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Re: nvidia drivers & kernel headers



On Sun, 19 Oct 2003 10:22:21 -0700 (PDT), John Yurcik <jyyc73@yahoo.com>
wrote: 

<... gcc stuff>

> Thanks, after creating the symbolic link the nvidia
> shell script build the kernel interface but then
> stopped with the following response: (and also I
> believe that the headers are the correct ones for my
> kernel)

Are you absolutely positive that you have the right headers for your
kernel? What does the output of 'uname -a' say? And double-check what
headers you have installed (and are symlinking?)

> That line "Hint you are trying to load a module
> without GPL compatible licence..." is that the
> problem? And of course what do I do about it? 
> I always thought nvidia was ok because they provide
> drivers for linux. Should I be supporting some other
> video card maker? 

Nah, that is just a license-taint warning. If you try to load a module
in Linux that is using a non-GPL license, you'll always get a warning
like that which will warn you that you are using non-free modules. Some
people prefer to use only free, GPL'd (or BSD'd) modules in their
kernel, distributors have to be careful about keeping non-free modules
from being distributed, and sometimes it can be risky to load modules
when you can't see the source.

Otherwise, it's a non-technical issue that won't affect you at all.
NVIDIA, as well as ATi, release drivers for Linux, but they are not
open-source and thus, not GPL'd. This is unfortunate, but their drivers
are still either adequate or superior for many.

Unfortunately, none of the big three video card manufacturers (NVIDIA,
ATi, Matrox) release open-sourced, GPL'd drivers for their high-end
cards. ATi and Matrox both release open-source drivers for older cards,
but competition is too steep and trade secrets to be had for anyone to
release their specifications for the cutting-edge hardware. NVIDIA does
a fine job of producing drivers that work in nearly all cases, so
there's no real superior alternatives for you. :/

And besides, let's try to get this video card you already have to work.
Our goal is that if you have a piece of hardware, it should work.


-- 
scott c. linnenbringer    |  sl@panix.com
http://www.panix.com/~sl  | sl@moslug.org
jabber: sl@theoretic.com  |  irc: Jawoota

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