Why doesn't nVidia simply open source their Linux drivers? As a hardware company, nVidia is in a very different position from a software company in terms of li

Why doesn't nVidia simply open source their Linux drivers? As a hardware company, nVidia is in a very different position from a software company in terms of licensing strategy. A software company usually can't license its core products as open-source, for the good and simple reason that it would destroy their primary revenue. If you're a hardware company, on the other hand, your drivers are utterly useless to a customer unless they buy your physical product. Hardware drivers should be open-sourced, since they don't provide any revenue. The open-source community will do maintenance and create features, which you don't have to pay for. As the driver improves through their efforts, you will be able to sell more hardware.