Hardware that works

[AndreL]

Should we have a section where people would list the hardware which they own (no "I've heard that...") and that works well with Linux.

They could say if it works "out of the box" with which distro or if they had to tweak something and describe the necessary steps.

Some kind of "How-to" but for hardware.

Wi-fi card
pcmcia cards
USB drive
Printers
Cameras
etc.

Just a thought... :)

[autek]

I agree...excellent idea.......

Ed

[fos]

I think so too. Good idea Andre.

As we develop listings, we can subdivide the section into sub-sections for various types of hardware.

fos...

[uteck]

There are a few places that do this allready, http://www.phoronix.com/lch/ is a good one. I have listed some of my hardware there.
Also, http://www.linuxquestions.org/hcl/ is okay, and looks like it has gotten a bit better since I last looked.

[AndreL]

Interesting but those sites look more like "geek to geek" stuff. I was thinking more of a "newbie support" approach like: "Buy this and it works out of the box: I have one" or "I made this hardware work with [distro] by doing this."

Just to simplify the way for the new Linux users. :smiley16:

[ChuckM]

What say we turn it around to 'Hardware That Does Not Work'. I am in the process of purchasing a DVD/CD R/W unit and am going through the process of which one is the best buy.

I have visited many Linux Hardware Compatibility sites and have come to the conlusion that most I/O devices will work now days. Many of the units I am concidering do not appear on these lists. Not surprising since new devices come out faster than they can be reviewed by the masses (users).

Usually bad news travels faster than good. If you buy a unit, you cross your fingers that it will work. If it does you move on with a smile on your face. If it does not work, you tell the whole community what a piece of #@!& it is.

So, what unit should I stay away from? What feature is a 'nice to have'? Best interface to use?

Make sense?

[Leon]

Chuck M asked:
"I am in the process of purchasing a DVD/CD R/W unit and am going through the process of which one is the best buy."

I recommend hunting down a Plextor PX-712A/716A IDE burner. These still have 8 MB hardware cache.
The only negative aspect of Plextors is needing a Windows install in order to be able to flash update the drive's firmware.

[uteck]

I am hesitant at yet another hardware list. The LinuxQuestions list has user reviews for some items, so installation issues could be addressed there or warnings to stay away from it.

[AndreL]

My original idea was not "another hardware list" or "hardware that don't work" or "What should I buy" topic...

It was more "I have this and it worked out of the box with this distro" or I have this and I had to tweak that to make it work" or "I just bought this and it doesn't work at all" could also be fine. The second subject being the preferred one since I was thinking more of a "How To" for hardware specific tweaks.

The idea came after reading about people installing new distros which did not recognized their wi-fi card... so they had to tweak a few things to make it work. Or a printer. Or an onboard audio card (I've read recently) that didn't work well with a SB card on Linux Mint, for instance. I am interested in some similar combo and if I can make it work with some tweaks I could post it here.

Now, the topic went all kinds of ways...
Well, Twas just an idea.
If there's no real need for it lets shut it down. :smiley16:
.