Fair enough, but that argument only holds true against my first point. My second point, that anyone can patch anything they please without having to rely on a vendor, rings doubly true for non-sexy code off the beaten path, as it were. I've flung a patch or two upstream myself, just because it was easier just to fix the damn problem instead of writhing my way around it.
Also: Do you really think the nVidia code would qualify as non-sexy? People would short-circuit their keyboards drooling while pulling the repo. Regarding X: I have been ranting about that beast for the last seven years, as it is a horrible onion with layers of increasingly deprecated and/or useless code which just makes you cry if you try to cut through it. I'm rooting for Wayland to save the day here. On a side note: I've never ever had a problem with iwlwifi and 802.11n. It's stable as a brick to me. Up until recently, I didn't even know people had a problem with it! "Peter C. Ndikuwera" <[email protected]> wrote: True enough in _theory_ but apart from the core kernel (or the parts of the kernel that are sexy), I'm not so sure that this is true. I remember reading some stuff on lkml about the terrifyingly huge number of in-kernel drivers that are unmaintained and haven't been touched in aeons. I understand the philosophical reasons for not wanting a binary blob (I'm a Linux power-user/semi-zealot after all) but I'm not convinced that NVIDIA gains anything from open sourcing their driver. Sorting out legacy applications like the beast that is X/Xorg is probably a bigger issue for the Linux community than taking on the burden of maintaining an Open Source NVIDIA driver. Again, look at how terrible the ATI OSS driver is. Another example, the Intel wireless driver (iwlwifi) can't do stable wireless-N. Yes, that's true. In 2012. Intel. One of the first big vendors to open-source their driver. One of the most used wireless card vendors in modern laptops can't do wireless-N. The advice on most forums: 1. echo "options iwlwifi 11n_disable=1" > /etc/modprobe.d/99-iwlwifi.conf 2. Reboot. P. -- Evolution (n): A hypothetical process whereby infinitely improbable events occur with alarming frequency, order arises from chaos, and no one is given credit. On 8 August 2012 00:49, [email protected] <[email protected]> wrote: ...the two points with open source being that flaws are usually found and patched swifter, and if you find a hole yourself you are not at the mercy of a vendor to get it patched. Remember the GDI flaw? "Peter C. Ndikuwera" <[email protected]> wrote: Simon, Are you saying back door exploits don't exist in open-source? What about this infamous 64-bit kernel back door from 2010? http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/205867/linux_kernel_exploit_gives_hackers_a_back_door.html?tk=hp_new And this is the KERNEL which has thousands and thousands of eyes looking at it. Or if you want device driver based exploits, what about this one for VLAN be2net devices? be2net is the driver for the HP BladeServer's NIC. https://freecode.com/articles/ubuntu-new-linux-packages-fix-security-vulnerabilities-45. So, don't put NICs in our Blade Servers please! Or this exploit, which affects Android? http://git.zx2c4.com/CVE-2012-0056/. Guess we shouldn't put Linux on our phones and tablets.... Oh... wait... <grin> Peter -- Evolution (n): A hypothetical process whereby infinitely improbable events occur with alarming frequency, order arises from chaos, and no one is given credit. On 6 August 2012 18:51, Simon Vass <[email protected]> wrote: Peter, http://www.h-online.com/open/news/item/NVIDIA-closes-hole-in-proprietary-Unix-driver-1660471.html How about not installing a back door exploit on my PC. Good enough reason? ;-) Simon Vass Managing Director E-Tech Uganda Ltd http://www.etech.ug Tel: +256 (0) 312260620 or (0) 312260621 email: [email protected] skype: e-techservicedesk ----- Original Message ----- From: "Peter C. Ndikuwera" <[email protected]> To: "Uganda Linux User Group" <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, 5 August, 2012 8:39:29 PM Subject: Re: [LUG] John Carmack linux still not viable Are OSS drivers really the problem/solution? Intel has had open source drivers, but their cards are C.R.A.P. at 3D gaming. ATI has open source drivers that aren't universally loved because the cards are good, but the drivers aren't. Even basic Compiz with an ATI card was a plug-and-"pray" until recently. NVIDIA's binary blob may piss off Linus et al, yet they're by far the best performing cards in "desktop" Linux. They keep up with all the ABI breakages that kernel upgrades cause, release a decent tool, fully support X's extensions such as RandR, etc. I don't think the Linux community has provided a good enough argument for NVIDIA to bother (or risk) open sourcing their driver. P. -- Evolution (n): A hypothetical process whereby infinitely improbable events occur with alarming frequency, order arises from chaos, and no one is given credit. On 5 August 2012 10:10, Simon Vass < [email protected] > wrote: http://www.ubuntuvibes.com/2012/08/john-carmack-linux-is-still-not-viable.html Sad to see John and Id taking this route. I would rather he came out and said something like, well it has not been easy, but now Steam is committed we will redouble our efforts. Also I think the key is to improve the level and quality of OSS drivers for Linux. Clearly truely oss drivers are much easier for everyone to improve, just need to convince AMD and Nvidia of that fully. Simon Vass Managing Director E-Tech Uganda Ltd http://www.etech.ug Tel: +256 (0) 312260620 or (0) 312260621 email: [email protected] skype: e-techservicedesk ----- Original Message ----- From: "Kyle Spencer" < [email protected] > To: "Uganda Linux User Group" < [email protected] > Sent: Friday, 3 August, 2012 5:50:33 AM Subject: Re: [LUG] Gabe Newell on Linux, Windows 8, and open ecosystems