Torvalds blasts Nvidia over Linux support, gives them the middle finger during speech

Leeky

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Linus Torvalds, the driving force behind the Linux kernel, used a recent question and answer session hosted at the end of a speech at the Aalto Center for Entrepreneurship in Otaniemi, Finland to air his thoughts on Nvidia and its lack of Linux GPU driver support, leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination.

Update: Nvidia has responded to Linus' complaints over graphics support in Linux.

While taking questions from the audience, around the 48-minute mark in the video below, a woman explained the problems she had getting her laptop's Nvidia Optimus GPU to correctly work under Linux.  "I was expecting that Nvidia would kind of chip in and do something [but] they said flat out 'no' they're not doing any support."

Asked what his thoughts on the matter were, Torvalds responded: "Nvidia has been one of the worst trouble spots we've had with hardware manufacturers. And that's really sad because Nvidia tries to sell a lot of chips into the Android market. And Nvidia has been the single worst company we've ever dealt with."

However, Torvalds -- who has a history of speaking his mind -- didn't stop at that. "So, Nvidia, f*** you," he stated whilst gesturing with his middle finger to the camera, much to the applause of the audience. "I think it's really sad when you sell hardware and use Linux and you are being really difficult about it. Don't get me wrong I'm not saying that other companies are perfect either."

His point is in reference to Nvidia's Tegra line, which runs on the Linux-based Android OS. Nvidia announced back in March that it would begin open-source support for Linux, but Torvalds' comments on Thursday would suggest things have improved little despite the public commitment to changing the situation.

Prior to this, the company had been so unwilling to provide assistance that the Linux community reverse-engineering its GPU drivers to provide an open source alternative that was less buggy for users of the OS.

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Oh my! Very nice to see someone in a position of power tell us what they think w/o all that nasty political correctivness we have been forced to deal with. I say if your easily offended by sailor speak and gestures, you need to go back to your school marm life in the 1890s lol.
Its also good to see that finally some issues and concerns are being addressed. Cant wait to hear the other companies response.
 
The title confused me for a sec. I thought nvidia actually supports Linux now. Come to find out...they don't...
 
nVidia had supported Linux in the past, it seems to be a recent change in their policies though.

Oddly enough, I believe AMD is now supporting Linux and it should work with Enduro.
 
Also forgot to mention:

Way to stick it to nVidia Linus!! I felt like doing the same thing, I just don't have the public eye or theirs and I'm glad you did!
 
It's fun to watch linux users complain. Your using open source software, something not being paid for and they have the nerve to conplain when they don't get support... Give me a break. Cool story bro comes to mind.
 
The title confused me for a sec. I thought nvidia actually supports Linux now. Come to find out...they don't...
Nvidia do have Linux support - better/more mature in fact than AMD and Intel as a general rule. The difference is that Nvidia design/write their own proprietry driver, whereas AMD and Intel liaise with the open source community. Given the respective end products, the maxim of a camel being a horse designed by committee comes to mind.

As for Torvalds going off the deep end...well, hardly surprising given that the guy loves grandstanding.
Torvalds rants against OpenSUSE
Torvalds rant re: Linux DRM
Torvalds rants against C++
Linus Torvalds modus operandi is basically centred around foot-stamping and the internet sound-bite- I think that's been the case since back in his Transmeta days.
 
Eff off buddy. They do not need to support you and obviously by your attitude they shouldn't. Linux isn't popular enough for them to NEED to support it.
It's like going to an apple store and demanding they fix your non-apple PC. They will refuse you outright because they have no obligation, even if you tell them "f*** you" :p

If you're running linux, go find your own solution like almost everything else....
 
They do not need to support you and obviously by your attitude they shouldn't. Linux isn't popular enough for them to NEED to support it.
You obviously think Linux can operate without graphical drivers. Just how exactly do you think Linux will gain popularity without graphical drivers? All that foul language and your post still doesn't make any since.
 
I'd just like to say that if I pay $300 for an nVidia graphics card and want to use linux, they should effing support linux. Their support for linux is even more confusing when you think about how many tegra processors are in Andriod devices, a linux based operating system. I wonder how many people watched the whole thing, if at all. Sure, Linus hating nVidia makes for a great headline but there is actually much more important and interesting things in the video.

Towards the end of the video Linus said, "I like offending people because I think people who get offended should be offended." Obviously all the people hating on linux because of what Linus said are making him very happy right now. Go watch the video, it's insightful from all aspects of computing regardless of OS.
 
I'd just like to say that if I pay $300 for an nVidia graphics card and want to use linux, they should effing support linux.
They do. You seem to be missing the point. What Linus is railing about is the fact that Nvidia write their drivers and don't allow third parties access to them (I.e. they remain proprietry)...and, judging by recent experience, I'm not so sure that the supposed co-operation between IHV and open source community is a great advertisement tbh.
 
I'd just like to say that if I pay $300 for an nVidia graphics card and want to use linux, they should effing support linux.
They do. You seem to be missing the point. What Linus is railing about is the fact that Nvidia write their drivers and don't allow third parties access to them (I.e. they remain proprietry)...and, judging by recent experience, I'm not so sure that the supposed co-operation between IHV and open source community is a great advertisement tbh.

You obviously missed my point
 
The coolest part about this is that Techspot has posted a picture of a person flippin the bird faced directly at the camera/viewer right on their front page for hours. Nice!
 
