Fred's whole article is about the lack of ease of installing Linux with any hardware. Hiss whole thrust is that all varieties of Windows works with his hardware, whereas Linux doesn't.
While I agree with the point that Linux needs more drivers and while other points have been valid, Fred's article is *really* flawed in that his "hardware" which works with all varieties of Windows is a virtual PC built by Microsoft itself. Does it not seem obvious that all MS Windows will recognize a Microsoft virtual soundcard? And does the fact that Linux has few or no drivers for a Microsoft virtual sound card surprise *anyone*???
If he'd argued this with *any* common, available, real (really real, as in tangible!) sound card, his argument would have been a lot stronger. But the way he tested... was simply doomed to fail. The whole story really had no other possible ending.
Of course that is because lack of drivers provided by the hardware manufacturers, but that is beside the point.
Generally speaking, yes. In this case, the hardware was not real but virtual, and the manufacturer was Microsoft who will release a Linux driver for its hardware the day after hell freezes over. Again, in this case the story had no other possible ending.
The whole point being that Linux is still not entirely ready for the home market, when compared to Micro$oft's installations.
If you believe that, I'll partly disagree with you; but you have every right to feel that way. However, Fred's way of arguing and supporting that point (if indeed he set out to make that point, which would invalidate the supposedly objective and impartial view he professes to hold) completely devalues the argument. You want to prove that there are no drivers for sound cards? Get a Creative Labs, or a Turtle Beach, or any of the built-in chipsets (Via, Sis, C-Media...) and show me that *those* don't work. You use a VIRTUAL card by MICROSOFT, and you destroy your credibility since the test is obviously *meant* to fail.
Cheers,
-- Rodolfo J. Paiz rpaiz@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx http://www.simpaticus.com
