Fedora Users — Re: NVIDIA driver *taints* kernel???

This issue (IMO) is a very delicate one (despite the taint)... simply because to some people it will give them the creeps to think of having a single piece of proprietary software in their systems... I'm not against proprietary (if by that we understand comercial too) software on my system, as long as it gets the job done. Sure I'd rather use free software (free as in freedom) than proprietary. Still the Open Source model is generating a shift in people's perception of how software could be developed, delivered, deployed and more importantly used. In this regard in particular, besides being one of the areas where Linux needs more support, mainly from the manufacturers and possibly vendors to broaden hardware support, consumer hardware at that, and whether we like it or not, 3D graphics cards fall into this category (from low2mid range) because often lower-end graphics solutions from the leading companies rely on virtually the same hardware as their top notch top-of-the line products counterparts (G6600/X600). The way I see it, companies have two options: a) Either they provide the drivers themselves (which has been the case for 3D graphics cards from nVidia and ATi, heck even Matrox) or b) they provide as much information as they can (without violating any treatees they could have with third party technology providers... S3TC, anyone?) so the community could write pure Open Sourced drivers which will obviously lack both: features and performance. These two later "side-effects" may not be a problem for those users to whom proprietary, closed-sourced software gives them goosebumps, but may lure away from Linux users who are willing to consider the system as their primary OS. I could not say for sure, but I estimate that a great deal (most?) of the home desktop owners also at some point do some gaming (which would justify at least support for the low2medium range products), where as on corporate desktops that would not be of any relevance, and full 2D power may still be required.

Sadly, in the way our society has been modeled, mass success and pedantic purity are mutually exclusive (refering to pure OSS and mass addoption)... For some even the price appeal of OSS is not enough to make the switch, if they're not assured that they will still be able to use their computer as they are used to... It is difficult to keep everyone happy... and in that regard Linux and the broad range of distributions is a belssing.

My 2¢