>We have installed Linux on a number of fairly ordinary machines and found
>that whether or not the installation proceeds successfully is very much a
>matter of apparently random chance. On some machines, everything works,
>while on others, bits and pieces do not.
I tend to find it difficult to disseminate the actual crux of strange
behaviour described by many in regards installation problem with redhat,
or subsequent weirdness thereafter. 28 years in the electronics field
assures me of one thing though..what we are talking about I think, is what
we here loving refer to as 'white_man_magic'.
I myself have done quite a number of redhat installations, and if I was
to make a general conclusion, I would surely say it's the OLDER machines
that are much more tolerant in this respect. My findings indicate that a
lot of this trouble seems fairly mooted with the later models of CPU &
motherboard chipsets...though not exclusive (especially with post install
lunacy)
In Australia (at least), the domestic market seems almost flooded
with motherboards, cards (of all sorts), and CPUs of dubious (or remarked)
origin...all mainly eminating from the plethora of Asian manufactures.
These are of course cheap, and seem to function without flaw when loaded
with that software the m'boards proport to be...compatible with. (no
guesses ;) None the less, I've seen many a windoze unit that'll fallover
for no obvious reason, only to discover (after installing linux) that
something like it's videocard was screwed (evident by many missing pixels
in the X display)...windoze won't pick this up, won't have a bad display,
and crash without reason. Linux will display the problem, but keep going
anyhow without crashing.
>Or, are we still operating on the assumption that Linux is immune from
>criticism?
I don't think so...but then, I feel linux will always have a harder
battle at it than other software suppliers. I think this is in part due to
the great monopoly that *is* the wintel domination of the domestic
computer scene....and thinking for a moment about the red-corner microsoft
might be facing in this regard, it wouldn't at all surprize me to find an
ever increasing amount of (new) hardware coming out, for which resources
will be hard to source for the purpose of the linux community, if indeed
the hardware will work at all under linux. It's probably a worse case
scenario, but worth considering. We always have to remember, the giant
slug that is the 'wintel' premise, has always been a multilayed exploit
of market manipulation...a close bonding between microsloth, intel, and a
myriad of third-party component suppliers, all in the same bed exchanging
bodily fluids. It's these ties formed many years ago, that cause a sort of
evilly notioned non-co-operation from hardware (specifically peripheral
cards here) manufactures (citing recent submissions here regarding the
'right' scsi controller ;)
In a real world (..reaching out and tapping my monitor..), for Linus,
the developement team, and all others involved with putting together a
'linux distribution' to enjoy the level of compatibility enjoyed by other
software houses supplying the ix86 platform, would mean them all having
access to every bit of hardware out there. This is of course, unachievable
if not because of lack of support from the makers of things, then because
the progression of the industry is such that every tomorrow seems to have
something new be solicited to the computer world.
Of course, that's where we, the devoted users, come into play...to fill
that gap. Therefore, it necessarily follows that linux will always be
a somewhat 'retrospectively compatible' platform (in respect to pc's),
until all individual problems are known from individuals, no doubt running
a combination of hardware not envisaged (or known of)by the linux team. I
doubt all problems will be resolved...but in my experience, it's perhaps
worth the wait for compatibility patches/fixes to come out, because we'd
all still rather use linux....wouldn't we? (^;
Does anyone think we'll see the day, when say a motherboard manufacturer
proudly displays their product to be 'linux compatible' ?
cheers!
db
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