Linux
- Thread starter Sunray
- Start date
UnderOpenSky
baseline neural therapy
Signal 11 said:Without details there's little anyone can do to help.
Its ok, I've helped myself, I'm using xp again....was just having a play and was suprised that it didn't do it all out the box. That said it is impressive that you can stick on a usb key and it boots
I want to like linux, I like the idea its free and not made MS or another big corp, but until it can do that its not ready to use for the majority of pc users.
UnderOpenSky
baseline neural therapy
Genuine question, do all the drivers that come with xp get supplied by the manufacturers to MS for the install CD of windows or how does it know what everything is?
Crispy
The following psytrance is baṉned: All
Mostly it's manufacturers. MS does generic drivers, and probably tweaks others.Global_Stoner said:
And yes, it's exactly a chicken and egg scenario, which is why Linux makes the most sense on a controlled hardware platform, where all drivers can be provided and conflicts resolved before it gets into the hands of users. Which is exactly what mac OS X does.
Window's massive hardware range is its strength and weakness. Stregth because of the massive choice (and the cheapness that comes with that choice) and weakness (it's impossible to actually test all the combinations of hardware that windows supports). Linux does not have this range, and it is only when coming from windows that it becomes painful. Now that you can buy computers with linux pre-installed, I'd reccommend it as the best way to get into it.
Signal 11
also programmed for conversational english
UnderOpenSky
baseline neural therapy
If you can't play games, then what does it matter if you can't get drivers for your 3D card, or have I missed the point. 
To be fair these are the only drivers I installed on my PC, but thats because I think you get better performance with proper Nvidia ones.
To be fair these are the only drivers I installed on my PC, but thats because I think you get better performance with proper Nvidia ones.
Crispy
The following psytrance is baṉned: All
All of them, AFAIK. I'm just going by what I read, mind - "ATI refuses to open drivers" that sort of thing. And my experience bears this out when I tried running ubuntu last year. Couldn't get my resolution up, and couldn't enable TV-out.Signal 11 said:
More than just games for 3D card - design, video acceleration etc.
Signal 11
also programmed for conversational english
Why wouldn't you be able to play games?Global_Stoner said:
I have an NVidia card in this machine and 3D support is working fine using the proprietary driver from NVidia. I wouldn't get another one though now that intel's graphics hardware is properly supported with open source drivers.Global_Stoner said:
Signal 11
also programmed for conversational english
Crispy said:
I've never had an ATI, but a search shows this:
http://ati.amd.com/products/catalyst/linux.html
I've used Linux exclusively for about five years now; I decided that Gates had enough money.
I agree with OP: it doesn't just work. You're lucky if it does. I'd save time and loads of grief if I used XP.
As to why it's still not a prime-time consumer OS, it should be obvious: it's the money, innit. Hardware manufacturers devote resources to get their kit working with Windows before they release it; it's up to amateurs to code the drivers for linux and the most they can expect from the hardware makers is information, and often even that is withheld. Buy the latest graphics/sound/wifi card, chances are the volunteer coding corps won't have caught up with the microserfs. And the pace of innovation is such that almost any new motherboard will have some part of some on-board chipset needing a driver not yet in the standard distros, needing a day of forum-searching, downloading and compiling.
But, for me, it's about the politics. Free as in beer is very nice, but free as in speech is what matters. I want to know that I can, should I choose to, open the hood and control exactly what is happening on my machine. Unfortunately, the cost of this is that I HAVE to get my fingers metaphorically dirty much more often than I'd like to.
But, it's a price worth paying; and, tbh, I do get some geek satisfaction from it.
I agree with OP: it doesn't just work. You're lucky if it does. I'd save time and loads of grief if I used XP.
As to why it's still not a prime-time consumer OS, it should be obvious: it's the money, innit. Hardware manufacturers devote resources to get their kit working with Windows before they release it; it's up to amateurs to code the drivers for linux and the most they can expect from the hardware makers is information, and often even that is withheld. Buy the latest graphics/sound/wifi card, chances are the volunteer coding corps won't have caught up with the microserfs. And the pace of innovation is such that almost any new motherboard will have some part of some on-board chipset needing a driver not yet in the standard distros, needing a day of forum-searching, downloading and compiling.
But, for me, it's about the politics. Free as in beer is very nice, but free as in speech is what matters. I want to know that I can, should I choose to, open the hood and control exactly what is happening on my machine. Unfortunately, the cost of this is that I HAVE to get my fingers metaphorically dirty much more often than I'd like to.
But, it's a price worth paying; and, tbh, I do get some geek satisfaction from it.
UnderOpenSky
baseline neural therapy
Signal 11 said:
Didn't think they were available. At the moment I'm playing Crysis, CoD 4, Civ 4, Far Cry and Eve. I know Eve has just got linux client, but I thought the rest of them were windows only titles.
Signal 11
also programmed for conversational english
I have to use XP for work and it's nothing but grief, in daily use, not just in the one-off install/config process. TBF though that's just like Windows users experience when they try Linux -- it's down to what you're used to.fortyplus said:
Agreed with everything else you said though.
Signal 11
also programmed for conversational english
Well, running Windows executables on Linux is a different issue from hardware support -- e.g. you wouldn't expect to run Macintosh executables on Windows. However there are some options, cedega seems to be the most highly recommended. There's some information about it and the other options here.Global_Stoner said:
Crispy said:
IIRC, ATI are releasing some open source drivers for their cards. They're seperate from the proprietry ones though.
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3108
UnderOpenSky
baseline neural therapy
Signal 11 said:
Sorry, your quite right, its not linux fault, but its the main reason that I wont switch on my desktop. However when it just works when you install, then I'd be intrested in putting on my laptop which is looking rather long in the tooth.
magneze
🎧
An example of what? Is the driver support, particularly of wireless cards, between Linux and Windows really in question?Signal 11 said:
It's no good the Linux community going "yeah, but it's just better cos the kernel works on a pocket calculator and a supercomputer", because your average user will go "well, it doesn't work out the box on my PC so thanks but no thanks".
Maybe what's needed is a concerted effort by the Linux community in getting manufacturers to simultaneously release drivers for all platforms - eventually they'll get the message ...
FridgeMagnet
Administrator
I'll tell you one thing which Linux _is_ bad on, and you won't find a lot of people disagreeing - sound architecture. It's bollocks. Not so much the driver situation but that there's no bloody integration between, what, four or so different systems, all used by various different programs and WMs?
I say this as somebody who has been trying for fucking ages to get Ubuntu working with a bog-standard sound card, Shuttle SN25P. Does it work with anything? Does it bollocks. It's something that really needs to be sorted out.
I say this as somebody who has been trying for fucking ages to get Ubuntu working with a bog-standard sound card, Shuttle SN25P. Does it work with anything? Does it bollocks. It's something that really needs to be sorted out.
FridgeMagnet
Administrator
By the way, if anyone wants to suggest anything... maybe I should start a thread.
Perfectly happy with the rest of it mind you.
Perfectly happy with the rest of it mind you.
FridgeMagnet
Administrator
And the Eee. All the hardware setup you need has already been done, and if you balls it up you can just reset the entire OS. Never had a moment's problem with the wifi there.Crispy said:
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