.... can't they simply write a dual-licensed GPL/proprietary wrapper around this exported function, release this very wrapper as OSS and use their wrapper from the binary blob?

[tehehe]

As much as I'd like to see a proper OSS NVidia driver.... can't they simply write a dual-licensed GPL/proprietary wrapper around this exported function, release this very wrapper as OSS and use their wrapper from the binary blob?

I would guess this will be the next step if Cox won't budge. Personally I think Cox is overreacting zealot. In the long run it's better for Linux ecosystem to allow this instead of making vendors do more unnecesary work that would be better spent making their drivers better for example. I would want to have oss drivers as well but I want full working functionality of my hardware even more.

[log0]

Mauro Carvalho Chehab brings it to the point imho:

http://lists.linaro.org/pipermail/linaro-mm-sig/2012-October/002715.html

If you read the Kernel COPYING file, it is explicitly said there that the Kernel
is licensing with GPLv2. The _ONLY_ exception there is the allowance to use
the kernel via normal syscalls:

"NOTE! This copyright does *not* cover user programs that use kernel
services by normal system calls - this is merely considered normal use
of the kernel, and does *not* fall under the heading of "derived work".
Also note that the GPL below is copyrighted by the Free Software
Foundation, but the instance of code that it refers to (the Linux
kernel) is copyrighted by me and others who actually wrote it."

The usage of EXPORT_SYMBOL() is not covered there, so those symbols are also
covered by GPLv2.

As the usage of a kernel symbol by a proprietary driver is not explicitly
listed there as a GPLv2 exception, the only concrete results of this patch is
to spread FUD, as EXPORT_SYMBOL might generate some doubts on people that
don't read the Kernel's COPYING file.

With or without this patch, anyone with intelectual rights in the Kernel may
go to court to warrant their rights against the infringing closed source drivers.
By not making it explicitly, you're only trying to fool people that using
it might be allowed.

So renaming this symbols is pure nonsense.

The Nvidia devs should talk to their lawyers and stop annoying kernel devs.

[beevvy]

As much as I'd like to see a proper OSS NVidia driver.... can't they simply write a dual-licensed GPL/proprietary wrapper around this exported function, release this very wrapper as OSS and use their wrapper from the binary blob?

No, it's not possible. Did you hear about the "viral" nature of GPL? They will have to rewrite their DMA-BUF equivalent from scratch.

[Rigaldo]

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

One can only hope Alan Cox and every retarded kernel dev including Linus "Fuck You" Torvalds will die a horrible, slow, painful death.

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

[log0]

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






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

Linux Kernel is GPL2 period. Don't like open source? Go somewhere else.

[tomato]

All this issue would be non existent if only nVidia went and fixed their own broken hardware (by writing their own DMA-BUF) when they released it.

They now show up their lazy asses and want to use code they have not contributed to and knew damn well they will need it, it's not like Intel drivers are OSS only since last Monday.

They need to learn to play nice or they'll just be not welcome here. My opinion on the matter is summed up in a quote from Linus: "Fuck you nVidia".