Does NVIDIA care about Linux on the desktop?
 

I ask because of the types of issues I see going around in this forum and elsewhere on the web. I'm not trying to pick a fight - I would just like some opinions. With desktops being wedged out of the consumer segment of the computing environment by phones, tablets, etc, does NVIDIA have a vested interest in providing graphics driver support for a fringe segment of the PC population with the overall industry heading in a different direction all together?

Re: Does NVIDIA care about Linux on the desktop?
 

Of course they don't. But contrary to how you're trying to present it, this is nothing new. Nvidia's Linux market is high-end workstations, always was.

Re: Does NVIDIA care about Linux on the desktop?
 

Fine point. I didn't mean to say "they used to care and now they don't" as much as the glory period of peak desktop growth is behind us and the already small Linux niche is shrinking proportionately.

Re: Does NVIDIA care about Linux on the desktop?
 

Do you have something to back that up, that the desktop/laptop market is shrinking (I'm lumping these two together because they both run the same full-fledged OSes)? Yes phones/tablets are seeing an enormous growth, but I don't think it's at the expense of the desktop/laptop market.

Re: Does NVIDIA care about Linux on the desktop?
 

At the very least the growth is decreasing.

http://money.cnn.com/2011/03/03/tech...t_pc/index.htm

I'm only talking consumer markets, as well. The enterprise still needs desktops and laptops for the foreseeable future with tablets augmenting. For the consumer, few individuals need more than a web browser at this point, something the tablet does well.

Re: Does NVIDIA care about Linux on the desktop?
 

Do you think they developed items like vdpau for the GPGPU or high end workstation crowd?

Re: Does NVIDIA care about Linux on the desktop?
 

Do we have other choices than NVIDIA? So far, it is still the best vender who supports Linux. Hope intel will catch up soon.

Re: Does NVIDIA care about Linux on the desktop?
 

Its not only NVIDIA's fault. I could imagine that its definetly hard to always have to catch up with changing ABIs and kernel features/behaviour everywhere. Linux doesn't make it quite easy for vendors to provide binary only drivers, which will work longer than just say 5 kernel versions.
One might start the usual "then open the source of the driver and all problems are gone" war, but I can really understand that this is contrary the interests and could very well damage the business of vendors. Hardware is so much different than software in that respect. In the software market one could still survive with providing commercial support, but with hardware its not that simple.. you tell your secret and your business base is gone, simple as that.

NVIDIA drivers replace a good chunk of the xserver with a reason, because its otherwise unbearable to always have to catch up.

What we would need to have vendors in general step up and write drivers, is a stable ABI, but I really doubt that will ever happen.

Re: Does NVIDIA care about Linux on the desktop?
 

Perhaps when Linus gets off his ass and makes a stable I/O ABI for graphics drivers and the rest of the device driver model and X dumps it's legacy and gets a real compositing environment ala Wayland's dream then Nvidia and AMD will take Linux more serious.

Re: Does NVIDIA care about Linux on the desktop?
 

Desktops are not being wedged out. Desktops make up the vast majority and it's going to stay that way for a very long time. Don't think that because iPads and tablets are "in" right now that they are somehow going to kill the desktop. Granted they're convenient but they've got a long long way to go before they're a formidable desktop adversary.

Re: Does NVIDIA care about Linux on the desktop?
 

All those whose who want to give Nvidia good, heart-felt thankyou for providing us with a well maintained driver please say aye.

Re: Does NVIDIA care about Linux on the desktop?
 

I already did that with my wallet. ;)