Why Linux Device Support Isn't Perfect--And That's Okay

by Sam Dean - Jul. 30, 2010Comments (6)

Has hardware compatibility for Linux become comparable to compatibility for Windows and the Mac OS? Most people familiar with all three operating systems would probably say no, but there are definitely far fewer hardware compatibility problems with Linux than there used to be. ZDNet U.K. has an interesting exploration posted on how drivers are created for Windows vs. how they arrive for Linux. One big point that jumps out of the post is simply that Microsoft has the luxury of testing for hardware compatibility during long beta cycles. Would Linux distributions be better off working on that model?

As ZDNet U.K. notes, with regard to how hardware compatibility tends to arrive for Linux:

"You have to consider the order of events of hardware and software. The hardware comes out first, then software is modified to adapt to the hardware. If you run out and buy the latest and greatest hardware, there's a good chance that there will be something that isn't supported by the current version of the Linux kernel. However, it doesn't take long for the kernel development teams to eventually implement drivers into the kernel. With Windows, it is more prevalent and the manufacturer of the hardware devices try to ensure drivers are available for Windows customers to download and use, around the same time the hardware is released."

Years ago, in fact, Microsoft went on one of the biggest hardware compatibility crusades ever when it began widespread testing for its initial "Plug-and-play" initiative. Basically, anyone with hardware that was supposed to be taken seriously needed to work with Microsoft to deliver drivers.

Over time, Linux distributions have amassed impressive driver libraries and the benefit of having them in place is huge. For example, Google's Chrome OS inherited some libraries from the folks at Canonical and Ubuntu, which undoubtedly saved Google time as it started developing its first computer-centric operating system.

Should the Linux driver model mimic the Windows model, though, where multi-year beta tests ensure compatibility with almost everything? That would probably curtail one of the primary advantages of Linux: how frequently updates and revisions arrive. Let's not forget that many years passed between Microsoft's Vista and Windows 7 operating systems. Linux distros such as Ubuntu improved radically over that time. That's why, even if it is frustrating to run into an incompatibility with your favorite flavor of Linux, it's worth thanking your lucky stars that rapid-fire revisions keep Linux useful and interesting.

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by an anonymous user on Jul. 30, 2010

It's always been a mystery to me why device manufacturers do not consider it part of the cost of doing business to have their drivers for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux up to date. I guess it's like selling printers without USB cables; as long as you can get the customer to take the device home, the customer will do almost anything to avoid returning it.

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by an anonymous user on Jul. 30, 2010

I still wish old isa fax modems had support :( for my P3 box lubuntu 10.04

need some deb's. I tried isapnptools didn't work

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by CMD on Jul. 30, 2010

Well with Ubuntu in a way it is like that you get the LTS versions which are the (usually) stable versions with the intermediary versions for testing.

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by Jousup smith on Jul. 31, 2010

I don't agree with above blog title . I know Linux is most popular window operating device. And I must say that,Most people familiar with all three operating systems would probably say no, but there are definitely far fewer hardware compatibility problems with Linux than there used to be.

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by an anonymous user on Aug. 03, 2010

I've just spend over a week trying to get Linux running on my desktop and still have not found a Linux distribution that can handle it. I have a machine that runs a standard Intel processor with i686 instruction set and I have 2 G RAM. However, I also have a hot-swappable internal hard drives with both ATA and SATA supported and no mouse, just a USB touchpad. I've tried half a dozen major Linux distributions and spent a day trying to get grub working with Slackware. So far, nothing's working. Windows XP runs on the machine out of the box and all drivers are available with Windows or on the CDs that come with the hardware. I spent months trying to get an Open Source operating system running on my older laptop as well. It also had hardware issues and the Open Source operating systems don't support the machine's hardware as well as Windows did. The machine runs, but there is no Internet connection on it now. Response time using Linux on the machine is not as good on Windows and the only way I could make it useable for responsiveness was to run FreeBSD not Linux. I wanted to update my audio card on one of my machines to one of the latest firewire or USB devices. I've searched for lists of compatible audio hardware and asked at several Open Source os forums, but I've yet to hear from anyone who can tell me a particular piece of audio hardware that meets the specifications I need and will work with Linux or BSD. I'm finding the hardware situation incredibly frustrating.

As to frequent updates being an advantage for Linux, that depends on the user. If you have no Internet access (like with my laptop) or slow Internet access, then it is a disadvantage. I would personally prefer to update by DVD every year or so, like you might with a server. If I need a program updated immediately, I can recompile it myself from source. I personally see frequent updates as a disadvantage in my case. I use Open Source software almost exclusively and would like to use an Open Source OS. I've spent months attempting to switch to Open Source operating systems on my machines, but for the amount of time it's taking just to install and then to keep up with necessary updates, I'm beginning to think it doesn't pay. I certainly wish there was a better Open Source operating system solution for users in situations like mine.

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by Calvin on Aug. 04, 2010

I think that linux is good option but the problem is that sometimes it becomes problematic when we are not able to install it properly on our end.

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