Help understanding driver management in Slackware as compared to Windows.
 

Hi.

I have been into the Linux from some time now as a user. I dual boot with Windows 7 because that's what I am confortable with using and also as a recourse in case of any bottlenecks in using Linux.

Though I started with Ubuntu, but felt soon enough that I needed something more Unix-y like and thus chose Slackware. I have installed it successfully and I already like the logic behind everything it is laid up.

Okay, to begin with, I was wondering how linux coordinates with vendors to provide drivers update. For eg. we get routine updates for hardware components of motherboard like Intel network drivers, Chipset drivers, etc. which are updated from time to time and are thus available for download in Intel's site.
So, the question is:

How does linux incorporate these latest improvements or fixes?

This question came to my mind recently when I was installing Windows and was running here and there for drivers. Treatment of Nvidia is quite same for both I realize.

As I am beginning to explore more into Slackware I would definitely ask for a helping hand here. Of course I like to read.

to my understanding, drivers are part of the kernel; whether they are part of the kernel image or "outsourced" as modules, depends on the kernel compilation. nvidia is similar to windows, yes, insofar as those drivers can't be incorporated into the kernel, due to license issues...

as to how they coordinate: that's rather different. some vendors provide drivers, some lay their specs open, some are a black box and not interested, others still provide binary versions. it's a pretty complex topic, as far as I heard/read of it

GP

Linux based drivers are not as plentiful as those for window$. Some manufacturers make window$ based drivers but none for linux (not surprising since you absolutely can not buy a new computer without also buying micro$oft).

Even when manufacturers provide linux based drivers, it is extremely rare for them to make slackware-specific drivers. For that, you will either need to get a script from Slackbuilds and make your own package (the preferred option) or download a tarball (.tar.gz) and use src2pkg to create a slackware package.

i think, the largest part of kernel development consists of writing driver code, which really is a waste of precious time that could otherwise be used for improving the kernel proper..

Thanks for the reply people!!!

I don't know if I understood correctly from what I have read above or know but, taking an example of Intel Network Connection software which is what I downloaded from Intel's site for Windows 7 today; can we say that the hardware is underutilized in Linux in general as compared to Windows for which the drivers are specifically written by Intel?!! , do they share the same updates with the kernel maintainers? How does it work?!!

You can still manually install drivers with linux, but in most cases I wouldnt suggest it (only time I would suggest it is if you are having issues already).

If you are really worried about running the newset drivers, probably your best bet would be to using some rolling release distro. The newer drivers are normally incorporated into the kernel, xorg-server, alsa etc.. So getting a newer kernel (etc.) will get the you the newer drivers.

Not at all true. Its easy to buy computers with no OS, or even a linux/BSD install if you know where to look. Its also easy to build your own computer from parts.

http://www.linuxdriverproject.org/foswiki/bin/view

No. There are kernel developers employed by Intel. e.g. http://software.intel.com/en-us/blog...ics-developer/

None of the retailers that I have seen would even think of selling a PC without window$ pre-installed.

I could possibly build my own or have one made up but I doubt I could do it for less than the $400 that I just paid for a mass-produced package.

Don't forget that this is an international forum. In Germany it is actually no problem at all to get a machine without Windows in any price-range.

In linux world, you usually get the driver updates with newer linux kernel version and once the hardware is working the way you like, you generally don't think about the driver version that you are running. So in Linux you don't get special driver updates for example intel network adapters but they are part of kernel. If you want newer drivers, download newer kernel.

Thats a long way from "you absolutely can not buy a new computer without also buying micro$oft".

Maybe you havent looked for non-OS systems, or systems that ship with linux/BSD/etc.. They are normally around, buy you wont find them in shopping strips that often (and some of the stores that live in shopping strips will only consider selling you an os-free computer if you know what to say). If you have looked, maybe they are harder to find in your country than here (.au) Europe, the US, or Canada.

I've never had any problems getting computers without an OS.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...704y,2934.html

There was a different toms 'OEM vs build your own' article which was less intested in 'gaming' and more intrested in absolute lowest cost/best 'bang for buck' and the build your own systyem won there as well.

You can buy pre-built systems without an OS, but the options are few for some and mostly they are sold in the business/enterprise sections of the OEM's product pages for usage with corporate systems with Enterprise grade operating systems tailored for their proprietary usage.