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Linux Drivers Just Got Better!
solutions.brother.com — Printer Manufacturer Brother is now supporting Linux, and besides providing the drives on an RPM or Debian package, they also provide step by step instructions on how to get them working. It took me about 45 minutes to get a multi-function unit printing AND scanning over the network using openSUSE 10.2
richempire- 782 diggs
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- Zonbu108, on 10/10/2007, -5/+8Hurray!!!!!
- saleem, on 10/10/2007, -9/+3yeah linux drivers are better but asian women drivers can't follow simple road signs.
/sarcasm- ghindo, on 10/10/2007, -7/+1Dugg down for the /sarcasm tag.
- da420, on 10/10/2007, -7/+0dugg down because i felt like it.
- Disease, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5Dugg down because everyone else is doing it.
- da420, on 10/10/2007, -7/+0dugg down because i felt like it.
- ghindo, on 10/10/2007, -7/+1Dugg down for the /sarcasm tag.
- Giga, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Hurray? Brother has had linux drivers for a long time, this is nothing new.
- saleem, on 10/10/2007, -9/+3yeah linux drivers are better but asian women drivers can't follow simple road signs.
- XVampireX, on 10/10/2007, -10/+7345 minutes for a god damn driver is bad
- Spr0k3t, on 10/10/2007, -2/+10Well said, doesn't take me more than 5 minutes to get a mostly working PS printer up.
- xmodem2, on 10/10/2007, -1/+15 minutes? Man, with my mac, I can plug in a postscript printer. Then, I can go File -> Print in any application and print. 30 second setup. Don't even have to look at a preferences window. Although admittedly there are other reasons for choosing your computer than how long it takes to set up your printer.
- xmodem2, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1btw digg please fix the comment system
- jeffeb3, on 10/22/2007, -1/+25over the network though? Scanning over the network? That's not an easy task.
- bias, on 10/10/2007, -20/+4What do you expect? they gotta make everything use a bit more time so they don't get bore easily. They don't have any professional programs like graphic design, video editing, 3d, audio editing to do their work on, nor any good games to play for their entertainment. All they do is watching extreme pervert animal sex videos, setup multiple virtual machines for even more Linux to spend their time on, and read tutorials, and read tutorials, and read tutorials, and read tutorials... and read more tutorials.
- burty89, on 10/10/2007, -2/+5OK, here goes: WTF???
- pooptaster, on 10/10/2007, -3/+1The animal sex part is probably about the mplayer bug report that was so popular the other day. I'd link to it, but it's been taken down. Basically, a guy reported a bug to mplayer and included the output. In it was a list of recently opened files. They included filenames like: /private farm video - extremely perverted
animal sex porno!!!!!!!!.mpeg
I think the rest of his comment, while lame, is pretty self-explanatory
- pooptaster, on 10/10/2007, -3/+1The animal sex part is probably about the mplayer bug report that was so popular the other day. I'd link to it, but it's been taken down. Basically, a guy reported a bug to mplayer and included the output. In it was a list of recently opened files. They included filenames like: /private farm video - extremely perverted
- voyvf, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2i notice the only programs, aside from games, you mentioned were relevant to art and/or design of some sort.
good thing it doesn't take a fanboy to write code. :D - maz2331, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I use it to make money.
- srg13, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2"They don't have any professional programs like graphic design, video editing, 3d, audio editing to do their work on,"
Ha ha... you've got to be kidding. If you ever work in the visual effects industry, you'll see that many Maya (3D modeling, animation etc.) seats are on Linux, as well as compositing (like Apple Shake, the Foundry's Nuke, Autodesk Flame and Combustion) and digital grading/Digital intermediate (like Autodesk Lustre, Iradus Speedgrade etc.).
And, if it's not on Linux, it's usually on Mac OS..
- burty89, on 10/10/2007, -2/+5OK, here goes: WTF???
- mikesown, on 10/10/2007, -19/+9Yep. This is exactly why Linux is terrible for desktop use. 45 minutes to install a printer driver is considered amazing, despite the fact that it takes less than 5 on a Windows or Macintosh computer.
- SimonGray, on 10/10/2007, -1/+18And it takes less than 5 seconds on Fedora / next Ubuntu because it configures automatically, Your point? This is a bit more advanced than just "a printer driver".
- burty89, on 10/10/2007, -1/+10And you can then scan over a network right? In 5 minutes?
