[NTLUG:Discuss] Supported Hardware

[Leroy Tennison]

Terry wrote:

>I agree 100% [it's good advice]...
>>From article, "How to Make Linux Perfect for the Desktop" in this
>month's issue of TUX Magazine ( http://www.tuxmagazine.com/ ):
>
>"... the most common complaint
>about Linux is lack of driver support for
>the most recently released products. One
>of the most frequently asked questions we
>see on Linux Web sites and forums everywhere
>goes like this: "How do I get my
>[this model of printer, camera, whatever]
>working?" Sometimes there are solutions.
>Sometimes there are not. When the solutions
>exist, they often involve operations
>that no average user would or should
>ever have to perform.
>THE ANSWER
>There are two solutions to this problem,
>and I strongly suggest you use both:
>1. If you are about to buy any new
>device, find out which brands and
>models are supported in Linux, and
>choose from among those models.
>2. This is far more important. If there
>was a brand and model you would
>have preferred to buy, complain.
>Loudly, and repeatedly. Call and
>write Visioneer, Hewlett-Packard,
>Canon, Samsung or whomever, and
>complain that you can't use their
>product with Linux.
>Call and write the manufacturer of the
>product you really wanted. Tell them that
>you didn't buy it because it doesn't work
>with Linux. More important, tell them
>which product you bought instead,
>because it did work with Linux. If you
>already bought something that doesn't
>work with Linux, call and write the manufacture
>and tell them that you're returning
>their product and exchanging it for a
>competitor's product that DOES work
>with Linux.
>The complaint approach will work only
>if everyone takes my advice. One call
>from a disgruntled would-be customer
>means nothing to a company. So they lost
>one customer. So what? On the other
>hand, thousands of calls get results.
>That's called demand."
>
>
>
>  
>
Agreed, I've been telling the ISPs I use that I only use Linux.  You 
might want to check out Dell and Compaq.  Both have switched to using 
linux for their automated server installs.  Motivation is likely that 
they don't have to pay M$ a license fee for their O$ every time they put 
out an update (got this message in a round about way from our HP rep). 
 Dell used to have a link on their Web site to hardware for "alternate 
OSes" (spell that Linux).