Is making work hardware in linux too difficult ?

[frenchn00b]

Is making work hardware in linux too difficult ?

[NightwishFan]

From my experience, no it is simple. If you are lucky enough to have supported hardware. (You likely are).

Post your specs.

[gn2]

Sometimes it's easier to buy replacement hardware that works rather than spending hours of frustration trying to get it to work.

[Jay Jay]

Does this mean that if your problems are related to laptop hardware you might as well throw in the towel? (because that's what I'm personally pondering).

[Scarath]

No. 99% of the time there is a solution that can be easily found using google ... people just dont search long enough/well enough or at all!!!

In some ways this forum is a little too forgiving of people that dont google their hardware issues first but ... anyway No.

[bruce89]

Damn sight better than Windows and the "install, reboot, repeat" mantra.

[scottro]

Thanks, in large part, to Ubuntu and its popularity, it's becoming a bit easier.
For example, as we all know, you can buy a Dell with Ubuntu supported.

[wersdaluv]

It depends on your hardware. Some work so well out of the box while some are just so hard to fix. :)

[Bezmotivnik]

Does this mean that if your problems are related to laptop hardware you might as well throw in the towel? (because that's what I'm personally pondering).
I did.

[tigerpants]

Is making work hardware in linux too difficult ?

I've had more problems getting hardware to work in WinXP than I have with Ubuntu.

[Bezmotivnik]

No. 99% of the time there is a solution that can be easily found using google ... people just dont search long enough/well enough or at all!!!
With respect, that's utter and complete nonsense.

99%? I'd say only 20% of my hardware problems were ever solved via extensive searching over weeks.

Face it: A lot of hardware just isn't supported or its drivers aren't adequately developed for reliable use, and there's nothing you can do about it. End of story.

[Jay Jay]

With respect, that's utter and complete nonsense.

99%? I'd say only 20% of my hardware problems were ever solved via extensive searching over weeks.

Face it: A lot of hardware just isn't supported or its drivers aren't adequately developed for reliable use, and there's nothing you can do about it. End of story.

I agree, I've been asking, googling, searching and researching from Summer 2007 to the present without any solution to my major hardware problems. I've reached the stage where I'd even pay out of my own pocket If It meant my gear would work properly.

[jrusso2]

If you have a device that does not work out of the box it easier to get a new device if possible that works rather then trying to find and compile and get a driver working on Linux.

I wish there was a way to make driver installation easier like in Windows, but I believe the problem has to do with the fact that Linux uses a macro kernel.

[red_Marvin]

Hardware that works well with linux often work very well.

Then there's hardware that doesn't work out of the box but can be installed with a howto, it might require compiling this or that but most howtos say exactly what to do and when to do it.

And of course there's hardware that simply doesn't work with linux, because the manufacturer hasn't felt the need to develop linux drivers, and the hardware is too proprietary/uncommon for a free hacker/developer to prioritize it.

[Jay Jay]

If you have a device that does not work out of the box it easier to get a new device if possible that works rather then trying to find and compile and get a driver working on Linux.

I wish there was a way to make driver installation easier like in Windows, but I believe the problem has to do with the fact that Linux uses a macro kernel.

Yes, you're right and I've done that in past where I replaced peripherals that would never work under Linux or where too much grief was involved to make it happen. However in this instance, getting new devices would entail either replacing three machines or accepting that I'll be stuck with using Windows on them.

I realise that attempts at hardware compatibility by Linux developers are hampered by resources, the confidential propriety agreements between MS and manufacturers etc but It's still frustrating when your trying to escape Windows.

[scottro]

I believe that the problem is that manufacturers, as a rule, don't consider it worth their trouble to make Linux drivers. I have this fantasy of one large laptop maker or another, calling Atheros.

"Hi, we're going to have to cancel that order of wireless cards. Why? Oh, I have about 2,000 letters from Linux users on my desk, telling me why they didn't buy our product......"

"Yes, I understand that providing drivers might hurt your business. That's why Intel is doing so badly I guess...."

"Well, yes, that was sarcastic...."

'Sure, your card is cheaper. However, 2,000 people, at least, decided to buy a Linux compatible one... at $600 for these lowend laptops, that's over a million dollars I lost."