Getting a printer working in recent Linux distros involves just plugging it in and waiting a few seconds for it to be detected (or if there's no driver in the distro then one needs to be installed, just as on windows/OS X/[insert random os here]). - Gavagai80, on 10/10/2007, -4/+165 minutes is horrible. All my printers have required 0 seconds to set up in linux, since the OS pre-supports a vast number of them. That's why Windows and Mac are terrible for desktop use.
- bias, on 10/10/2007, -11/+6hmmm that's the problem, your uber Linux only support a "vast number of" hardwares, but Windows support "all" of them. Windows may support less on the disk, but it does support every single PC hardwares (which always come with driver) out there. The worst case in Windows is you need to find your driver cd or on the web, but the worst case in Linux is that you have to wait weeks/months/years, throw away your hardwares, or learn how to program your own driver.
- Xanium4332, on 10/10/2007, -3/+14No, Windows supports almost nothing, drivers are written for windows to help improve it's support. Ubuntu comes with almost every driver, and 9/10 times you won't need to do anything special.
- over90000, on 10/10/2007, -7/+1I don't know what Xanium is talking about. Windows has a vast library of drivers and has coped with every hardware I've chucked at it.
- pooptaster, on 10/10/2007, -0/+9On my laptop, the only devices that have full functionality on a fresh Windows install for me are my mouse, monitor, keyboard, and hard drive.
I have to go out and get drivers for my graphics card, sound card, touchpad, network card, wireless card, some special stuff for my chipset, the special keys on my keyboard...you get the point. - brianary, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4Nope. Installing Windows always means I have to boot into Ubuntu and download the damn Windows network drivers, then go hunting for all the other drivers, which are not included or out of date.
- srg13, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3On my PC, I had to install the network driver, graphics driver, sound card, printer, scanner, but with Linux they are all supported out of the box.
And just because there are drivers written by manufacturers doesn't mean they are any good. The printer/scanner software is a 300 meg download (seriously), and installs a whole lot of really useless software, which if I remove, stops the scanner from working...
- bias, on 10/10/2007, -11/+6hmmm that's the problem, your uber Linux only support a "vast number of" hardwares, but Windows support "all" of them. Windows may support less on the disk, but it does support every single PC hardwares (which always come with driver) out there. The worst case in Windows is you need to find your driver cd or on the web, but the worst case in Linux is that you have to wait weeks/months/years, throw away your hardwares, or learn how to program your own driver.
- bias, on 10/10/2007, -16/+3In the Windows & Mac world, you pay the money up front so you can just spend time to "USE" your computer. In the Linux world, you get it for free at first. Then pay by wasting the time that you should be working or playing to read and learn to use an OS that you can't do your work on or play any of your favorite games on. They don't realize that time is money, the time you spend on making everything on your Linux desktop work is costing more than several copies of Windows Vista (if you have a decent job). And most people don't care if MS is evil or not, people just want their computer to work right away. Who would like to spend more time fixing your tools than using your tools?
- doodlebumm, on 10/10/2007, -1/+9It takes me less time to set up a Ubuntu system than it does a Windows XP system. Drivers are mostly all preloaded and ready to go in Ubuntu, while most new hardware will require a driver on XP. I just loaded a system with 3 year old hardware with XP/SP2. I had to load about 8 drivers to get it to all work properly. I loaded Ubuntu on it and it just ran. Not only that, but I had more applications on Ubuntu than I did on XP, and it took less time to load, and was easier to load. Hmmm. I think that Ubuntu wins that race. Sure there are some things that take longer on Ubuntu. I'd be a fool to say that there isn't, but I'll take Ubuntu over XP any day.
- voyvf, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4@bias - that's a lot of FUD you're spewing.
especially since you're forgetting to mention the effect that forced (and paid) upgrades have on the total cost of ownership of Windows.- bias, on 10/10/2007, -6/+2I didn't forget anything, Who forced you to upgrade to anything at all? People are still very happily using their XP, no one is forcing anyone to upgrade to Vista. And what's the FUD you talking about? Just do a search on digg, how many tutorials do we get everyday? There are Linux tutorial for changing fonts, icons, install nvidia drivers, ati drivers... etc. Of course right now Linux is supporting large number of hardwares and it's getting better and better, but still it's not "all the hardwares". Hell, the time I saved I can even buy a new computer, at least the money I spent is for the hardwares and not wasted to reading tutorials to do simple things on an OS.
- Spr0k3t, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4@bias: You really should at least try to use Linux before you start to bash at it like it's second nature. Every bit of Linux can be customized to suit your needs. Much of what you find in Windows is kept under lock and key of the registry unless you know where to find it. What you mention above is extremely easy (fonts, icons, video drivers) with any modern distribution; There is very little involved with the end user. You should also re-read doodlebumm's response... he has outlined very clearly where the hardware support is greater in Linux than in Windows; it seems obvious you are too blind to see it without having someone point it out to you.
