Linux Hardware Compatibility
1 Comments Published by chopey on Wednesday, March 14, 2007 at 10:49 PM.
The two components of a Linux system that care about the hardware are the Linux kernel and the X server (xorg is the standard). In the early days of Linux, hardware support was spotty. The kernel developers wrote their own drivers for various hardware devices. The main issue was getting proper hardware documentation so that developers could write the drivers.
With the rise of Linux’s popularity and market share, most hardware manufacturers have moved Linux support to being a “check list item.” Because of this, most hardware makers are openly making proper documentation available to Linux developers. Another big change is that it is becoming increasingly common for hardware makers to write and release their own internally developed drivers.
Binary vs. Source Drivers
To ensure maximum performance, reliability, and technical superiority, there is NO guaranteed binary or source level compatibility between major kernel versions. Because of this, when hardware manufacturers write their own drivers, open source drivers are strongly preferred. Source code availability enables the Linux community to maintain the drivers and keep the hardware supported in future versions of Linux, even if the hardware manufacturer loses interest (or goes out of business).
With the rise of Linux’s popularity and market share, most hardware manufacturers have moved Linux support to being a “check list item.” Because of this, most hardware makers are openly making proper documentation available to Linux developers. Another big change is that it is becoming increasingly common for hardware makers to write and release their own internally developed drivers.
Binary vs. Source Drivers
To ensure maximum performance, reliability, and technical superiority, there is NO guaranteed binary or source level compatibility between major kernel versions. Because of this, when hardware manufacturers write their own drivers, open source drivers are strongly preferred. Source code availability enables the Linux community to maintain the drivers and keep the hardware supported in future versions of Linux, even if the hardware manufacturer loses interest (or goes out of business).
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