[wiki][proposal] Ultimate linux hardware guide

Dinth · 2009-03-19 17:52:01

There were some compresive hardware HOWTOs in late 90s and early 2000s, which contained lots of hardware, and informations about linux support for them, and how make this support best.
Because Archlinux is very "low-level" distro in configuration maybe we can make now and up-to-date hardware guide. For example:

===Graphic Cards===
* GeForce 9999GTX
: isnt supported
* Ati HD2600
: is supported by [[fglrx]] drivers with 3d, [[radeon]] which works best with movies and 2d acceleration, and [[radeonhd] which will have 3d support.
*....

===CPUs===
* Core 2 Duo E4400
: is supported. Preferable kernel options are: .....
* ....

===Motherboards===
* Asus AB9 QuadGT
: is supported. Preferable kernel options are: ..... Sensors are controled by abitguru3 lmsensors module, etc. Watch out ICH8 hdd controler which makes system freeze when coping large files. Use JMicron controler (set module xxx in rc.conf)
* ....

===HDDs===
* Seagate Barracuda XI
: works good. set hdparm .... options
* ...

etc.

What do you think ?

.:B:. · 2009-03-19 17:55:00

I think you are looking for the deceased Gentoo wiki .

Seriously - it's a lot of stuff to write up on. A bit of googling usually tells you whether the stuff you have is supported.

Inxsible · 2009-03-19 18:01:33

Its a good idea...but at the same time, with hardware changing so rapidly, it will be a huge deal to create & upkeep.

Last edited by Inxsible (2009-03-19 18:02:05)

Dinth · 2009-03-19 18:04:41

Yeah, Google is one of my best friends Its easy to google if my motherboard is supported by linux, but its very hard to google what kernel options it needs. And using lens to read all microship symbols on motherboard, and finding them in kernel documentations isint easy also.
This guide should be about how configure hardware (of course not complicated things - only modules, kernel options, etc) in simplest way.

I can help. My english is poor, and i dont have access to lots of compueter hardware, but i have much wiki experience (www.wikipasy.pl)

Last edited by Dinth (2009-03-19 18:07:27)

u_no_hu · 2009-03-19 18:15:38

There is no point in a bikeshed discussion.

Start a wiki page with your data and post the link here . If people are interested they will contribute. I will add my working stuff for sure.

.:B:. · 2009-03-19 18:25:22

There are some sites that already document e.g. motherboards and the chipsets they use, and even if it's supported by Linux or not. I don't remember their names, but there is at least one.

rson451 · 2009-03-19 18:34:08

All in all this is a nice idea. Is the arch wiki the place for it though? No. Information like this is not distro specific.

Now for my opinion, I don't believe this information on our wiki is a good thing at all. If we put info like this on the wiki then newcomers are going to see the entry on the wiki and think it's easy to get their hardware working properly on arch because it's on the arch wiki. In fact, that's not always the case. Especially for users coming from the point and click distros when for whatever reason their hardware requires packages from the AUR. We get enough questions as it is.

byte · 2009-03-19 18:44:43

http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/HCL
http://en.opensuse.org/Portal/HCL
https://hardware.redhat.com/
http://hcl.mandriva.com/

http://www.linuxquestions.org/hcl/

http://www.linux-drivers.org/

Personally, I think it's a waste of time, especially if you begin to list individual models of each vendor. Just follow the Kernel development, for example on LWN.net, KernelNewbies.org or the Kernel Log on Heise Online, and you'll see when a certain chipset/device gets proper support.

Last edited by byte (2009-03-19 18:47:29)

Dinth · 2009-03-19 18:44:49

Start a wiki page with your data and post the link here .

I dont want to ruin my idea with my very poor english Hm, i can try to make this wiki page in monday, if opinions here will be positive.

byte wrote:

http://www.linuxquestions.org/hcl/
http://en.opensuse.org/Portal/HCL
http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/HCL

They all are for newcomers, which are intrested only if hardware works or not. They dont list modules which are needed by some piece of hardware, or module options with which it works best. My guide willn't be targeted to newcomers, but to somewhat experienced users, which buy new HDD and dont want to waste hours testing hdparm options which work best with their new drives, or buy new motherboard and dont want to waste hours (or even days) checking what RTC driver should be compiled for their new MB.

Last edited by Dinth (2009-03-19 18:49:56)

.:B:. · 2009-03-19 19:20:21

I don't want to say your suggestion is a bad one (it is not). But this kind of information is exactly what 'more experienced users' can find out easily - it's the people that start out with Linux who need this more than anyone. I have to agree with other people here the Arch wiki is not the most perfect place for stuff like that.

There are a few general rules all experienced Linux users know, and those are the following:
- Don't buy brand spanking new hardware, it won't be supported immediately
- Some brands are Linux-friendly, some are so-so, some aren't at all
- Hardware support depends on your kernel. Most distro's don't come with the latest and greatest kernel, so either you sit on it, or you build it yourself
- a lot of projects concerning hardware where Linux is lacking manufacturer support have often compatibility lists (wireless cards come to mind) where you can find exactly what revision containing what chip is supported

The more users turn Arch into a hand-holding distro, the more influx of that type of users they'll see. Then we can collectively start complaining about the pathetic level of the posts on the forum, and it's a full circle...

R00KIE · 2009-03-19 20:05:38

The idea is good but maybe it would be less difficult to say what doesn't work, or what can cause problems, as most things already have drivers and work "out of the box".
Like B said most info can be quickly checked by searching with google (specially about new hardware that doesn't work or widespread hardware that is a pain to get to work) but other things are quite rare and its hard to know if they really don't work of if the user is missing something.
Either way its a very hard task to keep things updated.

thisperishedmin · 2009-03-25 16:33:59

I like the idea...but I also agree that arch wiki is not the place for it. I would actually encourage you to setup a website devoted to the task. you could find a potentially high user base and assist every distro, not just Arch.

Arch Linux

#1 2009-03-19 17:52:01

[wiki][proposal] Ultimate linux hardware guide

#2 2009-03-19 17:55:00

Re: [wiki][proposal] Ultimate linux hardware guide

#3 2009-03-19 18:01:33

Re: [wiki][proposal] Ultimate linux hardware guide

#4 2009-03-19 18:04:41

Re: [wiki][proposal] Ultimate linux hardware guide

#5 2009-03-19 18:15:38

Re: [wiki][proposal] Ultimate linux hardware guide

#6 2009-03-19 18:25:22

Re: [wiki][proposal] Ultimate linux hardware guide

#7 2009-03-19 18:34:08

Re: [wiki][proposal] Ultimate linux hardware guide

#8 2009-03-19 18:44:43

Re: [wiki][proposal] Ultimate linux hardware guide

#9 2009-03-19 18:44:49

Re: [wiki][proposal] Ultimate linux hardware guide

#10 2009-03-19 19:20:21

Re: [wiki][proposal] Ultimate linux hardware guide

#11 2009-03-19 20:05:38

Re: [wiki][proposal] Ultimate linux hardware guide

#12 2009-03-25 16:33:59

Re: [wiki][proposal] Ultimate linux hardware guide

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