[MPlayer-users] NVidia will be bannished

[Alan Wilter Sousa da Silva]

Hi People!

	First, thank you all very much for your attention.  So as I said:
"It's just a commentary ..."
	I beg your pardon if I offend someone, but I can share toughly the
answers in two group: who makes programmes (specially open source), and
who merely uses them.
	I'm in the second since the programme I help to develop is only
for scientific applications (but it's GPL!).
	Perhaps I've been a little bit thoughtless about nVidia.  They
have the best ever made graphic-card and now they're releasing nVidia
chipset, however, should I have to wait for their only (good?) closed
solution?  No way!!!
	To save words, I haven't been specific in some points.  I mean, if
you satisfied with good closed-driver (or software solution) why do you
use GNU/Linux (most much better solution for a lot of applications).  Use
Win2k so! (I use it, and we have PPC - Apple and IBM - here in our Lab
too, also SGI).
	GNU/Linux main objective is fully described at www.gun.org, don't
try to figure out.  If you are a GPL developer you have you own reasons,
but, remember, you accept the GPL terms ...
	What I see in the near future for the closed-software (and
hardware too) is what happen to Apple: wonderful hardware/software, but
expensive and a very low percentage of users.  That's what I see to
Winblows and to any closed-hardware solution, and that's what I mean about
"will be banished".  If nVidia has patent issues? well, it's their
problem, and probably will affect us someday, and I wouldn't be an hostage
of them more than necessary (since I bought a nVidia card).
	I'm not promoting nVidia banishment at all.  Simply I won't buy
nVidia cards for my future Linux box anylonger.  Maybe for Apple or
Winblows box.  I have just one Linux box (the last one at least by now)
running nVidia card and it rocks, but I feel like a sinner as I'll explain
later.
	I'll accept the suggestion to write straightforward to nVidia, but
I think I got my point when I heard many complains about nVidia cards for
GNU/Linux programmers (viz. mplayer developers guys).
	What I don't like is seeing people that uses GNU/Linux and thinks
that's fine to use proprietary solution together as long as no charge.
Maybe it's a question of philosophy but if you use GNU/Linux only because
it's free of charge so the minimum retribution you can give back is to be
loyal to the idea of using only GPL programmes (at least try it, since I'm
not a Saint as Saint IGNUcius :-).  If you don't try to follow the GNU
philosophy you are, at least, giving support to ideas like of nVidia
proprietary driver solution for Linux.
	Perhaps I am just a dreamer, a fool, since everyone here is free
to decide whatever to do with GPL programmes (expect what is specified by
the "copyleft"), but I'm feeling well saying what I say.
	Maybe I'm not so fool believing that nVidia won't last forever but
GNU philosophy will.

Sincerely,
 --
----------------------- Alan Wilter S. da Silva -----------------------
 Laboratório de Física Biológica
  Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho
   Universidade do Brasil/UFRJ
    Rio de Janeiro, Brasil