FUD: "...pay by wasting the time that you should be working or playing to read and learn to use an OS that you can't do your work on..."
That would apply to any OS for a new computer user... not just Linux. An extremely good example if you will; ask any seasoned MS Office power user their honest opinions of the new ribbon interface. I don't think the power users were able to find everything they wanted the first ten to twenty times they used the new interface. Granted that's a generalization, but it seems the overall tone and mood proving my point. Hell, took me over twenty minutes just to find the damn insert column break function... and even then I never found it, just used the 2003 hotkeys.
My point is, everything has a learning curve. How long did it take for you to figure out why you should use Add/Remove Programs... or what the System Event Logs were used for. What about the Group Policy Editor and how to effectively lock down your computer system? You can't say a new user is going to know these things without reading... and reading takes time. Time, as you say, is money. So the free up front cost is still free in the long run when you compare the two in the same light... not just generalizing "every new computer user is a windows user".
Next.
- sqrt7744, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1The day before yesterday I helped a friend set up a brand new computer that will be running neural net analysis code: it has 4 AMD opteron processors, 2 Nvidia 8800 GTX graphic cards, a SATA raid array and Gigabit lan. I installed virgin ubuntu feisty 64 and *EVERYTHING* worked. The install took literally 20 mins. (we then added some special libraries that he needs for his code - which was also way easier than windows - a single command fetches and installed everything we needed). I challenge you to do the same with XP. Good luck.
- silencerar, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Actually, I can't use my scanner (epson branded) in windows because they never released a windows xp driver, but in linux I am able to use it without any problems.
- jorgepblank, on 10/10/2007, -22/+5GPL hippies bitch about something not being open source, then if it is, how long it takes to use, then after that, its price; you have to stop bitching, beggars can't be choosers.
Burry me, bitch.- kahrytan, on 10/10/2007, -11/+1I dugg you. And I agree with you.
- davidrools, on 10/10/2007, -0/+16next kernel version will probably have all the drivers preloaded, so you plug it in and it's ready to go. That's how most hardware works in linux now. So while it takes Windows/Mac users 5 minutes (more realistically 15-20 minutes including going to the website to download the latest driver, then run the setup app, then reboot), it takes but seconds and requires no clicks or anything for the Linux user.
- over90000, on 10/10/2007, -6/+0And what about the latest and greatest hardware that comes after the kernel update?
- hexydes, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5Then for the bleeding edge, they can install it themselves, or for the other 99% of users, they can wait six months or less to get it in the next update.
- davidrools, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1it drops $200 in price after two months?
- richardyork, on 10/10/2007, -3/+1Um, since when does it take that long on a Mac? Mac's are preloaded with drivers too.
- CCmachined, on 10/22/2007, -0/+1yeah, if its "mac compatible"...
- over90000, on 10/10/2007, -6/+0And what about the latest and greatest hardware that comes after the kernel update?
- Spr0k3t, on 10/10/2007, -2/+10Well said, doesn't take me more than 5 minutes to get a mostly working PS printer up.
- jbus, on 10/10/2007, -3/+36If it took you 45 minutes to get it working, either brother needs to review their "step by step instructions" or you need to get some outside help following those instructions. My no good for nothing multi-function Epson printer took about 5 to 10 seconds to get working on Ubuntu and I'm serious about the "no good for nothing" part.
- Cl1mh4224rd, on 10/10/2007, -0/+9> ". . .and I'm serious about the "no good for nothing" part."
So... it's good for everything? Awesome printer.- voyvf, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Huzzah for grammar!
- msgyrd, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3I have an HP F380 all in one, like $60 at Wal-Mart, $12 refills. As of Feisty, just plug it in and confirm that it autodetected it correctly.
- Cl1mh4224rd, on 10/10/2007, -0/+9> ". . .and I'm serious about the "no good for nothing" part."
- richempire, on 10/10/2007, -1/+24Well, I Admit I had no clue on what I was doing and it only took me so long because the instructions mounted the printer as a USB, mine is on the network on a different room over wi-fi and I needed to figure out how to point to it. I'm sure that someone with more knowledge/experience than me, or of connecting the printer locally can get this going in no time. To me 45 minutes from start to finish including research is nothing considering a few DAYS to get the NVIDIA driver the first time. Please don't focus on my inexperience not my lack of knowledge but on the fact that a reputable company like Brother is finally taking Linux Seriously. and I also agree with jbus, if they would have had the instructions right on how to connect to the printer over the network, it might have taking me a lot less.
