Want to switch to Linux, but concerned about hardware functionality

MaggieToo9 · 03-20-2016, 04:49 PM

I want to switch to Linux, but after research and communicating with various hardware manufacturers, I found that they all seem to support every OS available - except Linux. With Linux, mice buttons can't be programmed, keyboard keys can't be programmed, monitors don't look right. Scanners, printers, etc. don't work. Hard drives don't work right (internal AND external).

I can deal with command line (many years ago I programmed with Unix). My BIG concern is hardware compatibility and hardware drivers. Logitech petty much just said "tough, but we don't care".

I want to use Linux, but I don't want to step into a hardware nightmare. I am building a new PC with a Lenovo mobo & hopefully compatible internals. Can you point me to external hardware (such as a mouse with a "back" button and a tilt/scroll wheel, a keyboard, scanners, external hard drives, etc., etc.) for which Linux drivers are available that take advantage of the hardware's features? Or Distro's that contain drivers for full-featured access to specific hardware?

To me, this is Linux's biggest failing. If the hardware issue is ever fixed, Microsoft should be very afraid. I would be glad to BUY drivers for my hardware if someone would just write them. I hate to be stuck with Microsoft because my mouse buttons won't work. HELP!

Thanks guys,
Maggie

ButterflyMelissa · 03-20-2016, 05:10 PM

Hi Maggie!
For starters, welcome to the forum

And, thanks for this question. Linux nowadays can handle just about anything you throw at it. What the manufacturers (save a few more...enlightened ones) dont realise is that Linux is a community.
Got need for a driver? It's there. Need this bug fixed? Done.
An example. I use Blender 3D intensively. After an update (frequent and free) I noticed a bug. I reported it and had it fixed...within the day...
Eat your heart out, customer service

Can Linux do anything? No. But, 95 procent is there...95 procent...and growing...
Let's just assume that - unless you have a non-Von...pretty much anything goes.
O, and you can test drive most distros with a live CD/DVD. Pop it in, boot from it and try it, it'll not even try to come near the hard drive

So, welcome to the forum, and Linux

Melissa

2damncommon · 03-20-2016, 05:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maggietoo9

i want to switch to linux, but after research and communicating with various hardware manufacturers, i found that they all seem to support every os available - except linux. With linux, mice buttons can't be programmed, keyboard keys can't be programmed, monitors don't look right. Scanners, printers, etc. Don't work. Hard drives don't work right (internal and external).....

.....to me, this is linux's biggest failing. If the hardware issue is ever fixed, microsoft should be very afraid.....

Let me understand this correctly. You do not use Linux now but you want to. You have "checked" and found that hardware does not work in Linux. You state that manufacturers not supporting Linux is a problem with Linux. Is this correct?

I checked before purchasing 8 port serial cards and found ones supported by Linux. I bought an external USB hard drive adapter supported by Linux. Often hardware support is either in the Linux kernel or supplied by a third party if a manufacturer has chosen not to support their device on Linux.

Have you tried a live version of Linux to see what works with your current system?

ardvark71 · 03-20-2016, 05:40 PM

Hi Maggie...

Welcome to the forum

I would agree that hardware compatibility is more of an issue with Linux because, overall, OEM's do not support Linux as well as they do Windows. However, it's better now than what it used to be, even from just a few years ago.

I do find your description of potential problems with mice and keyboards interesting. I've never had any problem with any mouse or keyboard I've used with Linux ever, although I don't alter the default settings, either. I've never had to. Probably because I'm right handed.

Here are a couple sites that can help you with finding compatible hardware, although be aware that they may be dated and not list the newer devices...

http://www.linux-drivers.org/

http://www.linuxjournal.com/supportedhardware

If you have any questions about a particular device, first use Google to do some research on it and if you can't find anything, please feel free to ask us about it before purchasing it.

Overall, I would recommend Nvidia for graphics, HP for printers and Atheros (chip manufacturer) for wireless adapters. Sound and ethernet devices are much more widely supported. However, please keep in mind that new (or newer) devices tend to be not supported as well as older ones because not enough time has elapsed for drivers to be included in the kernel.

Hope this helps.

Regards...

MaggieToo9 · 03-20-2016, 06:39 PM

I understand that with many peripherals, the device WORKS, after a basic fashion, but as I understand it, and I may be wrong, the features of the hardware cannot be used to full advantage due to the lack of appropriate drivers to provide device configuration.

I do change what the buttons and wheel tilts do and I use the Fkeys of my keyboard extensively as shortcuts, or to run Word scripts within a document. It is the drivers that provide access to these device capabilities. Are y'all saying that there ARE drivers built-in to, say the latest stable, supported version of Ubuntu, that will provide access to these configurable functions in current, or even older, wheel mice and keyboards? And that you can get the most (color and resolution) out of a monitor with Ubuntu?

If so, I am soooo glad to hear that.

Thanks,
Maggie

NGIB · 03-20-2016, 06:53 PM

Simple answer is yes. Extremely new hardware may not have complete support - yet.

