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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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Linux 6.6 To Better Protect Against The Illicit Behavior Of NVIDIA's Proprietary Driver (www.phoronix.com)

submitted 1 year ago by pnutzh4x0r@lemmy.ndlug.org to c/linux@lemmy.ml

147 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Luis Chamberlain sent out the modules changes today for the Linux 6.6 merge window. Most notable with the modules update is a change that better builds up the defenses against NVIDIA's proprietary kernel driver from using GPL-only symbols. Or in other words, bits that only true open-source drivers should be utilizing and not proprietary kernel drivers like NVIDIA's default Linux driver in respecting the original kernel code author's intent.

Back in 2020 when the original defense was added, NVIDIA recommended avoiding the Linux 5.9 for the time being. They ended up having a supported driver several weeks later. It will be interesting to see this time how long Linux 6.6+ thwarts their kernel driver.

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[–] lemmyvore@feddit.nl -1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

The top level comment in this thread is talking about "consumer facing products". ML is not a mainstream consumer use of Nvidia drivers. Most of the people who got a bee in their bonnet about Nvidia drivers not being open source are desktop users interested in the graphics drivers.

Either way, I don't understand the issue. If people don't like the fact Nvidia has proprietary drivers they can choose not to buy their hardware. To buy their hardware and then be upset about it makes no sense.

Same for the kernel developers, they either want proprietary drivers to work with Linux or not. If they don't they can give Nvidia the finger outright instead of pussyfooting around – but Nvidia is not the only one with proprietary drivers and I think we all know how quickly Linux would go the way of the dodo if it didn't support proprietary stuff.

This whole topic has always been rife with posturing, entitlement and hypocrisy. People love to enjoy all the benefits from Nvidia hardware while bitching about the drivers. You can't force a company to use open source. Take it or leave it.

It also a red herring. People love to point to AMD as a counter-example, but are AMD drivers so much better? They're open source but you can't write AMD's drivers for them, and AMD's people are slow to release them and to fix bugs so at the end of the day it's the exact same thing as far as I am concerned as a user.

[–] Sentau@lemmy.one 1 points 1 year ago

They're open source but you can't write AMD's drivers for them

There are a lot of people who are not amd employees who contribute to the Radeon drivers in mesa