- sparql, on 10/10/2007, -10/+1Maybe I missed the news, but since when is Brother a "reputable company"?
- maybeway36, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2I've never gotten samba printing to work.
- socomoddjob, on 10/22/2007, -18/+18Linux > Windows
- SwissCamel, on 10/10/2007, -5/+2No they didn't. Not really.
- Wrathernaut, on 10/10/2007, -0/+8These guides have been around for quite some time... I have had my Brother 3820CN all-in-one running on my network for about a year now.
Step-by-step worked so well that I'm surprised these drivers are not included with Ubuntu and other distros.- homelinux, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1That's right. I have a MFC5840CN and it has been up and running for a year now. The instructions are not great, but kudos to Brother for the effort. Scanning was fairly easy to set-up. I've been hooked to Brother just for the support (their product is good, too)
- elev, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I have the MFC-210C and I've been printing with it in Feisty Fawn for almost 6mo. What exactly is new here?
- DJCraig, on 10/10/2007, -15/+1wtf, why does it support every distribution EXCEPT Ubuntu?? Ubuntu is a bigger market (or can you call it that in the open source world?) than all of these put together!
- sauvaget, on 10/10/2007, -0/+11the debian files work fine with ubuntu.
- AnarkeIncarnate, on 10/10/2007, -0/+7debian package
- neomis, on 10/10/2007, -0/+7Ubuntu falls under the category of Debian
- renegadeafk, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2D'oh
- 1n4007, on 10/10/2007, -1/+10And this once again proves that Ubuntu users don't have a clue what they're actually using. sad
- burty89, on 10/10/2007, -1/+7I agree in this case, but don't generalize, not everyone using Ubuntu is ignorant.
- GaryS278, on 10/10/2007, -5/+0yes, they are
- sauvaget, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3no I'm not. I started off with Debian when I still had time to fiddle around with every single setting. Nowadays, I prefer to just pop the install cd into the drive and have things up and running within 30 minutes.
If I had to configure a "secure server" however, I'd be back on Debian stable in no time.
- sauvaget, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3no I'm not. I started off with Debian when I still had time to fiddle around with every single setting. Nowadays, I prefer to just pop the install cd into the drive and have things up and running within 30 minutes.
- GaryS278, on 10/10/2007, -5/+0yes, they are
- burty89, on 10/10/2007, -1/+7I agree in this case, but don't generalize, not everyone using Ubuntu is ignorant.
- jeffeb3, on 10/22/2007, -2/+13Don't we call them modules, not drivers?
- VenTatsu, on 10/10/2007, -0/+15All Linux Kernel drivers are Linux Kernel modules, but not all modules are drivers.
- nybble41, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Furthermore, not all Linux drivers are Linux Kernel drivers. Printer drivers tend to be user-level programs, not kernel modules. They interact with the hardware through a generic USB or Legacy Line Printer (Parallel Port) kernel module compatible with nearly all printers, supported or otherwise.
- kingrayray, on 10/10/2007, -0/+7No, we don't. Because a kernel module isn't necessarily a device driver. :)
- VenTatsu, on 10/10/2007, -0/+15All Linux Kernel drivers are Linux Kernel modules, but not all modules are drivers.
- Liamm, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5This is nothing new. I've been using a Brother MFC-420CN for a couple years now with Brothers drivers and instructions, Scanning printing and faxing over the network. Buried
- schestowitz, on 10/10/2007, -9/+2O' Brother.
- lambda, on 10/10/2007, -16/+245 minutes...why do you linux users insist on making your lives hell? Don't be a cheap ass, just pay the $250 or whatever it is for a copy Windows.
- SrDigger, on 10/10/2007, -2/+3Because we can
because we are smart
because we know the good stuff
cause we're not lame and we don't use what everyone else uses...
shall I continue?? - Gavagai80, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4Because everything I actually want to do is quicker in linux than windows. Time savings and ease of maintence were major factors which swayed me. Of course it's not the same for everyone -- if I played a lot of games, for example, I'd rather use Windows than mess with WINE.
Of course if you buy incompatible hardware and come up with odd ways of doing things you can make things as hard as you want. Your choice. It's like people who complain installations are difficult because they try to compile stuff from source. - frontporsche, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2... plus the cost of another system, the effort of setting it up and maintaining it, the extra power consumed, just for a printer?
