Subject: Re: Tainting the kernel
From: civileme (civileme@mandrakesoft.com)
Date: Thu Jul 11 2002 - 00:30:53 AKDT
On Wednesday 10 July 2002 11:01 pm, Anthony Valentine wrote:
> That is all it means. It won't hurt anything. I've been running nvidia
> drivers for quite some time with no problems.
>
> On Wed, 2002-07-10 at 21:15, Jon Reynolds wrote:
> > I have an nvidia video card and when I try and install it it says:
> >
> > Warning: loading /lib/modules/2.4.18-3/kernel/drivers/video/NVdriver
> > will taint the kernel: non-GPL license - NVIDIA
> >
> > Is this just because it has a non-GPL license and will it hurt anything
> > to install it?
> >
> > Jon
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
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Actually, my test results show that the NVIdia drivers do affect the kernel.
Software RAID with JFS, XFS, Reiserfs, and ext3/ext2 all corrupt within a
week of exercise using the 3d accel drivers from Nvidia.
No corruption is shown in those circumstances using the XFree 2D GPL NVidia
drivers. In otherwise identical tests with KT266A and NForce chipsets, no
corruption with the XFree drivers, but of course no tuxracer or bzflag either.
And if you havent noticed the prize money given out for proof-of-concept
spyware lately, and if you think binary-only drivers wont soon have such a
payload even for linux, then you haven't been following the computer
industry's down turn and the rise of greed.
It is a VERY BAD THING to put binary-only drivers into the kernel. There is
NO WAY you can prove it is not harmful without becoming outlaw, and maybe not
even then.
That is what the taint message means.
Civileme
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2a23 : Thu Jul 11 2002 - 00:30:57 AKDT