Its a silly kind of question but I really wan't to know that what's the purpose of the Linux HCL present at this site, I want to ask that how is it useful for other users?

( I don't want to say that it's not useful, just looking for its purpose)

Thanks

So that people can know which hardware is compatible with Linux and which is not.

I'm not sure, but I think that the items entered in the HCL are rated by other members to give an overall idea whether a particular piece of hardware is compatible with Linux or not.

Very useful
I use it when I'm considering upgrading
probably more useful in some respects than Disto - specific hardware lists as the LQ HCL often gives a review from people who actually use the gear and have to deal with problems

floppy

The purpose of the HCL is to permit Linux users to share info about the hardware devices they are using or have used in the past. For LQ'ers who are considering purchasing a given device, the HCL entry is an excellent addtional resource to check for some real-life experiences rather than just a magazine review.

I would recommend that people not make a purchase decision 100% based on an HCL entry however; as I said it should be viewed as a valuable additional resource. Just my 2 cents as usual. -- J.W.

I think it is very useful.

I could be easier to retrieve information over a simple driver problem there than with a search or a question in the hardware forum if some driver information is added there. Perhaps the PCI vendor and device code should be added also for PCI devices.

I see there is a category laptops. Perhaps a category desktop computers should be added also. People could put a general impression in and the PCI list that would point to the other category's. That would make it easier for somebody owning a computer and totally new to Linux to find out what he could expect if he installed linux.

Just a suggestion.

The suggestion is a good one, but unfortunately what makes it difficult to implement though is the fact that the manufacturer is free to change the components without notice. As a result, a "Dell XYZ 4000" built in April might be constructed from significantly different components than one built in October. As long as the specs are the same (eg, same amount of RAM, same disk capacity, same performance speed for the CD/DVD, etc) the actual components could be from different manufacturers, and so it's difficult to rate a given pre-built desktop accurately.

Fortunately, most hardware is pretty neutral in terms of which operating system is running, and you can probably successfully install Linux on most computers. The exception to this of course is if you have purchased something that's the "latest and greatest". As you probably know, the difficulty with the very newest equipment can sometimes be that the necessary drivers or kernel modules have not yet been finalized. -- J.W.

You are right , the brand and type number would in most cases not be enough to identify all the hardware on a computer. For PCI hardware the PCI information would produce more details but a least an extra warning would be necessary. On the other hand I think most hardware does not change very fast, for the majority of the hardware the information would be useful.

I have the impression that it is a big step, even for people that have experience with computers, to install Linux on their machine. For a recent computer it is almost like stepping out of line. There is the hard-disk that is already formatted and installed with OEM versions of the software, even with a restore partition. There is the help desk that says that they will not support Linux. The OEM suggest Windows on his website. It could be nice if there is a place on the Internet where people with the same computer could meet.


Yes, most of the hardware drivers are installed correctly with the installation of a distribution. In that case most users woudn't need the details. But for some of the features (like agp, 3d, s/pdif, Dolby 5.1, tv-out, tuner, acpi, "cool and quite") that a type of hardware can have, it could be useful to configure or to check the functionality. (The way to do that is perhaps more related to software that accesses that type of hardware than to a specific hardware. For a specific piece of hardware you need just to know the feature is there.)

Sometimes it is needed to install drivers afterward, and in some cases drivers are not ready yet. Then knowing about the experiences of others, the name of the drivers, the websites with the information could save a lot of time.

Of course I am really talking about my experiences with a few Linux installations. And it is easy to dream, but not so easy to...