- SrDigger, on 10/10/2007, -2/+3Because we can
- Rileyper, on 10/10/2007, -6/+1oh r33ly
- bshell, on 10/10/2007, -11/+445 minutes? You must be very proud. Mine worked in Windows in just under 2m.
- burty89, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Does nobody read? I highly doubt you can get your printer/scanner setup to print on a local machine in windows within 2 minutes, that'd be pushing it at the very least. More realistically, you'd need to go find the driver on the manufacturers site or on a CD, install it, then more than likely you'd need to reboot. After that, you can print/scan locally, not over a network as the comment you're referring to mentions.
Compare this with Ubuntu Gutsy, which took about 10 seconds from me switching on my Epson Stylus D68 to pop up a little notification stating that it was ready to print, with no interaction from me at all.
I know setting up a printer over a network in windows is not terribly hard in windows, but its definitely no harder in Linux (at least in Ubuntu & openSuSE). As for scanning over a network, is that even possible in windows? Forgive my ignorance on scanning as I've never tried it over a network on either platform. - goffy59, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4I use windows, but your a ***** idiot. I recently gave Linux a try and all the things Linux fan boys claim about Linux happen to ALL be true. Linux supports more devices and has more drivers. Linux is powerful tool if you get off your lazy ass and actually try to use it. I gave it my all for 1 weekend and got very good results. Been using Linux ever since. I dual boot Ubuntu, Windows XP, and Vista Ultimate (POS). I got Ventrilo, Warcraft 3, and Diablo 2 running great with WINE. So my guess is that your ignorant. (Coming from someone who has used every Microsoft OS ever made).
Bonus: My CPU stays cooler now that Linux runs all the time (due to the fact it doesn't rape my CPU), I am not kidding. And I'm not an idiot. 9 degrees C cooler in idle. - goffy59, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1I use windows, but your a ***** idiot. I recently gave Linux a try and all the things Linux fan boys claim about Linux happen to ALL be true. Linux supports more devices and has more drivers. Linux is powerful tool if you get off your lazy ass and actually try to use it. I gave it my all for 1 weekend and got very good results. Been using Linux ever since. I dual boot Ubuntu, Windows XP, and Vista Ultimate (POS). I got Ventrilo, Warcraft 3, and Diablo 2 running great with WINE. So my guess is that your ignorant. (Coming from someone who has used every Microsoft OS ever made).
Bonus: My CPU stays cooler now that Linux runs all the time (due to the fact it doesn't rape my CPU), I am not kidding. And I'm not an idiot. 9 degrees C cooler in idle.
- burty89, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Does nobody read? I highly doubt you can get your printer/scanner setup to print on a local machine in windows within 2 minutes, that'd be pushing it at the very least. More realistically, you'd need to go find the driver on the manufacturers site or on a CD, install it, then more than likely you'd need to reboot. After that, you can print/scan locally, not over a network as the comment you're referring to mentions.
- eclectro, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4I am using a Brother HL-5250N laser printer with Linux. Brother's support of Linux was the primary decision for purchasing this (and another) laser printer.
- StateTheObvious, on 10/10/2007, -6/+7Wow thats really something. I set up an HP Multi printer in Ubuntu. Took me, um, well actually I just plugged it in and it worked. Didnt have to install anything. Set it up as a network printer on another PC in about 30 seconds. So...sounds like either Brothers drivers suck, or Suse sucks. Or maybe both.
And to the guy that says buy winblowz...why??? Winblowz doesnt know what the term 'plug and play' means. That only exists on Macs and Linux. Maybe you should try a free OS and stop making the worlds richest man even richer. Or spend a buttload on a Mac and help Jobs unseat Gates. Either way you would probably fall in love with your new OS and wonder why you ever used Winblowz to begin with.- Beatmiser, on 10/10/2007, -1/+8Calling it "Winblowz" really makes me not give a ***** about your argument.
- StateTheObvious, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1LOL...ok. I guess we're even then as I dont give a ***** about anything WINBLOWZ! I call it that because it does...tho not a fault of the OS. It's just more of Gates telling us what we want/need rather than letting the end user decide for themself. Well that and WINBLOWZ security is all in the User Layer rather than in the Kernel. Thats why both Mac and Linux are exponentially more secure than WINBLOWZ.
- Gavagai80, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Fair enough, but the fact that some proponents of an OS make childish arguments for it isn't an argument against the OS. It may or may not be better for your needs, depending on what your needs are. But you'd have to learn a bit to find out how well they're met, you're not going to learn an OS in 10 minutes.
