[ubuntu-x] -nouveau now set as the default driver for Nvidia hardware

[Luis R. Rodriguez]

On Sat, Feb 20, 2010 at 11:03 PM, Christopher James Halse Rogers
<raof at ubuntu.com> wrote:
> On Sat, 2010-02-20 at 01:25 -0800, Bryce Harrington wrote:
>> On Sat, Feb 20, 2010 at 03:51:53AM -0500, Martin Owens wrote:
>> > Now if I understand correctly the -nvidia driver doesn't yet support KMS
>> > right, so it's boot will actually be less attractive?
>>
>> The -nvidia driver does not support KMS.  I do not know of any plans for
>> -nvidia to support KMS.
>
> The last I remember of this, implementing KMS required symbols
> explicitly exported as GPL, making it impossible for nvidia to implement
> KMS in the closed driver.  That's a memory from some time ago, but this
> nvnews thread[1] both confirms the GPL symbols issue and suggests that
> nvidia are considering whether to implement a work-alike solution.

I should note symbols exported explicitly with EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL() do
not require your code to be GPL but just GPL-compatible. So using a
permissive license should be OK and for nvidia that would buy them
getting:

1) an upstream solution
2) solution to share wither other crap drivers for OSes which require
closed drivers

  Luis