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Nvidia bans using translation layers for CUDA software (www.tomshardware.com)

submitted 8 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] -2 points 8 months ago (13 children)

I read the article, and a few points stuck out to me:

This has been a restriction since 2021; now it’s documented in the files and not just the online EULA (ie consistent)
This is a protection to disallow other companies like Intel and AMD from profiting off of Nvidia’s work
Nothing is stopping anybody from porting the software to other hardware, eg

Recompiling existing CUDA programs remains perfectly legal. To simplify this, both AMD and Intel have tools to port CUDA programs to their ROCm (1) and OpenAPI platforms, respectively.

I’m all for piracy and personal freedoms, but it doesn’t seem to be what this is about. It’s about combating other companies profiting off Nvidia’s work. Companies should be able to fight back against other companies (or countries).

I mean it’s not like Nvidia is unreasonably suing open-source projects into oblivion or anything, or subpoenaing websites for user data; at least, not yet.

[–] [email protected] 52 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (7 children)

Their motive is likely more profit but the result is an unjust restriction on user software freedom. It doesn't matter if they make less money, maximising profit is not why we grant them copyright. Nvidia is often unreasonable, fuck off Nvidia.

[+] [email protected] -12 points 8 months ago (6 children)

maximising profit is not why we grant them copyright

That’s the only reason copyright exists. Because society decided that if you’re the one to put work into developing something, you should be the one reaping the profits, at least for some time.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

Society in general has not granted this, it was corrupt lawmakers. Notice the distinction of maximizing profits, no one says no profits should be had at all. But I'm pretty sure most of the people don't want companies to literally hold back progress of a whole field, of humanity in general just so their profits can be maximized. It's only the ones directly benefitting from this that would want this, or if you're brainwashed by those parties, otherwise you're just against your own best interests (and of the rest of humanity) which is irrational.