I have run a variety of distros on a variety of laptops, intel and amd, and have no real issues. This machine was a tad cranky and it needs a 4.1+ kernel, but everything works - including Beats Audio...

Code:

$ inxi -Fxx
System:    Host: tpd Kernel: 4.4-4.dmz.1-liquorix-amd64 x86_64 (64 bit gcc: 4.9.2)
           Desktop: Xfce 4.12.2 (Gtk 2.24.25) dm: lightdm Distro: MX-15_x64 Fusion 24 December 2015
Machine:   System: Hewlett-Packard product: HP ENVY dv6 Notebook PC v: 088B110000305910000620100
           Mobo: Hewlett-Packard model: 182D v: 55.24 Bios: Insyde v: F.13 date: 09/04/2012
           Chassis: type: 10
CPU:       Quad core AMD A10-4600M APU with Radeon HD Graphics (-MCP-) cache: 8192 KB
           flags: (lm nx sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 sse4a ssse3 svm) bmips: 18366
           clock speeds: min/max: 1400/2300 MHz 1: 1600 MHz 2: 1400 MHz 3: 1400 MHz 4: 2300 MHz
Graphics:  Card: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD/ATI] Trinity [Radeon HD 7660G] bus-ID: 00:01.0 chip-ID: 1002:9900
           Display Server: X.Org 1.16.4 drivers: ati,radeon (unloaded: fbdev,vesa) Resolution: 1366x768@59.99hz
           GLX Renderer: Gallium 0.4 on AMD ARUBA (DRM 2.43.0, LLVM 3.5.0)
           GLX Version: 3.0 Mesa 11.1.2 Direct Rendering: Yes
Audio:     Card-1 Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] FCH Azalia Controller
           driver: snd_hda_intel bus-ID: 00:14.2 chip-ID: 1022:780d
           Card-2 Advanced Micro Devices [AMD/ATI] Trinity HDMI Audio Controller
           driver: snd_hda_intel bus-ID: 00:01.1 chip-ID: 1002:9902
           Sound: Advanced Linux Sound Architecture v: k4.4-4.dmz.1-liquorix-amd64
Network:   Card-1: Ralink RT3290 Wireless 802.11n 1T/1R PCIe
           driver: rt2800pci v: 2.3.0 bus-ID: 02:00.0 chip-ID: 1814:3290
           IF: wlan1 state: up mac: 9c:2a:70:23:8d:11
           Card-2: Realtek RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet Controller
           driver: r8169 v: 2.3LK-NAPI port: 2000 bus-ID: 04:00.0 chip-ID: 10ec:8168
           IF: eth1 state: down mac: 08:2e:5f:7b:ef:3d
Drives:    HDD Total Size: 480.1GB (18.4% used)
           ID-1: /dev/sda model: SSD2SC480G1CS275 size: 480.1GB serial: PNY46150000939690082
           ID-2: /dev/mmcblk0 model: N/A size: 16.1GB serial: 0x0000fb76
Partition: ID-1: / size: 125G used: 8.7G (8%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sda3
Sensors:   System Temperatures: cpu: 38.5C mobo: 30.0C gpu: 39.0
           Fan Speeds (in rpm): cpu: N/A
Info:      Processes: 179 Uptime: 16 min Memory: 506.4/7461.2MB
           Init: SysVinit v: 2.88 runlevel: 5 default: 5 Gcc sys: 4.9.2
           Client: Shell (bash 4.3.301 running in xfce4-terminal) inxi: 2.2.31

2damncommon · 03-20-2016, 07:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaggieToo9

I understand that with many peripherals, the device WORKS, after a basic fashion, but as I understand it, and I may be wrong, the features of the hardware cannot be used to full advantage due to the lack of appropriate drivers to provide device configuration.....

Let me give an example of this. An old example. Dial up modems. Full hardware dial up modems always worked in Linux with all features. However modem cards that relied on software to provide functionality were a different story. Even at that some software modems worked after individual developers were able to write driver software. A blanket statement that hardware cannot be used to full advantage in Linux is incorrect.

MaggieToo9 · 03-20-2016, 07:44 PM

no delete

MaggieToo9 · 03-20-2016, 07:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2damncommon

A blanket statement that hardware cannot be used to full advantage in Linux is incorrect.

That's great! I'm so glad to hear it. I've never been so happy to be wrong. Could you please recommend a tilt/wheel mouse with back button and a keyboard that can be programmed to assign functions to keys/buttons (used to full capability) with Ubuntu? That's all I need, just ONE of each device type.

Thank you so much,
Maggie

sgosnell · 03-20-2016, 08:01 PM

Keyboards are easily and extensively programmable in Linux. The exact method depends on the desktop environment, i.e., Gnome, Xfce, KDE, or whatever. But all allow you to program custom keystrokes to do almost anything you like. It's not always done through a GUI, and you may have to do some typing to get it done, but it's certainly possible. Any keyboard should work, and can be programmed. The mouse is less programmable, and I've never even tried. I prefer the keyboard for most things, if possible.

