Comment Re:My Linux Annoyances as a Hardended Windows user (Score 2, Insightful) 445
Firstly, I agree about the conflicts between kernel upgrades and closed-source nVidia drivers. A kernel upgrade is sure to crash the nVidia driver and who knows what else. Clearly, a solution is needed.
That being said, I can't fault nVidia for protecting their revenue generating developments. Few realize how much of the power of modern graphics cards comes from highly optimized drivers. When you buy a graphics cards, you are buying both the hardware and the software, and thousands of hours are put in to software driver development. Those drivers are just as essential to achieving good graphics performance as the actual silicon in the cards. Without good drivers, nVidia is just another chip design company. Coca-cola doesn't give away its formula, why should nVidia? Sure, business is business, but nVidia has continued to develop linux drivers and the entire linux community has reaped the benefit. One of the only reasons it is possible to have a functional linux machine that can handle OpenGL apps alongside smooth rock-solid 2D graphics performance is the nVidia hardware/driver combo.
So many linux users do not remember the "good ol' days" when there were no linux drivers for graphics hardware. If you were lucky, X would start and perhaps run for a short while, but forget about any 3D API's. Any hardware acceleration features of your high-end graphics card were wasted. It was a framebuffer world. About 1999, nVidia came to dominate the graphics market, killing off S3, #9, Matrox, etc. with graphics performance that put most everything to shame. Moreover, nVidia developed and continues to develop linux drivers. Okay, the earlier drivers were junk. X would crash when trying to use some high-end nVidia hardware acceleration show magic flower pots, or something. But, things got better. Much better. A modern linux nVidia driver is as foolproof and robust as a current windows driver and provides all of nVidia's cute features such as quad-buffered stereo, TwinView, etc.
So, I think the onus for improvement on this issue lies with the linux kernel developers, not nVidia. Unlike so many other hardware designers, nVidia develops high?quality linux drivers. They work well, provide a great deal of functionality, are easy to install, and are very user friendly. How many open source endeavors can say that? Power and versatility have been longstanding mantras in the linux world. NVidia is willing to continue to develop linux drivers, so the linux development world should continue to maintain its goal of providing powerful and accessible software and develop a more seamless interface for such binary drivers.
In short, count your blessings. Remember, you could have no drivers at all.
That being said, I can't fault nVidia for protecting their revenue generating developments. Few realize how much of the power of modern graphics cards comes from highly optimized drivers. When you buy a graphics cards, you are buying both the hardware and the software, and thousands of hours are put in to software driver development. Those drivers are just as essential to achieving good graphics performance as the actual silicon in the cards. Without good drivers, nVidia is just another chip design company. Coca-cola doesn't give away its formula, why should nVidia? Sure, business is business, but nVidia has continued to develop linux drivers and the entire linux community has reaped the benefit. One of the only reasons it is possible to have a functional linux machine that can handle OpenGL apps alongside smooth rock-solid 2D graphics performance is the nVidia hardware/driver combo.
So many linux users do not remember the "good ol' days" when there were no linux drivers for graphics hardware. If you were lucky, X would start and perhaps run for a short while, but forget about any 3D API's. Any hardware acceleration features of your high-end graphics card were wasted. It was a framebuffer world. About 1999, nVidia came to dominate the graphics market, killing off S3, #9, Matrox, etc. with graphics performance that put most everything to shame. Moreover, nVidia developed and continues to develop linux drivers. Okay, the earlier drivers were junk. X would crash when trying to use some high-end nVidia hardware acceleration show magic flower pots, or something. But, things got better. Much better. A modern linux nVidia driver is as foolproof and robust as a current windows driver and provides all of nVidia's cute features such as quad-buffered stereo, TwinView, etc.
So, I think the onus for improvement on this issue lies with the linux kernel developers, not nVidia. Unlike so many other hardware designers, nVidia develops high?quality linux drivers. They work well, provide a great deal of functionality, are easy to install, and are very user friendly. How many open source endeavors can say that? Power and versatility have been longstanding mantras in the linux world. NVidia is willing to continue to develop linux drivers, so the linux development world should continue to maintain its goal of providing powerful and accessible software and develop a more seamless interface for such binary drivers.
In short, count your blessings. Remember, you could have no drivers at all.
