Nvidia Removed Linux Driver Feature For Feature Parity With Windows 237
RemyBR writes "Softpedia points to a Nvidia Developer Zone forum post revealing that the company has removed a specific Linux feature as of the v310 drivers due to the Windows platform. A BaseMosaic user on Ubuntu 12.04 noticed a change in the number of displays that can be used simultaneously after upgrading from the v295 drivers to v310. Another user, apparently working for Nvidia, gave a very troubling answer: 'For feature parity between Windows and Linux we set BaseMosaic to 3 screens.'"
Re:Thus: (Score:0, Interesting)
And people thought Nvidia focusing on Linux drivers because of Steam Box was only going to be beneficial. Be careful what you wish for...
SteamOS (Score:4, Interesting)
I wonder how this will affect SteamOS, since the Steam Machines are nvidia based. Maybe Valve will start throwing their weight around to get nvidia to offer better Linux support?
Removing feature for parity with another platform? (Score:5, Interesting)
Directly quoting someone from that thread because this was exactly what I was thinking of.
not the first time they remove features. (Score:5, Interesting)
They removed basic customizable anaglyph support from both after I detailed how you could hack 3D support into Left 4 Dead and other games.
And I'm still an Nvidia fanboy.
They still dont get it (Score:4, Interesting)
Re: SteamOS (Score:5, Interesting)
A new law (Score:5, Interesting)
For any people with free time, how about starting a PAC to get a new law passed that would require hardware manufacturers to provide full specifications of their products to consumers in a standardized format? It could be used not only for open source developers (rights of the consumer to use purchased gear as he or she sees fit) but also could be used to guarantee and verify all provided functions and that there aren't any additional spyware functions included. Conceivably it could be used in a software / firmware binary verification program too.
My AMD cards work fine. (Score:0, Interesting)
Just throwing it out there.
I've watched nvidia screw over linux users and treat them like second class citizens one too many times, only to have AMD step up and offer support and features nvidia said they had 'no plans to offer' which are then countered by nvidia in order to compete with AMD.
I know there was a period of time where ATI had a buggy product, but from my pov concerning my 3 nvidia cards, those days are gone, everything works fine for me.
Stop the madness, dump nvidia, buy AMD, problem solved. Fuck you nvidia.
There is a Fix for This (Score:5, Interesting)
1.) Go to the Nvidia site and search for 'Linux' and then surf all the linux related
pages on thier site.
2.) Send an email to technical support and ask why you can no longer use all the monitors on your desktop.
3.) Buy an AMD/ATI card , send them an email to let them know why. Let AMD know you are using Linux and why.
4.) Send your old Nvidia card to Nvidia head office for RMA in protest by mail. (Write it off)
Re:Thus: (Score:3, Interesting)
This is not a quote. It is an implication; that behind closed doors, between vendors, there is an "arrangement" MS requires, and if they refuse to comply --- MS has the stick of refusing logo certification to their product ---- if nVidia doesn't get the Windows Logo; then neither do any of the hardware builders or OEMs using nVidia components; therefore, they are likely to ship someone else's hardware instead, so they can get the logo.
Some of the Logo certification requirements [microsoft.com]
As for multiple monitors with SLI Mosaic.... remember what that is?
Multiple real GPUs responsible for all the various monitors, presented to the operating system as one Logical GPU; so, the OS interacts with one GPU, but the responsibility for the display changes between GPUs.....
What do the WHQL requirements say? Well, nVidia needs an exception. How likely is MS to grant the exception to their requirements to their business partner, if/when they learn nVidia has provided better Linux support than Windows support, when the feature is used?
Re:Good to know... (Score:2, Interesting)
For non-Quadro cards, there is little pyramid shaped box that connects to a USB port. The communications protocol has been reverse-engineered for Linux compatibiity by many projects (libnvstusb and http://users.csc.calpoly.edu/~zwood/teaching/csc572/final11/rsomers/ [calpoly.edu])