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Idea #10777: Driver database for Windows specific devices converted to Linux.

Written by XMBuntu the 6 Jul 08 at 03:25. Category: Hardware support. Related project: Nothing/Others. Status: New
Rationale
It would be nice to have some sort of driver system for Windows devices such as Zunes, Webcams, etc. Having a program or database filled with compatible drivers would be great for people who own Windows and Linux OS's and have devices they want to use with both systems. It can be a hastle to download and use emulators for such things, also it sucks up good processing power and system memory.

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Solution #1: Auto-generated solution of idea #10777
Written by XMBuntu the 6 Jul 08 at 03:25.
Ubuntu Brainstorm was updated in January 2009. Since the idea #10777 was submitted before this update, its rationale and solution are not separated. Please vote accordingly, and if you have the necessary rights, please separate the rationale from the solution. Thanks!
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Solution #2: Windows driver emulator/compiler
Written by FlameSoul the 17 Sep 09 at 05:45.
I was thinking about the same that is proposed here. One of linux main problems is that there are not as many drivers as in windows, so, it would be great if windows drivers could be "installed", then emulated and perhaps get a compiled driver optimized for running in linux; or at least get most of the existing drivers to work on linux even though that would use up some resources.
I'm sure it's not easy to do this, but it would be a great achievement.

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Comments
Auzy wrote on the 6 Jul 08 at 07:49
This is a probably a dupe of: Suggesting APT packages for specific devices

Which will suggest programs and packages to install based on the device plugged in, and show you the options to use it.

glotz wrote on the 6 Jul 08 at 07:52
Don't buy such hardware. Or if you already did, write to the manufacturer.

Auzy wrote on the 6 Jul 08 at 08:05
There's more to hardware support then a driver glotz. A 3D printer company may offer a linux driver, but we might not include it by default anyway, because a 3D printer's drivers would be epic.

And even with them installed, you'd still want to recommend to the user a CAD package.

Same as a USB midi keyboard. It might be supported by linux, but the user needs to know what software they can use to record music.

Auzy wrote on the 6 Jul 08 at 08:11
Btw, the perfect example actually is a blu-ray drive. Windows supports the actual drive (no drivers needed). But a blu-ray drive is useless without also possessing a media player capable of playing the Blu-ray movie files.

So we would have the same problem. We already support using the drives, but a player is needed to actually convert the Blu-ray movies into onscreen motion pictures & sound. Yet, the player is userland, and its not really a driver. Its an application.

FlameSoul wrote on the 22 Sep 09 at 01:55
Perhaps i didn't make myself all that clear. I mean that if, for example, you didn't know some hardware is not compatible with linux and you want to have linux on that computer, you can "make" the driver for linux from the existing one available for windows. I think that would be a good thing.

Don't think that because you may know a lot about linux all of linux users have to know such things. And it'll sure be easier for people that are new to linux if they had some of that tiny little "problems" solved (I particularly am somewhat in the middle, I'm not really good at command lines, but at least I've searched enough to know about compatible/incompatible hardware)


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