On Tue, 2011-08-30 at 20:06 +0100, Michael Watterson wrote:
> But environmental sensors are likely to need their own drivers.

No, they likely wouldn't. The HID class is used for a ton of "sensor"
type applications. For example, many UPSs enumerate as HID.

> Linux is no better than Windows for USB. Sometimes worse. I have nice=20
> stuff USB that works on XP and not Ubuntu.

The point that makes Linux "nice" for USB is the lack of having to find
a driver CD for nearly every bloody device you try to plug in.

There are VERY few devices that don't require drivers to be installed
under windows. Even devices that SHOULD be generic require drivers to be
installed.

2 examples
- most web cams require their own drivers to be installed under windows,
for Linux, most use the generic usb web cam drivers
- data sticks almost always require a driver install on windows, my 3G
stick required an install. Under linux, it used the generic "modem"
driver built in and my 3G connection just worked (showed up in network
manager like any other network would).

I understand that why it's easy under Linux is because linux tends to
have more drivers installed by default, by point is devices that SHOULD
work with generic drivers often require one to go to a website and
download a driver under windows.

>From a pure technical point of view there is a benefit to this, it
allows more customization and optimization for devices. From a user
perspective, it's a PITA.

TTYL


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