OK I'm going to start a controversy.
:-) so far it seems you haven't. Some pretty good replies so far.
a) I have a fairly recent HP flatbed scanner for which I can find no Linux drivers. The machine came with Windows and Mac software but not Linux.
Do you need specific drivers? Generally speaking most scanners work quite well with "sane".... especially HP scanners.
b) Ditto my fairly modern Nokia mobile phone. It came with (Windows based) file management software that allows, among other things, synchronising contacts etc. with a PC. Again, It seems I could get Mac software that would do the job but not Linux.
I don't have a Nokia phone, but I do know that at least under openSUSE, there is software available to connect to a Nokia phone. So there is something out there... whether it works for you phone is another story sadly. Nokia is beginning to embrace Linux though. The N95, N800 and N810 Internet Tablets they make are running on a variation of Debian Linux.
c) My PCMCIA wireless LAN card. There is a conversation in one specialised forum that someone has been able to get my model to work under that particular flavour of Linux but the author admits it was not straightforward and required a lot of fiddling with options and settings in something called NDISWrapper.
This is a tough one in Linux. The easy solution is to replace a non-supported PCMCIA card with a supported one. There are many out there that "just work". That said, nsdiwrapper usually works quite well, but as you pointed out, it can be a pain to set up. I have helped a lot of people migrate to Linux, and I always tell them to go and buy a supported WiFi card. Then life is easy and simple. :-)
In addition, I think I can get my HP "All In One" printer to sort of work under Linux but I *think* it would behave as a bare printer instead of the Printer/FAX/Scanner it was bought as, with integrated software that also lets me maintain a directory of names and FAX telephone numbers.
The HP printers are well supported. The features should in theory all work. I don't have one myself, but having worked with HP printers in the past, they have worked fine, including at least the printer and scanner components (never tried the fax component).
I'd be very reluctant to lose all that functionality.
I would be reluctant too. I completely understand your position, and it is a very valid one. It is the same issue that people face when moving from MS Office to OpenOffice. There is a bump... some ways of working need to change, and you have to learn new ways of doing things.
It's worth it in both cases though. I took several years to wean myself off of MS Office and Windows. Now I am 100% Linux at home, and at work, Solaris and Linux only. I don't miss Windows or MS Office one bit.
The best advice for anyone thinking of changing their way of working, be it switching to OpenOffice.org or Linux... or both, is to get to know the community. That is where the help is. The community here is generally pretty helpful for those struggling with moving to OpenOffice.org. Couple that with the forums and there is usually someone out there that will find the solutions to the problems. The same goes for Linux. Ubuntu has a lively forum community. openSUSE (what I use at home) has a very active and knowledgeable community on the mailing lists. Fedora has mailing lists and forums... etc etc. These people have the knowledge to help with the transition to Linux. The problems you noted Harold are all solvable... some don't even need a "solution" as they should just work out of the box now.
One last tip... Linux moves, and moves fast. (WiFi aside) Problems you had with your hardware 6 months ago are quite likely no longer an issue.
C. -- Clayton Cornell [EMAIL PROTECTED] StarOffice - Sun Microsystems, Inc. - Hamburg, Germany --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
