Author: Stephen Davies Date: To: hampshire Subject: Re: [Hampshire] pcworld southampton & linux
Quote from john Eayrs
I can load a new bit of hardware and drivers on windows with no problem. A
piece of hard ware for linux well thats a search on the Internet to find out
if its is compatible and how to get it to install.
End quote
Well, on the other hand, I don't have to mess about for hours with Linux when I connect up a Canon EIDE60 scanner and a Nikon Coolscan 4000 at the same time (both USB drives)
On Windows, the Canon driver assumes that you are never doing to use any other device on that copy of Windows. Without deleting the multitude of files by hand you ain't going to get the Nikon (or any other Scanner for that matter to work). Windows + Canon Scanner software === Defective by Design.
Then there is printing... The Epson 2100 driver for Windows won't let me configure a custom paper size for a 5ftx8in panorama despite the paper being one of those produced by Epson themselves.. Move the file to Linux, connect up the printer and a few screens leater & CUPS is configures and I was able to print it without problem.
I could go on but I think you get the point.
As far a Linux goes, these days the only issues I see with Hardware Compatability is Wireless. We all know bout Broadcom but these days, if you look in 'dmesg' you see the link needed to get the Firmware so that is a less on an issue. Now the only crap driver I have to deal with is for a Realtek Wireless chip on my MSI Wind but that is solvable.
Obviously, your experience might well be different but IMHO, hardware detection & support in Linux is FAR FAR better than for Windows especially with the lack of support for many 4 yr old devices in Vista & Windows 7.
