QUOTE
You might have gotten the impression that I am out to bash on Linux.
no not at all.
all opinions and critisism is welcome here.
Infact i would agree with everything you said.
Currently, there is a debate between the linux kernel developers.
It has been surgested that Linux should contains a stable, binary driver API.
basically, what this means, is linux would contain a layer that would allow hardware manufacturers to write a single linux driver for there devices, that would work on any linux version.
This would have good points and bad points,
The good point, would mean that like windows, all hardware could be supported.
Some hardware manufacturers dont like Open sourcing there code, The dont want to put the money into maintaining a linux driver, and they dont bother properly documenting there hardware.
Which is why there is no driver support for complicated hardware like winModems.
The bad point world bo stability.
Drivers run at the kernel level.
A bad driver has the ability to crash your whole system.
Many times when MS windows crashes, its not MS's fault at all, but the fault of a buggy driver.
Linux is currently imune to such issues because the kernel developers write all the drivers.
If hardware companys were allowed to wrtie drivers, Linux would suffer the same instability risks that wiondows does.
Even though that Driver layer would eliminate the number one linux critisism (hardware support) It looks like the kernel developers (and definatly linux himself) will decide to keep hardware manufacturers out of the kernel.
Linux doesnt want hardware companys to open their source, or to write there own drivers, it wants them to properly document the hardware, so that linux kernel developers can write their own drivers.
I like the way linux chooses hardware incompatability, rather than isk instability.
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