Open Linux Kernel Modules Installed by Default Starting in the release 560 series, it will be recommended to use the open flavor of NVIDIA Linux Kernel Modules wherever possible (Turing or later GPUs, or Ada or later when using GPU virtualization). If installing from the .run file, installation will detect what GPUs are present and default to installing the open kernel modules if all NVIDIA GPUs in the system can be driven by the open kernel modules. Distribution-specific repackaging of the...
It’s the part that can legally be distributed with Linux distributions (including in-car OS) due the kernel’s license. The actual functionality is in the proprietary user space driver
The headline is misleading. It’s only about the kernel module. The driver itself will stay proprietary.
Is this actually good or is it just performative PR?
It’s the legally required minimum to ship cars with Nvidia hardware and an embedded Linux OS.
But this is the part where being open source is most important. For security, maintainability and convenience reasons
One could even argue if the usespace part, the OpenGl or Vulkan implementation, is still ‘a driver’. (I think it is, at least partially)
It’s the part that can legally be distributed with Linux distributions (including in-car OS) due the kernel’s license. The actual functionality is in the proprietary user space driver