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Ask Slashdot: Linux-Friendly Motherboard Manufacturers?
dotancohen writes "I am tasked with building a few Linux machines for a small office. However, many the currently available motherboards seem to be Linux-hostile. For instance, in addition to the whole UEFI issue, my last install was a three-day affair due to the motherboard reporting a Linux-supported ethernet device (the common RTL8168) while it was actually using a GbE Ethernet device that does not work with the legacy drivers and didn't even work with a test Windows 7 install until the driver disk was installed. There are no current hardware compatibility lists for Debian or Ubuntu and I've received from Asus and Gigabyte the expected reply: No official Linux support, install Windows for best experience. I even turned to the two large local computer vendors, asking if they could provide Linux-compatible machines ready to go, but neither of them would be of any help. What globally-available motherboards or motherboard manufacturers can you recommend today?"
Back in 1996 it was extremely simple to search for motherboard reviews and compatability. It's now 2012 and the web is overrun with crappy sites and crappy reviews. Smart people would rather get direct answers from 'qualified' people then wade through piles of garbage, it's not like it's 1996!
Don't complain about syntax, grammar, or spelling. There is no.hell like input on android.
Intel has stopped giving out information on memory management configuration like EDAC, and is pushing EFI BIOS control. If you want to own your PC instead of licensing it from Intel it's better to use an AMD processor. Intel NICs are still good though.