this post was submitted on 24 Oct 2024
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Linux
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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This isn't true? The Linux kernel has a lot of drivers in the kernel source tree. But not all of them. Notably NVIDIA drivers have not been included before. And even for the included drivers they may or may not be compiled into the kernel. They can and generally are compiled with the kernel but as separate libraries that are loaded at runtime. These days few drivers are compiled in and most are dynamically loaded depending on what hardware is present on the system. Distros can opt to split these drives up into different packages that you may or may not have installed - which is common for less common hardware.
Though with the way most distros ship drivers they don't tend to spontaneously stop working. Well, with the exception of Arch Linux which deletes the old kernel and modules during an upgrade which means the current running kernel cannot find its drivers and stops dynamically loading them - which often results in hotplug devices like USB to stop working if you try to plug them in again after the drivers get unloaded (and need a reboot to fix as that boots into the latest kernel that has its drivers present).
That is what I meant by configure. You're not going to HP to download your printer driver or realtek to get one for your network adaptor. To the end user, the kernel includes the required modules, or it is a matter of simple configurations. The exception being proprietary garbage. However with Nvidia on Fedora, it is a non issue as the Anaconda system builds the Nvidia module from source with every kernel update from outside of the kernel but under the shim, so even secure boot works.
The OP was not asking computer science OS 101. My reply is just intended as a surface level to cause them to question the drivers mentality. I've seen many people follow this logic and not get anywhere.
I mean... You can.
https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/download/16008/linux-driver-for-intel-raid-module-rmsp3ad160f-rmsp3cd080f-rmsp3hd080e-and-intel-raid-adapter-rsp3td160f-rsp3md088f-rsp3dd080f-rsp3wd080e.html
Just because Linux bundles a lot of drivers with your distribution doesn't mean "drivers don't exist".
And it's not only "closed source garbage":
https://github.com/umlaeute/v4l2loopback