Re: GeForce4 MX440 with kernel 2.4.18-bf24
On Fri, Oct 31, 2003 at 05:41:33AM -0500, Haines Brown wrote:
> Rob Weir wrote:
> > 3) get the non-free binary-only nvidia drivers. The "nvidia-glx-src"
> > and "nvidia-kernel-src" packages make this rather easy. This is only
> > an option on x86, however.
>
> Rob, I follow you on points 1 and 2, but not 3. The nVidia has
> completely changed its driver policy, and now everything (driver,
> installation utility) comes in one self-expanding .run file. And this
> driver supports a range of their cards, including all the GeForces. So
> it's very simple now. What you do is to use a (downloaded or
> automatically compiled) interface to mediate the relation of your
> driver and kernel.
>
> Further, it is apparently free. Or at least I downloaded and installed
> the driver on woody and have not paid yet ;-). The driver's name is
> "nvidia."
That's not what Rob means by "non-free". Debian people believe that the
freedom to take the source code to a piece of software, improve it, and
pass on the results is very important. See
http://www.debian.org/intro/free for more details.
When people say "non-free" on this list, they almost always mean that it
doesn't meet the Debian standards for free software, so perhaps it
doesn't come with source code, or you aren't allowed to modify it, or
you're only allowed to put it to non-commercial use, or something
similar.
Cheers,
--
Colin Watson [cjwatson@flatline.org.uk]
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