Linux Hardware Databases Merge

Kristopher Kersey writes "The two available online Linux Hardware Databases located at CompHardware.com and LhD.DataPower.com have decided to merge and form a new partnership for Linux hardware information. The new partnership gives LhD.DataPower.com control of the database while giving CompHardware.com control over hardware reviews." Cool! Two (click) two useful Linux hardware sites in one.

Comments

Suggestion

[Anonymous Coward]

Maybe someone can hack up Redhat's "hwdiag" utility which autoprobes one hardware to put together a list of devices on the computer and then the user can rate each device on how it functions and the program can email the results to this database. Anything which reduces the effort and automates the work is an improvement.

"Designed for Linux"

[HomerJ]

What would be great is if new hardware vendors put a "Designed for Linux" or at least a "Works with Linux" logo on their packaging. That way, when someone goes to buy something off the shelf, they know it works right away.

I know if I went to buy a 3d card, NIC, etc, and I saw one with the penguin in the corner of the box, I'd get it.

Maybe it could replace those God awful "Designed for Windows" logos =)

Re:"Designed for Linux"

[IntlHarvester]

Brand Name NICs are one of the few pieces of hardware that support almost everything: NDIS DOS drivers, ODI OS/2 drivers, NT 3.5, Netware 3.1, OS/2 1.x, wierd packet drivers -- you name it is on your average NIC disk.

You'd think it'd be a no-brainer to put Linux drivers on the disk, but generally the kernel support for network cards is pretty good, so it's probably unnecessary in most cases.
--

This will increase our influence on manufacturers

[semis]

This is a good thing (tm)!

Currently I'm installing Linux on a new Compaq server with a brand new RAID controller.. I couldn't find it in the Linux hardware DB. So I'm pleased that this merger has come about, im sure that many sysadmins will now find it easier to convice their managers to use Linux now they can combat the "no hardware support" argument.

Let's hope these guys use their combined weight to influence hardware vendors to support their products under Linux!

I think that this is one of the most important things that Linux needs! I hope it becomes a formidable force to be feared by vendors! :)

Hear hear!

[timothy]

Lunatic wrote:

"I sure wish some sort of definite, linux consortium could be formed, like for GNOME, whereby ve[n]dors could post and archive their drivers.

It may seem like a small point, but I want to amplify the part about archive! ...

One of the best things about linux is its wide-ranging hardware support (this is true of Free and NetBSD as well, but not as broad) -- being able to set up a system using hardware which would be impractically slow under NT or Win9X is a huge selling point. (Well, 'using point;)')

But when hardware is more than a few years old (and sometimes just more than a year or so) it is often hard to find drivers for it. But if your laser printer, or sound card, or video card, etc. works and you'd like to use it, it's frustrating to be driven to new hardware for lack of a small piece of software.

I appreciate companies that offer long-term value by keeping drivers available, but since most linux drivers are hacked together rather than Officially Released, the idea of an archive for this information is especially important.

Just a thought,

timothy

HW databases for linux in general

[Raving Lunatic]

I sure wish some sort of definite, linux consortium could be formed, like for GNOME, whereby vedors could post and archive their drivers. Perhaps this already exists in one form or another, but it really needs to be *completely* centralized.