Here's a good follow up article about OpenGL vs. DirectX. Valve found Linux/OpenGL currently outperforms Windows/DirectX in terms of FPS. http://games.slashdot.org/story/12/08/02/1738229/is-it-time-for-an-opengl-gaming-revolution And here's a blog post by an Intel dev who took part in the recent Valve/Intel collaboration. http://www.paranormal-entertainment.com/idr/blog/posts/2012-07-19T18%3A54%3A37Z-The_zombies_cometh/ On Jul 26, 2012 7:34 PM, "sanga collins" < [email protected] > wrote: I never thought about that, but it is the TRUTH. As an avid gamer i guess ill have to stick with win7 for the next decade or so until some serious games show up on the linux version of steam On Thu, Jul 26, 2012 at 10:37 AM, Kyle Spencer < [email protected] > wrote: Very interesting article where Gabe Newell talks about how damaging Windows 8 could be for the PC market and why they (Valve) are persuing Linux and open ecosystems. http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-18996377 _______________________________________________ The Uganda Linux User Group: http://linux.or.ug Send messages to this mailing list by addressing e-mails to: [email protected] Mailing list archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ Mailing list settings: http://kym.net/mailman/listinfo/lug To unsubscribe: http://kym.net/mailman/options/lug The Uganda LUG mailing list is generously hosted by INFOCOM: http://www.infocom.co.ug/ The above comments and data are owned by whoever posted them (including attachments if any). The mailing list host is not responsible for them in any way. -- Sanga M. Collins Network Engineering ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Google Voice: (954) 324-1365 E- fax: (435) 578 7411 _______________________________________________ The Uganda Linux User Group: http://linux.or.ug Send messages to this mailing list by addressing e-mails to: [email protected] Mailing list archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ Mailing list settings: http://kym.net/mailman/listinfo/lug To unsubscribe: http://kym.net/mailman/options/lug The Uganda LUG mailing list is generously hosted by INFOCOM: http://www.infocom.co.ug/ The above comments and data are owned by whoever posted them (including attachments if any). The mailing list host is not responsible for them in any way. _______________________________________________ The Uganda Linux User Group: http://linux.or.ug Send messages to this mailing list by addressing e-mails to: [email protected] Mailing list archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ Mailing list settings: http://kym.net/mailman/listinfo/lug To unsubscribe: http://kym.net/mailman/options/lug The Uganda LUG mailing list is generously hosted by INFOCOM: http://www.infocom.co.ug/ The above comments and data are owned by whoever posted them (including attachments if any). The mailing list host is not responsible for them in any way. _______________________________________________ The Uganda Linux User Group: http://linux.or.ug Send messages to this mailing list by addressing e-mails to: [email protected] Mailing list archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ Mailing list settings: http://kym.net/mailman/listinfo/lug To unsubscribe: http://kym.net/mailman/options/lug The Uganda LUG mailing list is generously hosted by INFOCOM: http://www.infocom.co.ug/ The above comments and data are owned by whoever posted them (including attachments if any). The mailing list host is not responsible for them in any way. _______________________________________________ The Uganda Linux User Group: http://linux.or.ug Send messages to this mailing list by addressing e-mails to: [email protected] Mailing list archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ Mailing list settings: http://kym.net/mailman/listinfo/lug To unsubscribe: http://kym.net/mailman/options/lug The Uganda LUG mailing list is generously hosted by INFOCOM: http://www.infocom.co.ug/ The above comments and data are owned by whoever posted them (including attachments if any). The mailing list host is not responsible for them in any way. _______________________________________________ The Uganda Linux User Group: http://linux.or.ug Send messages to this mailing list by addressing e-mails to: [email protected] Mailing list archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ Mailing list settings: http://kym.net/mailman/listinfo/lug To unsubscribe: http://kym.net/mailman/options/lug The Uganda LUG mailing list is generously hosted by INFOCOM: http://www.infocom.co.ug/ The above comments and data are owned by whoever posted them (including attachments if any). The mailing list host is not responsible for them in any way. _______________________________________________ The Uganda Linux User Group: http://linux.or.ug Send messages to this mailing list by addressing e-mails to: [email protected] Mailing list archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ Mailing list settings: http://kym.net/mailman/listinfo/lug To unsubscribe: http://kym.net/mailman/options/lug The Uganda LUG mailing list is generously hosted by INFOCOM: http://www.infocom.co.ug/ The above comments and data are owned by whoever posted them (including attachments if any). The mailing list host is not responsible for them in any way.
_______________________________________________ The Uganda Linux User Group: http://linux.or.ug Send messages to this mailing list by addressing e-mails to: [email protected] Mailing list archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ Mailing list settings: http://kym.net/mailman/listinfo/lug To unsubscribe: http://kym.net/mailman/options/lug The Uganda LUG mailing list is generously hosted by INFOCOM: http://www.infocom.co.ug/ The above comments and data are owned by whoever posted them (including attachments if any). The mailing list host is not responsible for them in any way.
