As your read these lines I finally managed to get an internet-connection with my new linux-installation (suse).

I needed 3 days, only to find some experimental drivers for my usb-adsl-modem, to compile those, configure my kernel-source and managed run them finally.

But those linux-driver-people at sourceforge.net are really great.

...And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why linux isn't more popular.

Don't know... my story went like this: Started the installation, network card was automatically found, drivers were automatically installed and the network configuration was probed for and found automatically from the router. Immediately after the totally automatic installation of the base system, I had Internet access.

Before I worked with a router, it was pretty much the same. The hardware was recognized automatically, just that I had to enter the connection username and password in addition. Can't imagine how it should be easier. Anyone care to enlighten me?

That is actually something I totally love about this OS: you can get friendly help easily, no matter whether you're a total newbie or if you need very specific expert help.

Edited by Mr Creosote at 23:44 on December, 21st 2004

After all, this was the only hardware problem I had and this special was caused by the lacking support of Allied Telesync, who doesn't offer linux-drivers.

All the rest was detected automatically (and correct... )

But if you have to compile/install drivers it's real pain, since you have to follow long (but well documented) manuals, where you have to trust mostly, because most of the things you do are very internal.

Driver management in general is really a barrier for most people, who want to change, but don't want to invest a lot of time in changing.

Most people make the mistake and compare Linux with Windows, which is not possible, because they are both different approaches. Often they compare Linux-Applications with Windows-Internals, but Linux itself is only the kernel. The GUI and everything around it are optional applications (or specialised GUIs).

The only other thing, that really hurt me, was the default resolution of 1280x1024, a frequency of 62Hz and a very small font in my GUI. I surely got eye-cancer until I could change these settings...

Edited by dregenRocks at 09:30 on December, 22nd 2004

That's exactly the point most people are missing: We're talking about an installation without touching the 'official driver CD' or the manufacturers homepage here.

Not necessarily. In many situations, driver handling in Linux is way superior to anything I've seen elsewhere. For example, I can plug my digicam into any computer running Linux which has the general camera API installed, and it's working. If I tried that with Windows, I'd have to install specific drivers by myself first.

Default is what you set to be default. Then again, you mentioned Susie, so we can't even be sure about that

It can be easier, if the specific general API (specific-general... strange... ) is working (which is mostly the case), but it can also be a lot harder if not. And more important: It's different.


Maaayyybeee... Maybe, I was a little bit lazy and overlooked that point during the installation-process...
And I don't understand this Suse-bashing.
Hey, [phrase]I wan't to work with my system![/phrase]

Susie is like Windows. That's just a neutral statement, how you interpret it is up to you

You mean KDE, not Suse. And KDE is indeed a windows-like GUI, but far from being the same.
You're a Slackware-User?
Or did build on Linux from the scratch?

KDE is totally unusable and ugly anyway, but I was actually referring to the general attitude to hide options from the user and to try to decide for him instead of letting him do what he wants.

I did actually use Slackware for more than a year, so don't laugh Switched to Debian two years ago, though, because it is just more convenient.

Correct...


I wouldn't say, they hide option. These are only hard to find, because of this colourful, flashy, massive-multi-icon-interface.


Slackware seems to be worth a try. Actually I took SuSE, because it was brought on DVD with a magazine I for 5 Euro and I thought, it can't hurt if I try it... Well, I have to admit that proved to be wrong...

But no time to cry, have to make the best out of it.

Hmm... well, how did it hurt? I don't really see that unless it somehow magically destroyed your hardware

I meant the psychosis it left in my mind...

Only yesterday, you wrote this::P

--> psychosis <--
Maybe it has nothing to do with SuSE, but with that special version (9.1) and that I used it in impulse, without informing me about it (hardware-support...)