Bryan J. Smith wrote:
Then blame Intel. Then blame Microsoft.
I do, I do... everyday!
And don't forget IBM -- the biggest IP monster of them all (just ask the Linux kernel developers) -- and the 1000lbs. gorilla that knocks companies out of the way, while donating $1B to maturing its product line (and _not_ actual GPL donations -- which makes me sick).
Blame a lot of companies.
ATI and nVidia didn't start it. In fact, nVidia _fought_it_, in the name of Linux, during XFree 3.3.x by _releasing_ the source code!
That's because nVidia was already 80+% Linux internally by 2000, like most other semiconductor firms running EDA applicatons. While Intel got lambasted by SVLUG for their lack of supporting Linux, nVidia was moving forward. I know because I was working in the semiconductor industry at the time, and _knew_ the people involved with many firms.
Furthermore, without nVidia's _quality_ GLX support in 2000+, we would have lost a _lot_ of POSIX/GLX CAM and EDA applications to Win32/DX ports. Had those CAM and EDA applications gone Win32/DX, they would have definitely been Windows-only forward! But because nVidia offered a _quality_ GLX option on Linux, those apps stayed POSIX/GLX, and were ported from AIX, HP/UX, Solaris and other UNIX flavors to Linux -- instead of Win32/DX.
CAM and EDA Engineering has been the _leading_ adopter of Linux on the desktop/workstation. Thanx to them, Linux is a _very_mature_ GLX platform. And thanx to nVidia, who recognized the need for a _quality_ GLX implementation on Linux over 6 years ago, we have it.
No, I don't like the IP issue. nVidia doesn't either. But because nVidia (as well as ATI) have signed agreements with Intel, Microsoft, SGI and others, we have them. Even if the community comes up with its own 3D API, it will infringe on that same IP.
So get used to it for the next 5+ years, because that's just how it is.
I'm just mad, because the TNT2 is 7 years old, they don't sell it anymore and yet they can't release the datasheet of that chip. But: What about Riva 128? Riva still holds "IP" from other companies? 3dfx released a lot of datasheets on it's last breath (I have them, they are on dri.fredesktop.org). Well, in 20 years they will have no excuse!!! Right?