online article: Should Linux vendors think differently?

[JanC]

On 10/14/05, David M <lists2005 at viewport.ukfsn.org> wrote:
> Hein-Pieter van Braam wrote in gmane.linux.ubuntu.sounder
>  about: Re: online article: Should Linux vendors think differently?
>
> > "popping the hardware in and insert the CD" rarely works in windows,
> > especially for USB devices, as people DO NOT READ instructions. It
> > should be fool proof, the instructions usually state that you must
> > install the drivers BEFORE inserting the device, it's very rare that
> > people read that, and in some cases in can in fact, lead to
> > non-functioning hardware.=20
>
> Why is that?
> It seems utterly broken that the driver needs to be installed before the
> device is connected.
>
> I mean, it goes without saying that the device will not work without the
> driver being installed, but why should it make any difference that the
> device MUST NOT be connected first?
>
> Does WinDOS, on device detection, attempt to install some generic driver
> instead? If that would cause problems with the device then something,
> whether software or hardware is surely 'broken'?

When I plugged my brothers digital camera in my dad's laptop before I
installed the drivers, I got a BSOD & WinXP reboot.  I thought the
warning about installing drivers + programs first was just to get the
limited promo-versions of commercial software installed on your PC
(requirements: 100 MiB of disk space!), but apparently it was not only
that.  And now, after installing those drivers & programs, pluging in
the camera pops up 3 different programs...  *sigh*

(The camera "just works" on Ubuntu 5.10, as a standard USB storage device.)

--
JanC