Linux: Driver Support is Key
We received over 500 comments to my last post about expanding Linux onto more of the Dell product line. As noted on IdeaStorm, we're working on it.
A few trends emerged from the comments and I want to address them directly in this and future posts. This post focuses on our strategy for device drivers. All of the practices described here are available today—you can enact them yourselves too.
At least half of the comments effectively said "we want Free Software, GPL-licensed drivers which are maintained in kernel.org, for all hardware in Dell systems." This request is not new to us—it's been our standard operating procedure for the last 8 years on PowerEdge servers, which today have no closed-source drivers necessary. For new Linux desktops and notebooks, we’ll use drivers already in the mainline kernel.org kernels for as many components as possible. In these cases, the drivers will be included in your distribution of choice. This includes storage, wired networking, power management, USB, and more.
For device types where a choice exists between a component with a non-Free driver and one with Free driver availability, in our Linux offering we'll opt to bundle the component with the Free driver.
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