> > Peter, who longs for the day when buying a Linux peripheral
> > doesn't have to involve a week of disappointing research.
>
> I think thats a severe exageration. Especially if youve used linux
> for a while. There are alot of good and bad brands.
I think it's a very mild exaggeration. Some things, like network cards, are great. But I can't, for example, just go into a shop and pick out which printer I want. It takes a little bit of hunting around to find out what's supported, and I've found that quite often there's a trade-off between the features I want, and the Linux support I need.
The other issue here is the general cluelessness of most major retailers when it comes to Linux. It's not possible to walk into a shop with a list of requirements, and walk out with my Linux-compatible printer.
> Maybe a recommended hardware list is needed?
> like a list by type, click with info on available drivers,
> alt. drivers
> etc.
Lists like this are already around. What would be ideal is a list of the available resources. I was going to say we also need a list of Linux-friendly retailers, but this is partly covered by http://www.linux.org.au/ausvendors.phtml.
Cheers,
Peter
(Yes, I work for a major retailer. The opinions
expressed here are mine, and not my employer's.)
