Mandrake 10 was able to pick up this DVD-RW writer with absolutely no problems. Linux specifically recognizes this particular model by make and model, where I've seen other CD/DVD-ROMS only recognized by device speed (i.e. 52x24x52 for my previous CD burner).

Burning DVD's works very well, as I was able to write a 1.6GB DVD-R in roughly 6 minutes at roughly 3.83X speed (5299 KB/s). I have yet to test a DVD+R at 8x, but have no doubt that this burner would have absolutely no problems at that speed.

While this burner may not be a "brand name", it is highly recommended to all users. Many of the big name suppliers are beginning to use 3rd party hardware and rebranding it their own. Lite-On happens to be one of the 3rd party vendors of choice, while Plextor is often the other. So, instead of paying an extra $20-70 for the name brand that's selling the same device, I would definately consider this burner first.