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   Linux For Everyone (linux4everyone@fosstodon.org)'s status on Friday, 19-Jul-2024 19:17:58 JST Linux For Everyone

   A great step... now how about that firmware?

   https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/07/nvidia-maintains-its-distinct-version-of-open-with-latest-kernel-modules/

   • Embed this notice
     翠星石 (suiseiseki@freesoftwareextremist.com)'s status on Friday, 19-Jul-2024 19:17:58 JST 翠星石

     in reply to
     @Linux4Everyone It's not firmware, as those GPU's don't come with socketed ROM chips.
     
     nvidia has pretty much just moved most of the driver into proprietary peripheral software that runs on the GPU and has some machinery to communicate with that software in Linux.
     
     Such software also has a signature on it, as a form of digital handcuffs to make it cryptographically impossible to replace the software.
     
     
     To be entirely honest I just see a chain of derivative works even though the peripheral software is not running on the main CPU, as it's specifically designed to communicate with Linux modules that are themselves GPLv2 with the kernel modules and the peripheral software being updated in lockstep.
     
     Too bad those Linux developers don't have enough of a spine to take nvidia (and any other party that is committing contributory infringement with nvidia) to court and demand they release the source code of the peripheral software and installation information under the GPLv2 or a compatible license, or alternately just notify nvidia that their license has been automatically terminated and to give a good reason why the license should be reinstated (unlike the GPLv3, the GPLv2 immediately terminates on infringement).
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     Blender Dumbass ( J.Y.Amihud ) (blenderdumbass@mastodon.online)'s status on Friday, 19-Jul-2024 19:37:16 JST Blender Dumbass ( J.Y.Amihud )

     in reply to

     @Linux4Everyone I heard somebody is trying to make 100% libre GPUs which would be amazing. Though they would probably not run on x86 systems. Only PowerPC and stuff.

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     翠星石 (suiseiseki@freesoftwareextremist.com)'s status on Friday, 19-Jul-2024 19:37:16 JST 翠星石

     in reply to

     • Blender Dumbass ( J.Y.Amihud )
     @blenderdumbass @Linux4Everyone >I heard somebody is trying to make 100% libre GPUs which would be amazing.
     That's not really possible currently.
     
     With a fast enough FGPA that has enough LUTs, you could run a free GPU hardware design with acceptable performance, but currently there is no really fast FGPA that is programmable in freedom - only the iCE40 line is really supported, which is designed more low power consumption over performance, plus there is limited support for some Xilinx FGPAs, but only for C code and not verilog.
     
     It is possible to use nvidia GPUs up to the 700 series in freedom, as nouveau has free peripheral software for those cards - too bad the cards come with a nonfree VBIOS.
     Intel integrated graphics up to a certain point works without any proprietary peripheral software or VBIOS and coreboot has free init+EDID for those.
     coreboot has free init for ASpeed GPUs, unfortunately there is still no EDID support, so you get little better than 480p and I believe no 3D accel - but that seems just to be a driver config issue.
     The radeonsi driver modified to not load proprietary software can make radeon and amd cards show a native resolution framebuffer, but there's still a proprietary VBIOS and there is no 3D accel.
     
     >Though they would probably not run on x86 systems. Only PowerPC and stuff.
     GPUs don't really care about what architecture the CPU runs - only that there's something that can talk its language over the bus.
     
     If a GPU based off a free hardware design was designed to use PCIe, then it'll work in any computer that implements PCIe.
     
     Taking a guess, I presume that graphics processor design is to make part of a PowerPC SoC and therefore is designed around internal SoC wiring for communication - but the design could possibly be modified to use PCIe instead.