Why graphics drivers are proprietary

[Alan Cox]

On Tue, 02 Oct 2012 20:05:38 -0400
Mark LaPierre <marklapier at aol.com> wrote:

> On 10/02/2012 04:18 PM, Alan Evans wrote:
> > On Tue, Oct 2, 2012 at 11:56 AM, Roberto Ragusa wrote:
> >> So final users would have had the best hardware running the best drivers
> >> (open source too).
> >> This is something which must not be permitted to happen. :-/
> >
> > Not if it helps to sell the competitor's hardware.
> 
> Programmers, and corporations for that matter, have the right to decide 
> how they choose to distribute their property.  

Software is not property.

> Corporations are people too

Only in some broken countries but you are correct they still have to
survive.

Companies do open source seriously do it because it suits them for their
own purposes. Thats generally a good thing because self interest is a
great motivator and far better than the kind of sham token support from
many companies.

Free market economics sucks at finding optimal behaviour, it's just it
sucks less than most of the other models tried 8)

Alan