- StateTheObvious, on 10/10/2007, -1/+0Agreed...choosing an OS is just that, a choice. People should choose what suits them the best. However, most people either don't know Linux exists, or think that its much more difficult to use than Windows. Linux has come along way, and the fact is, what most people use the PCs for would be better off with some flavor of Linux. (which just so happens would save them money, and everyone likes to save money. This is America after all ;) ) I just recently switched from Fedora to Ubuntu and I admit it has impressed me on ease of use.
- CatalystGhost, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1But getting free software helps the communists! You don't want to support communist terrorism, do you? /sarcasm
- StateTheObvious, on 10/10/2007, -1/+0Of course I do! I 'm a democrat!
/I know...low blow ;)
- StateTheObvious, on 10/10/2007, -1/+0Of course I do! I 'm a democrat!
- CCmachined, on 10/22/2007, -0/+1windows sucks so we call it winblowz... makes sense to you? does to me...
- Beatmiser, on 10/10/2007, -1/+8Calling it "Winblowz" really makes me not give a ***** about your argument.
- spltimg, on 10/10/2007, -1/+9Always digg for an organization supporting FOSS
- SrDigger, on 10/10/2007, -3/+0That's really good, but Brother!!?? come on. oohh I'll waiting for something more useful like gfx cards or wifi network cards. I spend 1 day recompiling my kernel and installing drivers for my wifi card.
- StateTheObvious, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4What OS are you using? I installed a Netgear WG311T in Ubuntu. Plug and play like everything else. (Well, except the NVidia drivers. I did have to get those from the application manager. I was so disappointed. I had to click my mouse TWICE...TWICE to make it work!)
- Beatmiser, on 10/10/2007, -7/+4This is a bit of a metaphor- or at least it is in my brain... Anyone remember the episode of South Park with the Indian Hair Tampons with all the holistic medicine? There was a line where Stan's Mom asks him if he knows about "Natural Toothpaste" and Stand responds: "You mean the stuff that tastes like ass and doesn't clean your teeth?" to which his mom replies "Yes, but it's natural"
Somehow this reminds me of Linux users talking about their chosen OS.- StateTheObvious, on 10/10/2007, -3/+5At least I get to choose how my OS appears, operates etc. Better than being told by Gates what I want. But thats just me. I never was a very good sheep :P
I dont like my desktop...I just change it. I dont like my windows manager, I change it. Try that in Winblowz!- Beatmiser, on 10/10/2007, -3/+2I do the same thing with Windowblinds...what's your point?
Windows at least lets me plug in my usb wireless card without having to : Download and configure NDIS Wrapper... oh wait I couldn't do that because I didn't have a network connection with which to download it...- StateTheObvious, on 10/10/2007, -2/+4Is that your only choice? There are 4 or 5 desktops I could choose from...3 or 4 windows managers.
And I dont have to download and install anything to get my dongle to work. Nor do I have to install anything off a CD. My point is that Windows does not offer the options Linux/Mac does, nor is there much of anything that is actually 'plug and play' in windows. For printers particularly, you have to install the drivers off the CD, then the mfg software, then reboot. Then you can use your new printer. I plug and play literally. Dont have to install anything at all. No reboot. The stuff just works.
That being said, I also am using Ubuntu. Things are not as easy in some other distros. - goffy59, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3I don't think you know how Linux works exactly. Windowsblinds or style xp are very limited slight modifications of the GUI. It still uses the default windows program. I'm new to Linux, but I've seen a lot of different Desktop/window managers that are all different, but offer the same thing. With windows blinds, its ALWAYS the same thing. Unless you use something like LITESTEP, your still stuck with explorer.exe.
As much as he seems rude about his support on windows, and me being a loyal windows xp user, I can easily say Linux is more powerful and more customizable. My Xserver crashed, and I was able to repair it without using a GUI. On windows it doesn't work without the GUI and the recovery console is EXTREMELY limited. When you boot into safe mode with command prompt it still uses a GUI. With Linux your able to do many things without the GUI, almost anything you can do on a GUI can be done in the terminal. I've been using ubuntu and I'm new to it but StateTheObvious is absolutely correct!
- StateTheObvious, on 10/10/2007, -2/+4Is that your only choice? There are 4 or 5 desktops I could choose from...3 or 4 windows managers.
- Beatmiser, on 10/10/2007, -3/+2I do the same thing with Windowblinds...what's your point?
