Proposal: More info about unsupported and/or non-free drivers

[Eric Feliksik]

HC Brugmans wrote:
> As I read it, he wants the following
> 
>     * System to detect which hardware is present (covered)
>     * System to check which hardware is present that is non-functional.
>     * System to inform the user that he/she has hardware that is 
> non-functional, and provide an explanation why and if available, 
> information on how to get it to work
> 
> While the first and second are covered or will be, I don't see how hwdb 
> in it's current setup would provide the third.
> I agree btw that this is something that is essential.
> 
> An OS should just work, and if it does not, people are turned off.
> You can't expect every new user to start googling, browing forums or 
> going to irc as us geeks would do. If you don't inform them about this 
> kind of thing, they'll be left in the dark, and quite likely switch away.
> 
> If on the other hand, you inform them about the issues with 
> non-supporting companies, patents, etc, and the personal consequence to 
> their computering experience, they'll quite likely piont their 
> dissapiontment to those companies/organisations that make our lives 
> difficult.
> 
> Which is as it should be.

You get my point *very* well. That was indeed what I meant, but maybe 
could not make clear.

Thanks,

Eric

> 
> Oliver Grawert wrote:
> 
>> hi,
>> Am Freitag, den 17.06.2005, 17:55 +0200 schrieb Eric Feliksik:
>>
>>> But does it also provide a system to give information to users? To 
>>> tell them why certain things won't work, what the chances are to get 
>>> it to work with manual intervention, and what the problems are of 
>>> non-free drivers and undisclosed specifications?
>>
>>
>> quoting from the roadmap:
>>
>> Device related reports
>>       * Common device reports (percentage used within the number of
>>         subscriptions)               * Detailed device reports based 
>> on the user feedback from the
>>         questionnaire to get a functionality overview for a certin
>>         device               * Class based device reports to find the 
>> best supported device for
>>         a certain class based on questionnaire and hardware data 
>>         i think the second bulletpoint is what you want, it will 
>> provide the
>> information you ask for...
>>
>> but anyway the right way to go is to solve the problems on the developer
>> side to make it "just work" so no user should have to care in the next
>> release ;) (which would make this information obsolete in the next or
>> maybe the release after)
>>
>> ciao
>>     oli
>>
>