MESSAGE
| DATE | 2015-09-02 |
| FROM | Ruben Safir
|
| SUBJECT | Subject: [NYLXS - HANGOUT] does your PC work with Linux
|
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2975800/operating-systems/how-to-find-out-if-your-pc-is-compatible-with-linux.html
I figured rick would love this ;)
How to find out if your PC is compatible with Linux
Can your PC run Linux? Probably. But here's how to find out for sure.
system 76System76
Chris Hoffman
Chris Hoffman |
PCWorld
* Aug 26, 2015 11:00 AM
Linux’s hardware support is better than ever, but you still can’t take
it for granted. Not every laptop and desktop you see at your local
computer store (or, more realistically, on Amazon) will work perfectly
with Linux. Whether you’re buying a PC for Linux or just want to ensure
you can dual-boot
at some point in the future, thinking about this ahead of time will pay
off.
Give Linux a spin if you already have the hardware
If you already have the PC available to you, you probably shouldn’t
spend much time researching how compatible it is with Linux. Instead,
just give Linux a test run on that PC
and see for yourself.
ubuntudisplaced3 primary new crop
Michael Homnick
Live CDs or flash drives are a great way to quickly determine whether or
not a Linux distro will run on your PC.
This is quick, easy, and safe. You can download a Linux ISO in a few
minutes, flash it to a USB drive, reboot your computer, and boot into a
live Linux environment running off the USB drive. If it doesn’t work
well enough, you can just reboot your computer, go straight back into
Windows, and forget about Linux on that hardware.
Closed-source graphics and Wi-Fi drivers
may sometimes be necessary, and may not be running out of the box. If
you don’t have 3D graphics support, that’s normal. If Wi-Fi doesn’t work
automatically, it may do so after you install Linux on your PC and
install the appropriate Wi-Fi support.
Check hardware compatibility databases
There’s a lot of information out there about whether specific computers
are compatible with Linux. Much of this is in dedicated hardware
compatibility databases. Canonical provides a Ubuntu desktop certified
hardware database that
lists hardware guaranteed to work with Ubuntu, for example. If you’re
looking for a list of individual components instead of full laptop and
desktop PCs, try the Ubuntu component catalog
. These aren’t exhaustive
lists—in fact, they’re very minimal lists of only hardware manufacturers
have gone out of their way to certify.
geforce gtx 980 ti stylized 4
A simple Google search like "GeForce GTX 980 Ti Linux support" can often
let you know if specific PC components work with Linux.
Linux-Drivers lists a wider variety of
individual databases. For example, many Linux distributions provide
their own hardware compatibility database websites, including openSUSE
, Debian
, and Linux Mint
.
You could also just perform a web search for a model number of laptop—or
a specific hardware component, if you’re building your own PC—and “Linux
support” to see how well it works on Linux. A simple web search can
often pull up a wealth of information.
*Want to stay up to date on Linux, BSD, Chrome OS, and the rest of
the World Beyond Windows? Bookmark the World Beyond Windows column
page or
follow our RSS feed
.*
Just buy a PC designed for Linux
But let’s back up. You don’t need to dig through hardware compatibility
databases to buy a PC you know will be compatible with Linux anymore.
Many PC manufacturers offer laptops and desktops with Linux
preinstalled. This means that those PCs are guaranteed to work properly
with Linux. You can often even save some money when buying these—a
Windows license isn’t included, so you’re avoiding the “Microsoft tax”
you usually have to pay when buying a PC for Linux.
dellxps13
Dell's slick, powerful XPS 13 is one of the best laptops available
today, and you can get it with Linux preinstalled.
Dell offers a line of Linux PCs, from affordable sub-$300 Inspiron
laptops
all the way up to the XPS 13 ultrabook
and Precision M3800 MacBook Pro-competitor
.
Dell’s Linux laptops are nothing to sneeze at, either; the XPS 13 is one
of the best lightweight laptops you can buy
.
System76 is well-known in the Ubuntu community
and sells a variety of laptops and desktop PCs with Ubuntu
pre-installed. (The laptop at the top of this page comes from
System76.) ZaReason offers a similar
line of Linux PCs with a choice of Linux distribution—or none at all.
Linux Mint is partnering with a hardware manufacturer to sell a “MintBox
Mini” PC
.
You can install your favorite Linux distribution afterwards, of course.
LinuxPreloaded.com provides a more
comprehensive list of other manufacturers offering Linux PCs and where
they ship to around the world. In the past, Linux geeks could only dream
of having so many options.
Related:
* Operating Systems
* Linux
Shop ?
What is this?
Chris Hoffman
Chris Hoffman
Chris Hoffman is a tech geek who's been writing about everything
technology-related for years. When he's not writing about gadgets and
software, he's probably using them in his spare time.
*More by Chris Hoffman *
|
|
