NVIDIA's Linux Driver Continues Offering Similar OpenGL Performance To Windows

[phoronix]

Phoronix: NVIDIA's Linux Driver Continues Offering Similar OpenGL Performance To Windows

Earlier this month with some fresh Windows vs. Linux benchmarks were numbers showing how the open-source Radeon driver stack is now nearly on-par with the Radeon Windows driver as well as how the Intel Linux graphics performance is getting closer to parity too. In this article are the least interesting numbers: the NVIDIA Linux vs. Windows 10 results.

http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=24792

[sdack]

I always keep reading how the NVidia driver is closed source. Many of the included libraries do come as only a binary, but there are still about 130,000 lines or 4.6MB of readable code in there, which get compiled during the installation.

[bug77]

I always keep reading how the NVidia driver is closed source. Many of the included libraries do come as only a binary, but there are still about 130,000 lines or 4.6MB of readable code in there, which get compiled during the installation.

The complaint is that the code is not open in the sense you can't legally change it and you can't include it in the kernel.
Which is a legit complaint today, but this was really the only way to have a working driver for Linux back when Nvidia's effort started.

[artivision]

Can they just split the code in two pieces like AMD? One open kernel driver with power management and one closed graphics driver? This way we can have a choice between Mesa and Blob. I think that Nvidia doesn't want as to live without their driver and i don't like that kind of control over me. There is no reason to buy Nvidia for Linux today.

[starshipeleven]

I always keep reading how the NVidia driver is closed source. Many of the included libraries do come as only a binary, but there are still about 130,000 lines or 4.6MB of readable code in there, which get compiled during the installation.

That's provided in source form only because of technical reasons, (recompiling it on the host machine with the host's compiler system ensures that it will be compatible with the host's kernel that was also compiled with the same compiler/environment) and in part for legal reasons.

And most of the important stuff is in OS-agnostic libraries, in binary form.

[starshipeleven]

Can they just split the code in two pieces like AMD? One open kernel driver with power management and one closed graphics driver? This way we can have a choice between Mesa and Blob. I think that Nvidia doesn't want as to live without their driver and i don't like that kind of control over me. There is no reason to buy Nvidia for Linux today.

Meh, I'm sure that even if they did they would not release firmwares until the card was like 2 years old or something. NVIDIA is fun like that.

[bug77]

Can they just split the code in two pieces like AMD? One open kernel driver with power management and one closed graphics driver? This way we can have a choice between Mesa and Blob. I think that Nvidia doesn't want as to live without their driver and i don't like that kind of control over me. There is no reason to buy Nvidia for Linux today.

They can't just split the code. They've worked hard to build a unified driver (runs on solaris and bsd as well) and when they did it, Mesa wasn't an option. As such, the driver uses a different and incompatible stack, but in the grand scheme of things it makes sense for Nvidia (because they get to run their hardware on any OS with minimal costs). Nothing to do with control.

[artivision]

They can't just split the code. They've worked hard to build a unified driver (runs on solaris and bsd as well) and when they did it, Mesa wasn't an option. As such, the driver uses a different and incompatible stack, but in the grand scheme of things it makes sense for Nvidia (because they get to run their hardware on any OS with minimal costs). Nothing to do with control.

They can just open their Linux kernel driver part as any other company in the world, Kernel drivers are not unified between OSs. Alternatively they can just release their power management code, imagine for example if Intel Turbo Boost didn't work on Linux. Nvidia is inexcusable and that is not something that just I say but a bigger than me middle finger.

[muncrief]

I was on the verge of getting an Nvidia card but recently tried to set up a few laptops that had incredible, and unsolvable, screen tearing problems. Unfortunately I need both core and compatibility mode OpenGL 4.5 support so my expensive R9 390 has become the most expensive paperweight I've ever purchased, and I really need to get something that works completely under Linux. And wow, actually having a GUI to change an expensive cards settings would also be a plus.

However I'm not sure if the Nvidia screen tearing problems are confined to older or mobile GPUs, and I don't want to throw good money after bad. Does anyone have any personal experience with modern desktop Nvidia GPUs on Linux and Wine?

[mike44]

Oh well there were times when Nvidia was faster on Linux than Windows also mentioned by Valve. Nowadays Nvidia feels slower also for X-Plane on Linux and furthermore crashes once in a while. Something I don't recall 15 years ago while playing doom.
muncrief go for Nvidia. No tearing problems with my GTX1070.