- supermanred, on 10/10/2007, -5/+2God bless you for putting it the BEST way I've ever heard. Im going to use that! LOL LOL LOL
You just described every linux geek's reason for using linux... because its linux. I just laugh and sometimes the person on my laptop's screen in ichat laughs along. 45 minutes to install a printer is ridiculous.- StateTheObvious, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1There are multiple reasons for my choice of OS. Since I'm almost 40, and have better things to do then play games, I have no reason to spend $250 on an OS. My reasons personally are that I can change it to suit my preferences, and better security. I have tried and tried to get a virus to run on this machine. Tried Wine and VMWare. They just dont seem to want to do what they are supposed to. Damn those virus writers! I feel so neglected!
- StateTheObvious, on 10/10/2007, -3/+5At least I get to choose how my OS appears, operates etc. Better than being told by Gates what I want. But thats just me. I never was a very good sheep :P
- sheldonl, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Actually, the brother drivers are hideous and they haven't gotten much better over the last couple of years. If you want a printer that works well, buy epson or HP.
- Urusai, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I wonder why they don't support HPLIP.
- Wrathernaut, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5Brother printers, or linux? Linux does.
- buddyw, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4It doesn't take 45 min. I have done this a million times - very easy. three .deb packages and you can print and scan across the network.
btw, the windows driver package are about 100 MB larger and take about twice as long to download and install. - supermanred, on 10/10/2007, -8/+345 minutes to get a multifunction printer working in linux? Thats horrible. And if you call that an improvement, holy *****.
15 minutes with Windows and under 5 minutes in OS X if you count opening the box and plugging it in.
Linux is awesome... in theory. But multi-tasking talks and ***** walks. And this linux right now is walking, holmes.- StateTheObvious, on 10/10/2007, -2/+4Im not sure I understand this comment. Are you suggesting that Linux doesnt multitask? I have 4...FOUR desktops. And they are all on a cube I can flip around with my mouse. I can have multiple programs running at the same time, on multiple desktops. For that matter, I can add as many desktops/programs running as my hardware can handle. Linux is far better for multitasking than windows.
Face it peeps...there is NOTHING new or innovative about Windows...EVER. It is stuck several years behind other OS's. Mac and Linux are where the 'cutting edge' development goes first.
But I do agree with you on the whole 45 minute thing...thats much too long. That however, is probably due to his choice of OS (Suse) more than anything. That os is not exactly what someone would consider 'user friendly' for someone who is new to Linux.- supermanred, on 10/10/2007, -4/+1I dont use windows anymore. Im in OS X. I run Ubuntu in Parallels. I know what Im talking about. Software too hard to install, no driver support for most cutting edge hardware. Too much computer nerding to get it to work. I would never recommend linux to a non-computer saavy person. And by computer saavy I mean knowledge of coding and the internal workings of an os and a PC.
- StateTheObvious, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Hardware is easy, just make sure its compatible before you buy. Regardless of what OS you use you should research what you are buying anyway. And software, it depends on what you are trying to install. The average user doesnt need anything outside of the software repositories...and there is nothing comparable to that in Windows. Check a little box, click apply, and your software is installed. Nothing easier. I do however agree that there are things that could use improvement when downloading something off a website. You have to know some terminal commands in those cases (which do I use? sh filename, or ./filename, or ./configure, make, make install) If they ever get it to where you double click the file and the OS would automatically know what to do with it Linux could really take off.
I would particularly recommend Ubuntu to older users who do not do much more than surf the web and use email (which is the vast majority of em). Why? Those people don't understand security, and their computers are the most likely to be taken over by botnets. If those people were to switch away from Windows you would see a serious drop in both spam and botnet attacks. That is a fact that would be hard to argue against. - StateTheObvious, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0BTW...I don't mean to ignore the features in OS X, as I dont know what all it has. I havent actually messed with it much, as I am unwilling to pay a premium price for something just because it has an Apple logo on it. The few times I have tried it on others Macs, I found it, and this is my own opinion, just cheesy. To me it has the appearance (default anyway, dont know how customizable it is) of a teenage girls PC. So I just havent been motivated to see what it is capable of. What I do know is that it is better than Windows. ;)
- StateTheObvious, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Hardware is easy, just make sure its compatible before you buy. Regardless of what OS you use you should research what you are buying anyway. And software, it depends on what you are trying to install. The average user doesnt need anything outside of the software repositories...and there is nothing comparable to that in Windows. Check a little box, click apply, and your software is installed. Nothing easier. I do however agree that there are things that could use improvement when downloading something off a website. You have to know some terminal commands in those cases (which do I use? sh filename, or ./filename, or ./configure, make, make install) If they ever get it to where you double click the file and the OS would automatically know what to do with it Linux could really take off.