Perhaps, if EVERYONE who didn't buy a laptop because its wireless or whatever was known to be problematic with Linux, wrote the manufacturer (politely) via snail mail with letters to the effect of, "Nice laptop, but the $50 dollars I save by buying yours will be offset by the hours I saved buying thi one with Linux compatible hardware," they might start changing. There's a lot of Linux users in the world. It seems, (taking a quick look at specs, I am NOT positive about this, and it might be wrong) that Dell seemed to charge a bit more for the Linux compatible laptops--however, I also noticed they seemed to have a different wireless card.

To answer one other point above, yes, I agree--often it is simply not possible to get any reasonable performance out of hardware, or you will be limited by it.

Right now, even Ubuntu, which has made enormous strides in creating a desktop Linux, is still unable, in many cases to do the very basic wireless out of the box support. That's a problem.

On the other hand, my wife mentioned that her girlfriend is buying a computer and wondered should she get Toshiba or Sony. I shrugged, saying, she should get the one she likes best, but why was she getting rid of her Mac.
Well, answered my wife, because most of her email correspondence is with people in Korea and they all use WIndows or Linux.

I found it interesting that her friend, who is completely computer illiterate, had even heard of Linux.

It's changing, but the day isn't here yet.

[forrestcupp]

The key is that if you know you're going to be running Linux when you buy your hardware, then you're crazy if you don't do your homework first. Buy stuff that just works, and you won't have any headaches.

But if you bought your hardware before you knew you were going to use Linux, yes it may be hard, but usually you can find answers.

But I guarantee that it is a lot easier to set a Linux OS up on stubborn hardware than it is to set up OS X on non-Apple hardware.

[aysiu]

I'd say "Yes." If your hardware isn't immediately working upon install, it probably is too difficult. Fortunately, in many cases, your hardware will be recognized immediately upon install.

In all fairness, it's difficult to get hardware working in Windows, as well... if you don't happen to have the drivers for the yellow question marks the hardware manager gives you.

If you're worried about hardware difficulties, buy preinstalled.

[scottro]

As far as Apple goes, I believe that it's also illegal to try to get their software to work on non-Apple hardware.

I believe their moral logic is that they are selling a hardware/software combination, but they are not even agreeing, last I heard, to allow you to run Apple Virtual Machines unless you are running it on Apple hardware.

I also believe (I could be wrong on this one) that for a little while, MS did the same thing, saying that you could only run a Vista Virtual Machine on a host that was running Windows (or possibly Mac--the idea was, they didn't want it being run on machines running Linux and the like.) However, there was apparently a great deal of complaint about it and they rescinded that requirement.

Note that the above is hearsay--not being all that interested, I didn't deeply research this, it's more along the lines of, "I read it somewhere on the Internet, so it must be true." :)

Anyway, I digress. As was said, if you know you're going to be running Linux, do your homework. I did, and found that the computer I chose, an Acer 4720z had been sold in Asia running Linux. What I didn't find out till I bought it was that they used different wireless cards there. :) Oh well. (With research, I got everything working in this case, though I was saying bad things about both Acer and Atheros, maker of the wireless card, under my breath.

I may have even accused them of being doody heads.

[prizrak]

This is a difficult question as there are different levels of working hardware. For instance my Bluetooth adapter is recognized and automatically installed and configured by Ubuntu. However in order to get even the basic stereo audio working I have to jump through a few hoops. In cases of BT DUN over my Blackberry I have yet to find a good how to on getting it working. It's a similar scenario with my Wacom Tablet, it is recognized and setup properly. However there is no calibration software and as a result the pointer doesn't follow the stylus all the way to the edge.

I would suggest doing specific research on whatever hardware you happen to have lying around and also see if w/e is incompatible is a cheap/easy replacement. Wi-Fi cards tend to be pretty easily replaced, motherboards not so much :)

[emshains]

Well i had an yee oldy 500mhz P3 with a GeForce 2 Pro, or something like that. And in the end i havent achieved my goal of making the card work up to its full potencial.

Now i have an Sempron 2400+ with a 7300gt and everything worked out of the box.

In my opinion it really depends on the hardware you have.If you are a linux user you will chek before upgrade/buy a part for a pc.