Thoughts on Automating Driver Installs for Linux?

Auzy asks: "Originally I thought that the implementation of a system in Linux which could automatically locate and install drivers would revolutionize Linux usability, however, there has been some strong negative feedback, including comments such as that it will kill open source drivers in Linux, and that even a system which employs digital signatures could never be secure enough to stop worms. I believe the opposite, and now I want to know from the Slashdot crowd, if they think I should drop the project now and potentially save Linux from possible security problems, or if I am right in saying that potential problems can be avoided, and that this system can become successful."

Comments

Huge boost for me

[NanoGator]

One of the reasons I *don't* want to switch to Linux is that I don't want to deal with driver installs with stuff that came out later than whatever flavor of Linux I have. If they could automate this, boy would I be strongly interested in attempting the switch again. Frankly, any steps the community takes to minimize the actual maintenance aspect of Linux would be greatly appreciated. Surprisingly, not all of us want to sit there and tweak the damn thing.

Sounds like a fantastic idea

[FattMattP]

This sounds like a great idea. The majority of computer users want stuff to just work. Being able to plug something in and then tell the system to get and install the driver for your new hardware automatically is something I've always wanted.

there has been some strong negative feedback, including comments such as that it will kill open source drivers in Linux

You don't address any of these objections on your web page, at least that I could tell. It's hard to comment on this one since I can't see the original objection nor your response.

a system which employs digital signatures could never be secure enough to stop worms

I don't see how this system is much different than using apt-get under debian. People trust Debian's repository and its mirrors to install software all the time. It's not that much more of a stretch to trust a system like that to install drivers. Before you draw a distinction between drivers and packages, keep in mind that the install process in both instances is going to require root. If something nefarious is going to be installed it could happen via either process.