Free the nvnet driver

FunkyRes · 02-04-03, 07:44 AM

There is an online petition asking nVidia to GPL the nvnet driver for linux. It can be found at http://petitiononline.com/nforce2/petition.html

While it would of course be nice if their video drivers were GPL'd, those are really less of an issue because there are open source drivers that at least work with their video cards.

The nforce/nforce2 ethernet is a different story. To my knowledge, there are not any open source drivers that work with the integrated nic - only nvidia's driver (which uses a closed source object file to build the kernel driver).

This is an issue because distro's like Red Hat and Debian will not include closed source kernel drivers, which causes an install usability issue with nforce2 boards.

The Open Source community provided the IDE controller that the nforce2 uses (2.4.21pre4 has it - really speeds up hd access on a nforce2 board), Open Source provided the audio driver, is working on both FireWire and SMBus drivers. It would be nice for nVidia to give back by GPL'ing the nvnet driver.

So please, sign the petition!
At minimal, it will let nVidia know how we feel.

The Analog Kid · 02-04-03, 11:07 AM

This is pointless they can't GPL the drivers because they license code from SGI, it won't happen and it most likely never will unless the code from SGI is rewriten.

FunkyRes · 02-04-03, 12:22 PM

There is SGI code in the nvnet driver?
That seems a little rediculous - ethernet drivers aren't exactly rocket science if the specs are known.

The 3c59x code is under 3k lines - much of which are comments.

FunkyRes · 02-04-03, 12:27 PM

I see no reference to SGI in the nvnet source or the closed source nvnetlib.o (strings) or in the nvnet.o kernel module (strings).

Where can I get information about the SGI code in the nvnet ethernet driver? (that is what the petition is for - not the video drivers)

The Analog Kid · 02-04-03, 02:26 PM

Whoops I thought you meant the Video Drivers, well thats what happens when your in a rush.

darius · 02-05-03, 05:05 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by FunkyRes
The nforce/nforce2 ethernet is a different story. To my knowledge, there are not any open source drivers that work with the integrated nic - only nvidia's driver (which uses a closed source object file to build the kernel driver).

This is an issue because distro's like Red Hat and Debian will not include closed source kernel drivers, which causes an install usability issue with nforce2 boards.

It's also an issue for non-Linux OSes - eg *BSD and the like.

I signed the petition with a comment mentioning BSDL would be more useful to me

02-04-03, 07:44 AM	#1
FunkyRes Registered User Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 21	Free the nvnet driver There is an online petition asking nVidia to GPL the nvnet driver for linux. It can be found at http://petitiononline.com/nforce2/petition.html While it would of course be nice if their video drivers were GPL'd, those are really less of an issue because there are open source drivers that at least work with their video cards. The nforce/nforce2 ethernet is a different story. To my knowledge, there are not any open source drivers that work with the integrated nic - only nvidia's driver (which uses a closed source object file to build the kernel driver). This is an issue because distro's like Red Hat and Debian will not include closed source kernel drivers, which causes an install usability issue with nforce2 boards. The Open Source community provided the IDE controller that the nforce2 uses (2.4.21pre4 has it - really speeds up hd access on a nforce2 board), Open Source provided the audio driver, is working on both FireWire and SMBus drivers. It would be nice for nVidia to give back by GPL'ing the nvnet driver. So please, sign the petition! At minimal, it will let nVidia know how we feel.

02-04-03, 11:07 AM	#2
The Analog Kid Registered User Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: New Jersey, USA Posts: 75	This is pointless they can't GPL the drivers because they license code from SGI, it won't happen and it most likely never will unless the code from SGI is rewriten. __________________ Microsoft Palladium:Where will we let you go today?

02-04-03, 02:26 PM	#5
The Analog Kid Registered User Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: New Jersey, USA Posts: 75	Whoops I thought you meant the Video Drivers, well thats what happens when your in a rush. __________________ Microsoft Palladium:Where will we let you go today?

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02-04-03, 12:22 PM	#3
FunkyRes Registered User Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 21	There is SGI code in the nvnet driver? That seems a little rediculous - ethernet drivers aren't exactly rocket science if the specs are known. The 3c59x code is under 3k lines - much of which are comments.

02-04-03, 12:27 PM	#4
FunkyRes Registered User Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 21	I see no reference to SGI in the nvnet source or the closed source nvnetlib.o (strings) or in the nvnet.o kernel module (strings). Where can I get information about the SGI code in the nvnet ethernet driver? (that is what the petition is for - not the video drivers)