Warren Samples wrote:
Richmond, you must be aware that there are all kinds of hardware
compatibility issues one has to consider when contemplating putting
Linux on any computer.
Very true, Linux has to work harder than OS X or Windows because very
few hardware vendors design their systems specifically for it.
Ironically, the most challenging OS install I ever attempted was trying
to load a stock off-the-shelf copy of Vista onto a Dell Vostro 1400.
That Vostro originally shipped with Vista, but I bought it second-hand
and the seller didn't have the restore disk.
Ah, the restore disk. It's so easy to forget that manufacturers preload
their restore disks with all the special drivers their components will
need.
I've come to find that I'm not alone in having issues trying to use a
stock Win CD on a PC. Without the special drivers for that particular
machine, it's a real gamble.
Given the combinatorial explosion of possible components, it's quite a
marvel that Linux installs on a majority of computers flawlessly.
Even if some systems may require an additional download of a driver,
it's safe to say that at least Ubuntu, Mint, and other major distros run
out of the box on a much wider range of hardware than either OS X or
Windows.
It is also true that some of these issues have
resulted in hostility directed at hardware vendors who aren't seen as
friendly enough to the open-source community.
Hostility is of course inappropriate, but by no means OS-specific.
Those of us who've been with the Mac for decades remember how vendors
who stopped supporting Mac in the '90s were treated. Fanboys come in
all stripes.
Fortunately the only widespread disappointment with hardware in Linux
lately has been with NVidia's Optimus technology, and at along last
they've decided to support that on Linux:
<http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/261874/coming_soon_to_linux_nvidia_optimus_graphics_support.html>
Given the prevalence of Optimus on modern PCs, now that NVidia is
supporting it on Linux we can expect the vendor hostility count to drop
by more than half. :)
--
Richard Gaskin
Fourth World
LiveCode training and consulting: http://www.fourthworld.com
Webzine for LiveCode developers: http://www.LiveCodeJournal.com
Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/FourthWorldSys
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