Linus Torvalds Rips Into NVIDIA For Lack of Linux Support

NVIDIA is cringing this one out and there's really not much that can be said about it, beyond what the founder of Linux already has.  In a rather passionate response to a student developer's question about NVIDIA driver support for Linux on her notebook, at a talk at Finland's Aalto Center for Entrepreneurship,  Torvalds absolutely rails on NVIDIA for their sub-par support of the Linux operating system. 

Linus was asked by the student for his perspective on this very frustrating situation she's experiencing with her machine that is comprised of both Intel and NVIDIA graphics cores, the latter of which doesn't play at all very nice with Linux.  Torvalds goes on to explain that NVIDIA is, in his opinion, "the exception rather than the rule" and that NVIDIA specifically is "the single worst company we've ever dealt with."  Torvalds also shares frustration with the fact that the GPU and SoC hardware manufacturer is obviously trying to move as many chips as possible, especially with respect to the booming Android handset and tablet markets, but they can't seem to get out of their own way in support of Linux. Or they won't.  Or both.

What was then even more surprising was that Torvalds actually turns to the camera at one point and flips NVIDIA the bird in a display of frustration and anger that is rarely seen in venues like this, much less coming from the relatively mild-mannered chief architect of the Linux kernel and now holder of the Millennium Technology Prize, (a distinction widely thought of as the "Nobel Prize" of the Tech arena). 

Scan to right around the 48:10 mark to catch the question and Linus' stinging response...
(FYI - R-rated, in case there are delicate ears near by)


Talk about a deep shot to street cred in the open source community, especially with respect to Android.  NVIDIA clearly has some damage control work to do, the likes of which may echo for a long time in one of the market's most vocal, tight-knit group of developers.