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by code0
5952 days ago
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We should be glad that open source (Linux/Ubuntu) works when it does. Its such a curious case that its expected of Linux to support all myriad kinds of hardware systems. Its the responsibility of the hardware vendor to provide the drivers, not the hackers who labor hard to reverse engineer the specs when the vendors even refuses to publish how the hardware works. Few vendors really care about Linux. On the other hand, Windows has it really easy. Before the release of a new version, vendors work their asses off with Microsoft to ensure that before the OS reaches market, their drivers are already up to date. Apple has to care about only one piece of hardware which is manufactured by them (leaving peripherals of course).
We should be just glad that it works when it does. Those who work to make it work, work hard.
Disclaimer: On my Lenovo laptop, today, every single device works now on Ubuntu 9.04 from the card reader to webcam. It didn't always. |
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It really is impressive that things work as well as they do, but OTOH, if Ubuntu is really going to be "desktop ready" then it has to support modern hardware.
I attempted an install of Ubuntu 9.10 on an HP box with a Dell LCD monitor and an nVidia graphics card, and though it started out OK, the screen eventually went black. Turns out there was no workable default video driver in place to allow even crude graphics. Even the text/low-res installation options failed.
I did finally get it running (assorted usage of virtual terminals and ftp'ing of driver), but hibernation and suspend still don't work. And gnome-terminal has acquired some bug where it never warns you if you're closing multiple tabs.
Maybe this is an apples-and-oranges deal, but when I read of new gee-whiz crap like twitter integration in the task bar, while core behavior such as hibernation is still a crapshoot, and key apps are buggy, it makes me wonder where the priorities are.
Perhaps I'm just bitter about KDE3 being dropped for the saccharine mess that is KDE4. :(
Bottom line seems to be that OSS developers, by and large, hate working on the mundane stuff, and much prefer to invent Really Cool Stuff, regardless of any real need for it.
Shouldn't bitch about stuff that's free, but I'd like to think the people calling the shots care if the end results are properly usable.
The Magic 8 ball is telling me "Xmonad looking REALLY good". :)