|
Rationale
When you go to "Device information" (i don't remember how it's called) in Ubuntu, I just see the devices and some strange and useless for me information.
I need a way of managing devices - see what devices i have in my system, what drivers i have, what version, who is the vendor. I need an easy and intuitive way of installing new drivers. Something like ".inf" files in Windows?
I need a way of keeping the drivers in an archive, to be able installing them anytime i need.
+ Possibility to enable/disable interactively devices
Tags:
(none)
|
|
262
votes
|
|
350
0
88
|
|
|
|
|
Propose your solution
Attachments
No attachments.
Duplicates
Comments
|
neon
wrote on the 28 Feb 08 at 20:28
|
|
|
Yes PLEASE.
It's so annoying using that thing, I hardly have any clue what the heck any of it means. o__o;;
|
|
|
Windows has terrible driver support out of the box. So they make it very easy to install third party drivers.
Linux's strength is having all drivers in the core kernel. This way they can be stabilized more and be more integrated with the rest of the system.
|
|
silux
wrote on the 28 Feb 08 at 20:34
|
|
|
It would still be nice to be able to go in and manage all your devices in one place to unload/load devices, etc. This is difficult to do if you don't understand what the device your application is referring too is.
I agree, the current device manager is too confusing for most users.
|
|
bdrell
wrote on the 28 Feb 08 at 21:56
|
|
|
Part of this is the inherent difference in how Ubuntu (and Linux in general) handles device drivers. They are not separate entities for the most part, they actually come as part of the Linux kernel. There are a few exceptions, like proprietary video drivers.
The device manager certainly could use some help, though. In its current form you can't actually "manage" anything, only view some device information. It would make sense to roll the restricted drivers manager into the same module where you could load and unload kernel modules for various devices manually, or at least look at what modules are loaded and the devices they are associated with. Perhaps with a dependency tree view as well.
Basically, things should be grouped a little better. Why have 2 different modules for devices in 2 different places? (Hardware Information and Restricted Drivers Manager) They are functionally related, so they should be grouped.
|
|
bdrell
wrote on the 28 Feb 08 at 22:02
|
|
|
Part of this is the inherent difference in how Ubuntu (and Linux in general) handles device drivers. They are not separate entities for the most part, they actually come as part of the Linux kernel. There are a few exceptions, like proprietary video drivers.
The device manager certainly could use some help, though. In its current form you can't actually "manage" anything, only view some device information. It would make sense to roll the restricted drivers manager into the same module where you could load and unload kernel modules for various devices manually, or at least look at what modules are loaded and the devices they are associated with. Perhaps with a dependency tree view as well.
Basically, things should be grouped a little better. Why have 2 different modules for devices in 2 different places? (Hardware Information and Restricted Drivers Manager) They are functionally related, so they should be grouped.
|
|
|
I think this is where many users get frustrated with linux.
My limited understanding of the differences in how linux deals with drivers compared to windows means that this suggestion may not be possible, but I won't be alone in wishing we had something similar to Device Manager.
In DM, you can see a clear list of your hardware (which updates when hotplug devices are connected), see whether there is a driver installed for it and enable and disable it as required. It's not perfect, but it gives control over devices that has never (to my knowledge) been possible to the average user in Linux.
There is a lot of us Ubuntu users that aren't exactly afraid of the command line, but find ourselves quite lost when we come across a device that doesn't "just work". Even a clear list that told us our new wifi adapter has been found but there is no driver available for it would be nicer than the silence you get at the moment. I'm sure modprobe (or something) would help, but surely there is no reason a GUI can't be implemented.... is there?
Again, I'm sure this is never going to happen for technical reasons, but it would be so nice to be able to manage devices like we manage packages. Easily.
Hope I don't sound too much like a noob. I've been happily running linux for many years and on the whole hardware support is so good that you rarely have to think about drivers. Having said this a tool is long overdue!
|
|
blindvic
wrote on the 29 Feb 08 at 14:05
|
|
|
|
Then, maybe we should develop a new driver infrastructure for Linux, that would suuport what we need?
|
|
|
Yes..We need this...And make it so easy even a person just leaving Windows will get it,and slap themselves upside the head for seeing how easy it is and not leaving Windows sooner.
Linux does not have to be like Windows,but there is no reason it cannot be as easy as Windows.
|
|
|
The only reason that there is no simple method of managing drivers and hardware through a GUI is more likely a result of developers who find the task of changing drivers to be "trivial" and that there are "more important" things to be done.
A well designed GUI for installing/configuring/upgrading drivers would bring a LOT of windows IT people, who simply don't want to spend hours reading documentation so they can configure their Webcam, over towards Ubuntu.
Nothing says you cant keep your .conf files for hand configuration, but the average user doesn't want to have anything to do with them, and this is something that the average Linux developer seems to have no concept of (probably because they are intimately familiar with an esoteric command line, so it seems like no trouble for them, and by extrapolation no trouble for anyone else.)
Ubuntu is the closest thing I've seen to a usable linux desktop for the average user/power user. A proper GUI device manager would make things 100% easier 99% of the time.
|
|
|
this is a very very important addition to ubuntu. linux has needed a device manager for ages and i really hope that there is some real progress in this area soon.
this is the 1 thing that prevents a lot of people i know from switching to ubuntu.
|
|
azimout
wrote on the 13 Mar 08 at 18:25
|
|
|
|
i would like a "find" capability in the hal device manager...
|
|
|
Hardy 8.04 ... I have no device manager. I see postings that instruct people to go to System>Administration>Device Manager; however, it's not on any of my computers and they all run Hardy.
HAL is a joke.
lshw is so expansive it's useless.
How about something Joe Dirt can use without having to search the net for days before he can find what he needs.
DUH!
|
Post your comment
|
