Re: Finding and installing drivers - HOWTO?

In article <1fbbb570-6863-4507-a015-
afd9dbca779f@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, nkadel@xxxxxxxxx
(Nico Kadel-Garcia) writes:

Driver integration is usually out of the scope of this group. But
2.6.13 seems.... a bit out of date. And nVidia driver integration has
often been a bit of an issue, because they've historically refused to
publish the specificatioins of their hardware, and some smart weasels
have to reverse engineer it to get something working.

Ah, I remember hearing nVidia horror stories now... Was it a bad
idea to go with this particular motherboard? Should I dump it and
start over with something a bit more Linux-friendly? Or will a
newer distributions fare better with what I have? Is Slack 12 a
good way to go? I've always been comfortable with Slackware - but
is it still a viable option?

I don't recommend backporting drivers across.... 10 minor releases?
Seriously, update your base OS and your kernel. Integrating drivers
depends on your kernel building knowledge: can you get a working
operating system *first*, then try rebuilding a customized kernel?

I'm undergoing another baptism by fire here. I've had an easy enough
time installing Linux on well-supported hardware, but now that I find
myself off into pioneering territory... well, you know the old saying
about recognizing a pioneer by all the arrows in his back. Unless I
stay well back from the bleeding edge, I think it's time to do a lot
of studying. Where does one go to become knowledgable in this stuff?

In any event, it looks as if I've gotten myself into something much
more complex than I bargained for. I'll find workarounds for all
of my box's capabilities for the time being, or just do without -
because apparently it's going to be a long time before it's back on
its feet again. Alternatively, does anyone know of a Linux hardware
guru in the Greater Vancouver area? If I don't have time to become
a guru myself, maybe I can hire one...

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