Re: ... new machine to install Linux ...
- Do you know a reseller who sells machine with a Linux operating system
already installed.
You'll find a list of vendors that sell pre-installed systems at:
http://www.linux.org/vendors/systems.html
and a general hardware list at
http://www.linux.org/hardware/index.html
However, if there is a "screwdriver shop" in your area, that is a store that
builds systems to order, they may well make linux-preinstalled systems but not
be on the above list. It is good to support such businesses.
I'd like to suggest assembling your own PC from components, though, and doing
the Linux installation yourself. This isn't so easy, but you learn about how
your machine works and this will help you out in the long run as you need to
maintain the machine.
- Is it possible to find a list of all known Linux drivers.
You can find _many_ of the drivers if you already have a machine with Linux on
it (perhaps a friend's machine) and you go into /usr/src/linux and, as root,
type on of the following commands
make menuconfig
make xconfig
then rather than configuring your kernel compile, just browse around. The
drivers are categorized. Also look in the drivers and Documentation
subdirectories of the kernel sources. You may not be a programmer, but usually
a driver's source code has a comment near the top which lists the cards or chips
a driver supports - however, these lists are often out of date.
If you cannot access the kernel source, there are websites where you can browse
it on the web. I don't have any URLs handy but Google should find them. I
think searching for "linux kernel source cvsweb" ought to find some.
The stock kernel won't include Free drivers whose source has not yet been
adopted into the kernel, and of course it won't include binary-only drivers.
You should be aware that a binary-only driver will likely work on the ONE
VERSION of the kernel it is compiled for.
If you're having a machine built to order, there is no reason you can't avoid
binary-only drivers. In fact, building to order should allow you to avoid any
drivers that aren't included standard with the kernel, this saving you trouble
when it is time to upgrade your kernel.
Also see the Linux Hardware Compatibility HOWTO at:
http://www.linuxdoc.org/HOWTO/Hardware-HOWTO/index.html
it seems to be recently updated.
I have a suggestion if you decide to install your own system. Try to get it
installed before you really need to use it. Then spend some time trying it out.
Then re-partition and reformat your hard drive and install it again using what
you've learned. The second install will go much faster.
If you install a machine that dual-boots with Windows 98, partition and format
the drive with Linux tools and don't allow the windows formatter to touch the
drive. When I reinstalled my multi-boot laptop, I allowed the windows installer
to format its partition, but it didn't respect the boundaries set in the
partition table. Windows Explorer showed an unusually large amount of free
space, but I just thought this was a UI bug. Once my FAT partition got
sufficiently full, some truly amazing filesystem corruption happened to all my
Linux filesystems.
Mike
--
Michael D. Crawford
GoingWare Inc. - Expert Software Development and Consulting
http://www.goingware.com
crawford@goingware.com
Tilting at Windmills for a Better Tomorrow.
"I give you this one rule of conduct. Do what you will, but speak
out always. Be shunned, be hated, be ridiculed, be scared,
be in doubt, but don't be gagged."
-- John J. Chapman, "Make a Bonfire of Your Reputations"
http://www.goingware.com/reputation/
Reply to: