http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/item/10580/
Why not create a Wizard, that will be run-able from either the Live-CD or Wubi, that will detect the hardware, and report what works?

This way we can avoid frustrating users that will discover post install that their video card is black listed (so Compiz doesn't work), having compatibility problems with several chipsets (like jmicron), non-working web cams, unsupported multi-monitor setups, etc.

When you know in advance what you're facing, it is easier to cope, instead of wasting time and discovering after the fact that the hardware is not fully supported.

for example:
Running the hardware wizard from Wubi on my main machine will yield the following result (based on my actual experience installing Hardy):

Hardware discovered:

(X) motherboard: MSI Neo 965 - known problem - unsupported jMicron chipset, the system will not be bootable.
(V) Video card: Nvidia 8800gts 320mb - hardware support is available.
(X) Dual screens: Dual screens are not properly supported using the propriety nvidia drivers.
(X) Printer: Epson pixma ip1500 - printer is not supported.
(V) scanner: HP (something) - supported.
(X) Webcam: Samsung (something) - webcam not supported.
(V) iPod : supported.
(V) Palm Pilot m505: supported.

On my laptop:
(V) Motherboard: compal (something) Supported.
(V) SDcard slot: supported.
(X) Video card: Radeon 9000 64mb - partial hardware support, Compiz will not be enabled, TV-out will not be supported.

A nice addition would be some sort of performance quantifier.

[177 votes] Solution #1: Auto-generated solution of idea #10580


]]> en-us Tue, 01 Jul 2008 19:43:01 +0000 Sat, 02 Aug 2008 15:32:58 +0000 QAPoll module http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/10580/
There should be different indicator levels for difficulty in getting anything else working (if in gui then green/yellow/red/black-can't do, if text then various letters), like "it's possible to get webcam working but you'll need to visit this site, or this forum, or google the model number'. Yellow might be .deb package to download and easy install with gdebi(?), Red is you're off to command line land, Black is no one has figured it out yet maybe get a different device).

Database size will be huge so it won't fit on the CD and will need server space and an active internet.




]]> Tue, 01 Jul 2008 20:58:41 +0000
I do some computer repair/refurbishment so I see a lot of different hardware (that may or may not be broken, too) and it would be helpful to know "does X/K/Ubuntu recognize the hardware and is the hardware functioning correctly as expected".

]]> Tue, 01 Jul 2008 21:08:18 +0000
(Yes, I realize there's currently a 'load everything' task. That's exactly the thing I'm suggesting should be fixed after we have something that can give it the information necessary for it to only load drivers for what exists.)]]> Wed, 02 Jul 2008 00:38:36 +0000
EVEN BETTER: How about not having a wizard, but simply doing it on boot and presenting it non-intrusively in the installer?

Have a brief hardware test and report hardware that is known to not work correctly or that is not recognized.

This would require an internet connection as database on the CD would might be incomplete.]]> Thu, 03 Jul 2008 04:24:40 +0000 I really don't know how huge, perhaps it would fit on a CD, than ubuntu would have a 2 CD install. Of course that's less comfortable then, and it's also weird to have a second CD only for this wizard. People would then perhaps think "Ok, no risk, no fun, I just try without the hardware wizard, who cares" and wouldn't even bother.
And: instead of having this database, you could also have a whole bunch of drivers
Perhaps this should be discussed.]]> Fri, 04 Jul 2008 10:04:43 +0000 Sun, 06 Jul 2008 17:45:31 +0000 Mon, 07 Jul 2008 02:30:52 +0000
along with this there needs to be a "recommended Hardware list" in case some of your hardware is "listed as not supported"

also, if people "see a list" telling them that their hardware is not supported they won't bother, instead they will just boot back to windows and will never touch linux till their hardware 1 day magically says it's now supported...


so i have not voted on this idea till it gets revised.]]> Mon, 07 Jul 2008 07:22:21 +0000 Sat, 02 Aug 2008 15:32:58 +0000