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• Launchpad entry: https://features.launchpad.net/distros/ubuntu/+spec/supported-hardware-list

• Created: 08/31/06 by Ago

• Contributors: Ago

• Packages affected:

Summary

There are several hardware compatibility lists available on the web, but such lists often do not give users clear indications, and have several grey areas. Grey areas are in practice a green flag to "give it a go anyway" even when the user experience cannot be guaranteed to be satisfactory. As a result such lists, while extremely useful, might negatively affect the reputation of Linux distributions and Ubuntu in particular. The aim is to correct this situation by creating a list that draws a clear line between supported and unsupported hardware, eliminating grey areas and disincentivizing users from experimenting with hardware that has a less than satisfactory level of support. It is essential for the hardware list to have an official feeling to it, possibly with a proper certification program. This will help preserve Ubuntu's reputation and incentivize hardware manufacturers.

Rationale

With other operating systems (like OSX) users check if the hardware is compatible before making a purchase, and if unsupported hardware does not work properly they certainly do not blame the OS.

Somehow the same attitude does not hold for Ubuntu. When hardware does not work as expected users blame Ubuntu. The problem is generally that the expectations for the specific hardware were far too optimistic to begin with, because not based on correct information, or because the users did not easily find relevant information (and assumed their hardware would work), or because the information found was not clear enough.

Even worse, sometimes users try to fix things by themselves following guides they fetch on the web (often of arguable quality, or even relating to other distributions). Such guides may lead them to recompile the kernel which in turns can create all sorts of other problems. Some users may see this as an interesting learning adventure but for most it will simply spoil their experience and affect Ubuntu's reputation.

Ubuntu users should simply be educated that there exist only 2 types of hardware: supported and unsupported. If this distinction is clear, they will know what to expect in advance and orient their hardware purchases accordingly. Moreover, the certification program, will create an incentive for hardware manufacturers to have a friendlier attitude.

Implementation

A hardware panel team should be created in charge of deciding the rating of each component/system.

The panel should follow some clear, predetermined criteria when assigning their rating. The judgement should be based on tests performed on donated hardware or alternatively on confirmed bugs/reports or using automatic client-side hardware probing software.

The HardwareSupport wiki is an excellent starting point. The main issues at the moment are: It does not have an official feeling to it. The distinction between "supported" and "works" is confusing and potentially creates grey areas. While some components are listed within a table, others (motherboards) have dedicated pages with comments instead of a clear rating, again creating grey areas. It is somewhat difficult to find (some users simply do not know about it). The tables are not always consistent, and while the rationale behind it is appreciated, this is nevertheless confusing. Notably, sometimes you have "supported" others "auto-detected".

Ideally, the wiki could be slightly modified to be as simple as possible so that each component list is a clear table with only 3 columns:

|Manufacturer | Model | Status|

Where the Status can only be one of the ratings below. Any extra information should be in a linked page specific for the component and contain: driver(s), status in older Ubuntu versions, detailed explanation, test results, timestamp, link to related bugs... The pages of pre-configured systems should be similar to the component ones but also include a list of related components. All the sections should only be edited by the hardware panel.

It is quite likely that such a site will soon become difficult to maintain in a wiki and in the future it might be appropriate to move it to a dedicated CMS website customized for the purpose. This will also give the opportunity to enhance some functionality, so that the website can be used not only to look for known hardware but also to obtain hardware recommendations. It should be possible for instance to rank components/systems/manufacturers, a useful and stimulating feature... Search capability could be enhanced by providing a lateral navigation bar containing the entries now in the main HardwareSupport page, as well as quick search, and a quick link dropdown list of manufacturers. Additional interactive sections could be added to the component/system pages with features such as: submit a bug (to launchpad), user comments, popularity contest, tips/how-to wiki... It would even be feasible to have a list of suggested retailers, provided they meet some criteria, like selling pre-installed Ubuntu machines... The visibility of components that have "opened up" could be highlighted within a news section... The website could therefore become a centralized resource for all hardware related issues and create a strong incentive for manufacturers and retailers, but it is essential that the main focus remains on the official list.

In any case there should be a prominent link to the list in the Ubuntu home page, both to confer an official feeling to the list and to make it easily accessible.

Rating System

As mentioned it is essential to clearly distinguish between supported and unsupported hardware. It is still possible to use subcategories for supported hardware, but the basic rule is that the lowest supported subcategory should always guarantee a satisfactory user experience, anything less should simply be flagged as fully unsupported. Unsupported hardware should never include subcategories, since those would qualify as grey areas. Hardware whose compatibility is unconfirmed should also be included in the unsupported category.

Suggested ratings for components:

• Red: Not supported

• Yellow: Supported but with some (minor) missing functionality and/or proprietary drivers are required

• Green: Fully supported out of the box with open source drivers

Hardware that requires manual intervention and/or with limited capabilities should simply be included in the non-supported category. On this list even yellow hardware should guarantee a more than satisfactory experience, anything less should be classified as non-supported.

Suggested ratings for pre-configured systems:

• Platinum: All components are green, and there are no known bugs

• Gold: Most components are green and some are yellow, and there are no known bugs

• Silver: All or most components are yellow and/or there are some minor bugs

• Bronze: Some less relevant components are red and there may be some minor bugs

• Lead: All the others

When it comes to pre-configured systems it is probably necessary to have a more articulated categorization. But the same basic concept applies: even Bronze computers should guarantee a good overall user experience, anything less should be classified as Lead. Some manufacturers can give the option of choosing one of several components. In this case it is assumed that the best component is used, there will be a footnote explaining it and more detailed information will be provided in the system page.

Hardware Information Collection

I would like to make a note that Martin Owens (doctormo@gmail.com) is developing an application to tie information which would be available on the above potential website into the Ubuntu hardware detection system. nicknamed Dohickey please send email request for more information.

BoF agenda and discussion

CategorySpec