Just to add some aspects:
Software can be modified, hardware can't.
hardware can be modified before compilation (before you build it). there is no deference with software. (you can modify a sofware only if you have the source code, you can modify a hardware if you have the shematic)
you can modify compiled software if you dare. Patching is an artform in itself and might include disassembling code to read the 'real stuff'. Most interesting is of course software which modifies itself...
And yes, digital electronics as a subcategory of analogue electronics is easier to understand and work with. You stay usually at the same voltage and skip so many things you normally need to take care. Maybe its my programmer view, I saw electronic engineers who actually got trouble to get into programming and one of the electronic books in my homelibrary, which is really heavy to read for me, trys to calm down the audience during the introduction of microcontrollers, saying programming is not so difficult as it looks :).
when you design a product, the hardware dependent on the software, the software dependent on the hardware. i don't think they are wrong to think drivers is part of the hardware : if nvidia provid free driver, then ATI will exactly know how does the nvidia hardware is made, and they will be able to copy nvidia idea.
I wonder why they are so picky and if it is not possible to create wrappers around their stuff so the competitors can't get to deep into it. To archive this more code must reside in the graphics card which get controlled by an opensource driver, but it should be possible. Of course it still locks in some code but free the driver so you can continue to use the card when they are out of business and the OS of your choice made a major versionjump so all drivers has to be rewritten or at least recompiled.
Cheers,
Malte
Malte Steiner media art + development -www.block4.com-
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