Makes me wonder if Linux will ever be ready for the common desktop, not to mention laptop

[Chris Pemberton]

Richard Bronosky wrote:
> I'm not trying to flame bait here.  I'm just expressing my frustration
> with trying top get both of these conditions met: a) ability to use an
> external display on my all Intel Thinkpad.  b) ability to play some
> form of video at any size.
> 
> It's so frustrating that I am engineer and I can't understand the
> relationship between kernel modules, drivers, xorg, xrandr, desktop
> environment, and the window manager.  It seems that in order to use
> Linux effectively on a desktop, this is perquisite knowledge.  I don't
> mind learning it, but i can't find a concise source for this
> information.
> 
> I just wonder if the public at large will ever be able to use Linux.
> 
> So, in order to do what I want with my computer I need to use the
> bleeding edge stuff.  That's fine, but I can't experience any down
> time.  So, I can't blindly install crap, or follow a hodge podge of
> howtos.  I need to know how to get xorg, xrandr, and the Intel drivers
> working and how to rollback if there are problems.
> 
> Where can I find this info?
> 

Linux works great.  99% of all Linux issues are graphics, audio, and 
printing.

What I find even more frustrating is that the Intel 945GM chip has been 
out for a few years and we are still waiting for bullet-proof drivers.

I would like to thank all of the individuals who volunteer their time 
and effort in getting this resolved.  You're certainly not getting rich 
on any of this.

On the other hand, the ball is squarely in Intel's court: if they want 
us to take them seriously as a provider of graphic solution under Linux, 
then they need to step up to the plate and allocate the resources to get 
this done.  For many of us, our machines may very well become obsolete 
before they function properly.

Chris