Re: [TCLUG:16719] The NVidia license

[Jason Jorgensen <jasonj@talkware.net>]

Can you open source a driver or release specs but still keep the technology
patented? Can you release specs or driver source for the sole purpose of
creating drivers?
I dont believe so.
If not then we shouldnt complain. If we want nVidia to continue to make
seriously quality products they cant just release specs and code for all to
use. The competitors will snatch it up and run with it. The whole time not
releasing there own code and then nVidia is dead.  I have one of each of the
cards they have made, starting with the Diamond EDGE 3D card that had the
SEGA game controller ports. I love them all.

If a source release soley for 3rd party driver creation is possible then i
am all for it. Otherwise i want them to keep it proprietary and continue to
make super fast video cards.

Someone that has more legal knowings than me please correct me if i am wrong
here, becuase i would love to be wrong.




Yaron wrote:

>   Hi,
>
> On Wed, 26 Apr 2000, Scott wrote:
>
> > No Reverse Engineering. Customer may not reverse engineer, decompile,
> > or disassemble the SOFTWARE, nor attempt in any other manner to
> > obtain the source code.
>
> I think there's some NDA issues here, but I'm not sure about that. In any
> case, I could care less about whether or not they release the source code
> for their drivers. I want them to release the damn specs for their cards,
> so we won't NEED the source code.
>
> However, these new drivers are great news to us morons who fell for
> nvidia's hype all that time ago - we can finally get some amazingly good
> performance out of our videocards. I seriously doubt I'm ever buying an
> nvidia product again unless they start being nice about specs.
>
> -Yaron
>
> --
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> To unsubscribe, e-mail: tclug-list-unsubscribe@mn-linux.org
> For additional commands, e-mail: tclug-list-help@mn-linux.org