You obviously missed my point
Not in the least. Your point(s):
if I pay $300 for an nVidia graphics card and want to use linux, they should effing support linux
Please list any features not available to Linux users when using a GF card...and no, the dumba$s question the girl put forward doesn't count, since it's obvious to virtually anyone with a rudimentary technical knowledge/ 60 second Google search, that Optimus is only available to Win7/8 users - Nvidia aren't even back engineering for XP and Vista, yet the girl expects a Linux port **cough*setup*cough** :eek: (which Nvidia are already on record as saying won't happen...back in October 2010 )...I'm guessing she makes her hardware choices based on what colour the power LED is if she isn't aware of a decision made a year and a half ago
Towards the end of the video Linus said, "I like offending people because I think people who get offended should be offended." Obviously all the people hating on linux because of what Linus said are making him very happy right now
As I noted before. Linus is a master of self promotion and using the media. "all the people hating" ! If hate = meh, then you're right- otherwise it's just a marginal consumer use demographic. Maybe Tegra changes that, but for all the ranting (much devalued by Linus' continued use of the method) it still looks more like Linus trying to keep himself relevant/in the public eye- as is usually the case.

Anyhow, I look forward to your list of Nvidia driver features denied Linux users
 
@dividebyzero, you still obviously missed my point. There were people in the comments section saying that nVidia shouldn't support linux for the most part "just because." I was referring to those people.

That "******* question the girl put forward" is a perfectly valid question. If winning an argument on the internet is so important to you that you have to disregard valid information, be my guest. To expand on what she said, she had the laptop before nVidia came out and said that. She was complaining about the lack of dual GPU driver support for linux, not the overall lack of support.

However, it is nice of someone to actually watch the video before commenting. I like how you had to go watch the video to see what I was talking about just to argue with me. Was it an hour well spent or did you just skip around to find the part where she said that?
 
I honestly don't give a crap unless I can use Compiz.
Travolds has always been doing that. GNOME is an unforgetable example.
 
Hahaha, I like you guys.you tell the truth...... but seriously if Linux need to be in competition Linux need sponsor.
 
@dividebyzero, you still obviously missed my point. There were people in the comments section saying that nVidia shouldn't support linux for the most part "just because." I was referring to those people
Fair enough, but those people comprised hahanoobs and a guest. Hardly the prevailing attitude.
That "******* question the girl put forward" is a perfectly valid question. If winning an argument on the internet is so important to you that you have to disregard valid information, be my guest. To expand on what she said, she had the laptop before nVidia came out and said that. She was complaining about the lack of dual GPU driver support for linux, not the overall lack of support.
Firstly, she wasn't complaining about dual graphics, she was complaining about switchable graphics.
Secondly, the 2-year old puchase is a straw man argument. Nvidia made it fairly clear prior to Optimus's launch that Win7/8 and Apple OS's would only be supported (a fact widely reported in Febuary 2010...which by the way is near two and a half years ago) - the reasoning behind the decision is also included in the link.
If she's disappointed that Linux doesn't rate high enough to warrant a driver re-write, then again, fair enough. But you using the two year timeline makes no sense, she should have been aware of the limitations of the tech prior to purchase.
However, it is nice of someone to actually watch the video before commenting. I like how you had to go watch the video to see what I was talking about just to argue with me. Was it an hour well spent or did you just skip around to find the part where she said that?
Nah. Saw it on The Reg yesterday, and unlike some, I log on and off depending on work schedule....but predictable use of an OT final paragraph. What next -a full detour into an ad hominem diatribe ?
 
If you want your OS supported, cursing at the hardware company and telling them where to go isn't the way to go about it. Very immature.
 
Fair enough, but those people comprised hahanoobs and a guest. Hardly the prevailing attitude.

Firstly, she wasn't complaining about dual graphics, she was complaining about switchable graphics.
Secondly, the 2-year old puchase is a straw man argument. Nvidia made it fairly clear prior to Optimus's launch that Win7/8 and Apple OS's would only be supported (a fact widely reported in Febuary 2010...which by the way is near two and a half years ago) - the reasoning behind the decision is also included in the link.
If she's disappointed that Linux doesn't rate high enough to warrant a driver re-write, then again, fair enough. But you using the two year timeline makes no sense, she should have been aware of the limitations of the tech prior to purchase.

Nah. Saw it on The Reg yesterday, and unlike some, I log on and off depending on work schedule....but predictable use of an OT final paragraph. What next -a full detour into an ad hominem diatribe ?

everything you said was a straw-man argument. I wasn't even talking about the girl until you brought her up. Everything you've said was based off of that.

You seem to be missing the point. What Linus is railing about is the fact that Nvidia write their drivers and don't allow third parties access to them (I.e. they remain proprietry)...and, judging by recent experience, I'm not so sure that the supposed co-operation between IHV and open source community is a great advertisement tbh.
straw-man

Anyhow, I look forward to your list of Nvidia driver features denied Linux users
Straw man

Nah. Saw it on The Reg yesterday, and unlike some, I log on and off depending on work schedule
I don't care were you saw it or when, you're just a person arguing with me on the internet.

but predictable use of an OT final paragraph. What next -a full detour into an ad hominem diatribe?
ad hominem
 
They do not need to support you and obviously by your attitude they shouldn't. Linux isn't popular enough for them to NEED to support it.
You obviously think Linux can operate without graphical drivers. Just how exactly do you think Linux will gain popularity without graphical drivers? All that foul language and your post still doesn't make any since.
I never said that. They haven't been fully supported before, why does it matter to the linux community now? They have been getting by without proper drivers for decades.
Obviously you didn't understand my post if you are going to complain that it doesn't make sense...
 
Google should just go into the video card making business and really throw a monkey wrench into the works >:D
 
"why does it
matter to the linux community now?
They have been getting by without
proper drivers for decades."- m4a4

This is the reason why Linus used the "F " word in the first place. Though I am really happy he literally used those words but it was very unprofessional on his part and for the image of the community as a whole.
 
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