Messages in this thread | | | Date | Wed, 08 Jan 2003 11:06:35 +0100 | From | Helge Hafting <> | Subject | Re: Why is Nvidia given GPL'd code to use in closed source drivers? |
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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.
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