Driver education for Linux novices
Last week's column on DSL Linux generated so many letters and loose ends that we're going to have to play catch-up this week.
As you may recall, DSL Linux is a micro-sized version of the free, open-source operating system that can start and run from a 50-megabyte CD. As such it can run on elderly and anemic computers, breathing new life into them.
I left out the first rule of DSL Linux as it pertains to inexperienced computer users: It may not work with your hardware. All companies that manufacture printers, mice, video and sound cards - pretty much everything that gets plugged into a computer - also create drivers, little chunks of software that make the hardware gadget work with an operating system. In most cases, that operating system is Windows XP.
Not many companies create drivers for Linux. Instead, the many thousands of public-spirited programmers who have developed Linux write drivers as needed; those in turn are incorporated into each new update of the various "distros," or versions, of Linux. If these drivers match your hardware, DSL and other forms of Linux will detect your hardware and install painlessly. The growth in numbers of these drivers increases every year, which is probably why DSL Linux installed on the half-dozen PCs I have around the house.
So what if you have hardware that isn't supported?
- Login or register to post comments
- Printer-friendly version
- 1627 reads
- PDF version
More in Tux Machines
- Highlights
- Front Page
- Latest Headlines
- Archive
- Recent comments
- All-Time Popular Stories
- Hot Topics
- New Members
digiKam 7.7.0 is releasedAfter three months of active maintenance and another bug triage, the digiKam team is proud to present version 7.7.0 of its open source digital photo manager. See below the list of most important features coming with this release. |
Dilution and Misuse of the "Linux" Brand
|
Samsung, Red Hat to Work on Linux Drivers for Future TechThe metaverse is expected to uproot system design as we know it, and Samsung is one of many hardware vendors re-imagining data center infrastructure in preparation for a parallel 3D world. Samsung is working on new memory technologies that provide faster bandwidth inside hardware for data to travel between CPUs, storage and other computing resources. The company also announced it was partnering with Red Hat to ensure these technologies have Linux compatibility. |
today's howtos
|
Recent comments
1 year 11 weeks ago
1 year 11 weeks ago
1 year 11 weeks ago
1 year 11 weeks ago
1 year 11 weeks ago
1 year 11 weeks ago
1 year 11 weeks ago
1 year 11 weeks ago
1 year 11 weeks ago
1 year 11 weeks ago