ReaperX7 · 03-20-2016, 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaggieToo9

I want to switch to Linux, but after research and communicating with various hardware manufacturers, I found that they all seem to support every OS available - except Linux. With Linux, mice buttons can't be programmed, keyboard keys can't be programmed, monitors don't look right. Scanners, printers, etc. don't work. Hard drives don't work right (internal AND external).

I can deal with command line (many years ago I programmed with Unix). My BIG concern is hardware compatibility and hardware drivers. Logitech petty much just said "tough, but we don't care".

I want to use Linux, but I don't want to step into a hardware nightmare. I am building a new PC with a Lenovo mobo & hopefully compatible internals. Can you point me to external hardware (such as a mouse with a "back" button and a tilt/scroll wheel, a keyboard, scanners, external hard drives, etc., etc.) for which Linux drivers are available that take advantage of the hardware's features? Or Distro's that contain drivers for full-featured access to specific hardware?

To me, this is Linux's biggest failing. If the hardware issue is ever fixed, Microsoft should be very afraid. I would be glad to BUY drivers for my hardware if someone would just write them. I hate to be stuck with Microsoft because my mouse buttons won't work. HELP!

Thanks guys,
Maggie

Well, in my view of this:

Most hardware is supported quite well in GNU/Linux. The various desktops like Xfce and KDE/Plasma will offer some assistance setting up video, audio, and input devices. Scanners and printers from Hewlett-Packard are probably the best supported externals. HP even has their own driver suite called HPLIP.

If you are concerned about internal hardware, Nvidia, AMD, and Intel are the best supported, but make sure you use and choose a distribution that offers access to driver support including open source, closed source, and firmware using drivers for the best experience. Nvidia probably has the best support for video adapters. Distributions called Libre tend to exclude and discourage usage of this hardware, but unless you can actually get this kind of hardware, don't fuss over it.

Personally as distributions go, I use Slackware exclusively, but I do multi-boot.

fogpipe · 03-20-2016, 08:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaggieToo9

I want to switch to Linux, but after research and communicating with various hardware manufacturers, I found that they all seem to support every OS available - except Linux. With Linux, mice buttons can't be programmed, keyboard keys can't be programmed, monitors don't look right. Scanners, printers, etc. don't work. Hard drives don't work right (internal AND external).

All that stuff works for me and has always worked, except that i dont own a scanner.
Come to think of it tho i seem to remember having a modem a few years ago that didnt work with linux.

Is this a serious post or a troll? I mean think about it for a bit, if none of that stuff worked with linux no one would use it.

2damncommon · 03-20-2016, 08:14 PM

I just use a simple mouse and don't have any idea what a "tilt/wheel" mouse does. Searching Google for "tilt wheel mouse linux" I find this. Apparently you would be able to set the mouse functions and also more using the shift key and the mouse button. Doing a Google search of your keyboard and mouse manufacturer and model number plus Linux may give you some good info. I assume in Windows you are able to assign functions as you like for your mouse and keyboard?

If you were able to install VirtualBox on your Windows computer and install Linux Mint you would be able to try out Linux functionality yourself. You'd just need hard drive space and a nice amount of RAM (multi core CPU is good too).

ardvark71 · 03-20-2016, 09:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaggieToo9

I understand that with many peripherals, the device WORKS, after a basic fashion, but as I understand it, and I may be wrong, the features of the hardware cannot be used to full advantage due to the lack of appropriate drivers to provide device configuration.

I do change what the buttons and wheel tilts do and I use the Fkeys of my keyboard extensively as shortcuts, or to run Word scripts within a document. It is the drivers that provide access to these device capabilities. Are y'all saying that there ARE drivers built-in to, say the latest stable, supported version of Ubuntu, that will provide access to these configurable functions in current, or even older, wheel mice and keyboards? And that you can get the most (color and resolution) out of a monitor with Ubuntu?

Hi Maggie...

This is an important point and I didn't completely catch it until now.

Unfortunately, from what I've seen on Google after a cursory search, there doesn't seem to be much out there in terms of full Linux support. However, I did find at least one vendor of gaming mice, Roccat, that might fit the bill, if money is no object...

http://www.roccat.org/en-US/Home/Overview/

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?pag...item&px=ODY1Mw

https://steamcommunity.com/app/22141...5613403758075/

(Caution on the last link, post #4 has some crude terminology that you might want to avoid.

)

Hope this helps.

Regards...

Drakeo · 03-20-2016, 09:10 PM

any computer you buy that is not a name box will most likely work out that saying your right check out the hard ware linux supports more hardware than windows. But it is best to buy a ISA computer. Industry Standard Architecture .

I find it rather disconcerting that people will buy anything that is not ISA.
Such as Dell HP Sony etc etc. Then get stuck with a lame duck of bios and a box of bugs.
Buy from your local computer store I am sure they have a bare bones builder that will set you up
for what ever your needs are at a fraction of a cost.
Good luck. Dude you do not need a Dell.