feedback to NVidia [was: Nvidia Drivers]

[Frank Tanner III]

--- Rui Miguel Seabra <rms at 1407.org> wrote:
> On Wed, 2004-05-26 at 09:34 -0700, Frank Tanner III
> wrote:
> > Their drivers ARE free.  They're not Open Source. 
> 
> Their drivers are gratis.
> I'm talking about freedom, not access to code.
> Access to code is a pre-condition for freedom.
> 
> Free Software is software that grants you, the user,
> 4 freedoms:
> 
>  0. the freedom to run the program for any purpose
>  1. the freedom to study the program and adapt it
> for your needs
>     (you need access to source code for this
> freedom)
>  2. the freedom to redistribute copies
>  3. the freedom to publish modified versions
> 
> > That is your beef.  OBVIOUSLY there are published
> > specifications out there.
> 
> No there aren't. Only "in there" under an NDA, which
> forbids releasing
> the knowledge as Free Software.
> 
> > Go do research, get those specifications, and
> write
> > your own drivers if you don't like the ones nVidia
> provides.
> 
> You talk about research and creating drivers, and
> you don't even know
> zit. They don't publish the specifications (we all
> wish they did).
> 
> And Free Software is not about gratis software.
> Ever heard of thinking on free speech, not free
> beer?
> 
> Rui
> 

If they don't publish the specifications how are their
all of these third party shareware tweak programs for
the nVidia cards?  Easy answer.  Because there ARE
published specs.  You're just too busy ranting to
bother to look for them.  You'd rather be part of the
problem rather than part of the solution.

Linux and Open Source came about because people didn't
like what was out there and decided they could do a
better job writing it themselves.  Which they did.

It's your turn.  You don't like the nVidia drivers. 
Write your own.

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"Never memorize what you can look up."  -Albert Einstein