Enough, already!

[Robin Laing]

Mike McCarty wrote:
> Andy Green wrote:
> 
>> Lyvim Xaphir wrote:
> 
> 
> [snip]
> 
>>> If you want to help in the development of the distro, you use the test
>>
>>
>>
>> The nVidia binary blob is explicitly NOT part of the distro, nor is 
>> its use supported by RHAT.  You put things in binary-only because you 
>> want to disempower people from being able to copy it around and modify 
>> it.
> 
> 
> Um, "disempower" appears to be a coined term, but the use of the prefix
> "dis-" means to remove something from a state it is in. You are not now,
> nor have you ever been (I trow) empowered to copy and/or modify that
> software, so you cannot be disempowered to do so.
> 
> They simply decline to empower you, which is rather a different thing.
> 
>>> You call it a "binary blob", Nvidia calls it intellectual property.  And
>>
>>
>>
>> Well thanks for the clarification.  If nVidia choose to not openly 
>> license some of their code, it's up to them: but equally I am able to 
>> point out their lack of openness and disrespect it.
> 
> 
> I see no point in disrespecting someone exercising what is their
> right. It would make as much sense as for me to "disrespect" you
> "disempowering" me from driving your car around whenever I like.
> 
> [snip]

nVidia cannot opensource all the code used as they don't own the rights 
to all of it.  There was an interview some time ago about just this 
thing.  I think it was with the president of nVidia or someone else high up.

RH could be blamed for not wanting to take nVidia's offer of including 
the code in their installations.


> 
>> I don't have any nVidia graphics cards that I used for 6 months and 
>> more: I really don't have "jack invested in it".  You can keep your 
>> advice to suck stuff up: Kim has a point that binary blobs cause 
>> unnecessary problems, nothing that you said gainsaid it.  By all means 
>> have another go!
> 
> 
> Refusing to buy their product is the best way to convince them to
> change. Voting with one's feet is the most convincing argument
> to any businessman. Disrespecting people's exercising their rights
> isn't an activity likely to cause them to change their minds.
> 
> Mike

This is why I chose nVidia over ATI after the ATI driver wouldn't 
provide me with 3D on a brand new 9600.  Almost a month and a male 
pattern baldness from pulling my hair out, I changed to nVidia and was 
up and running in less than 30 minutes from the time I paid with the 
nVidia BLOB.  Now I use Livna drivers and I don't update my kernel until 
there is a new module.

I guess I could say the same about ATI or should I say AMD since the 
recent purchase.

-- 
Robin Laing