- supermanred, on 10/10/2007, -4/+1I dont use windows anymore. Im in OS X. I run Ubuntu in Parallels. I know what Im talking about. Software too hard to install, no driver support for most cutting edge hardware. Too much computer nerding to get it to work. I would never recommend linux to a non-computer saavy person. And by computer saavy I mean knowledge of coding and the internal workings of an os and a PC.
- srg13, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2So you didn't see the part in the description that said that this was to set it up to scan across the network? Or the other 10 comments that ignorant people made about this? Setting up a printer now just requires plugging it in and turning it on in newer distros. For the new drivers, you would probably have to factor in 30 seconds to download and install the deb or rpm.
- StateTheObvious, on 10/10/2007, -2/+4Im not sure I understand this comment. Are you suggesting that Linux doesnt multitask? I have 4...FOUR desktops. And they are all on a cube I can flip around with my mouse. I can have multiple programs running at the same time, on multiple desktops. For that matter, I can add as many desktops/programs running as my hardware can handle. Linux is far better for multitasking than windows.
- Midnitte, on 10/10/2007, -3/+1"45 minutes...why do you linux users insist on making your lives hell? Don't be a cheap ass, just pay the $250 or whatever it is for a copy Windows."
lol linux is free, and costs $339 for a redhat "Workstation and Multi-OS with Standard Subscription"
Linux Kernal > windows - kahrytan, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2 ...But...where is the drivers my Hauppauge (CX23418 based) tv card? I'm been waiting for the longest time for them.
- burty89, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Ask Hauppauge, just as you would for windows...
- Livinginx, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0I thought there was going to be some news in this one, guess not.
I have been using their drivers for almost 2 years. Their support for RPMs have been around for a while, deb package within the last year or so. - djangoxl, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Which models?
I fiddled with a HP printer last time big time (cups & ubuntu) and so I'm sure that if this is true...Brother will become my next model laser printer - thecheatah, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Iv been using my brother printer on ubuntu for scanning and printing for ever now. I think they had this from before too. I remember seeing this before
- famewolf, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0To all the ones saying it only took me 2 minutes to set up mine..I notice most of you keep talking about the printer portion..how many have their HP or epson multifunction working as a printer AND a scanner AND across the network? Model #'s please.
- StateTheObvious, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0Me. HP F380. Printer, scan, copy, networked. Like I said...plug and play...literally.
- xspinkickx, on 10/10/2007, -0/+245 is retarded long considering it takes 30 seconds to get my hp laser jet working over the network, hell ubuntu detected the damn thing over the network.
- srg13, on 10/10/2007, -0/+145 minutes for network scanning, not printing - that is plug and play.
Please read at least some of the comments - this has been mentioned many times
- srg13, on 10/10/2007, -0/+145 minutes for network scanning, not printing - that is plug and play.
- KevinJim, on 10/10/2007, -3/+1who gives a ***** about OpenSuse ???
- AnarkeIncarnate, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2I do. It is one of the best workstation/desktop OSes out there. I have tried ubuntu and found it lacking, plus what I learn in dealing with OpenSUSE translates to the SLES boxes I have at work
- mlblac02, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2I'd like to point out that the source code is also available on the website for people that don't like to use package managers. Dugg!
- wendall911, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0Buried, as this is has been the case for several years. Their MFC lpr driver has been available since June 2004. Also, this takes about five minutes to setup. I have a couple of these and do so all the time. The only news here is that they bury the linux drivers in the site so deep, you have to google search to actually find them. These drivers are also not included on the driver cds.
- erichmj, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1buried because submitter is a ***** idiot. brother has been supporting linux for well over 2 years now. just because you just found out about it doesn't mean it just happened.
- Bicep, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Hooray for Brother!!! I just submitted a nice comment to them at: http://www.brother-usa.com/AskUs/default.aspx
Also, I have a Brother MFC-8600 Multi-function printer/fax/copier and it works perfectly well without modificatian in fedora core Linux on one of my home machines.
Brother is awesome!!! Buy Brother!!!
Shannon VanWagner - anshuman, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1wow, i don't know or hear much about Brother printers but this move is obviously nice . hope other popular manufacturers follow this suit :)
+1 - adamroach, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0I've been using brother printers for years now. They've made linux drivers available for quite some time now. The setup is easy. Takes about 3 minutes after you've got the drivers downloaded. On Feisty its a matter of installing two packages, then adding the printer in the Printers section. Network scanning, network printing, and card reader all functions perfect.
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