Re: Linux Drivers, The Kernel, and a Driver List
on Sat, Jan 13, 2007 at 05:46:04PM -0500 Grok Mogger mumbled:
> This sounds like if I know for a fact that the device I'm
> interested in uses "Chipset Awesome 100c", then I could start
> grep'ing through the kernel source for parts and permutations of
> the chipset name hoping to find some matches that indicate that
> there's a driver for it.
>
> Is that accurate?
>
Yes... and no. F'rinstance my spankin' new Toshiba P105 awesome
whiz-bang laptop took a little doing -- dual core intel on a 32 bit
bus with 64 bit addressable audio memory, intel High def sound,
ipw3964 wireless AND a fingerprint reading biometric device - all in
one sock. Running a custom kernel - 2.6.20rc4, that's been patched a
little to get everything working well.
In this case, I looked around at what was available at Linux Kernel
Archives and did a little picking and choosing there, along with
googling for directions that developers are taking. When buying
hardware, it's a good idea to leave hardware alone that the developers
aren't interested in. Patience will win the day, here. Don't run out
and buy snake oil.
Cheers,
Dave
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