Hardware Database?
I saw some previous posts in the forum about wireless and video cards that work with free software. I was wondering if we could start a database here on this website of known hardware that works with free software. I know the FSF keeps a list of printers/wireless cards and stuff. I was however thinking since the FSF doesn't have the $$$ to test everything we could start with their list as a base and use Trisquel users add on to it. Like we start with their list and expand it to include other hardware trisquel users have tested. It could be similar to the list of free extensions for the web browser.
FSF accepts reports about hardware support
http://www.fsf.org/resources/hw/index_html/guidelines.html . Not all
wifi cards on their lists were tested in their office. This list could
be equally useful for users of other free GNU/Linux distributions.
Yeah I know I have seen the list. I've even submitted stuff to it but it takes so long to get something actually put on the list. I think the advantage would be that a wiki style one allows more people to easily contribute. For example GNU project maintains a list of icecat addons (http://www.gnu.org/software/gnuzilla/addons.html) but Trisquel also does (http://trisquel.info/en/wiki/add-ons). I think a wiki style would database would be better because user could make comments for example about their experiences about the hardware and expand on the FSF list.
Me too! But what do you mean for wiki style? Do you mean just some page in wich any user can add a new section or do you mean something made with wikimedia? Because I don't think that the latter will be so "user friendly", in my opinion it would be better to have something done with consecutive questions, like "which version of trisquel do you use" , "do you use a different free kernel from the default?", "what does it work in this device, and what does not", and so on...
Fabio I wans't thinking like wikimedia. I was thinking something exactly like what you were thinking. Something like what we have for browser addons (http://trisquel.info/en/node/add/addon). Like you could ask these questions.
1) Type (Printer/Wireless Card/Scanner ect.)
2) Manufacturer
3) Trisquel Version
4) Support level (Full or everything works, partial and the user can list what works)
5) Interface (USB or Firewire or PCI)
6) Notes that the user can leave
Yes indeed, it would be easy to add the device page in the "Create content section", and the only work it should be done is to modify the add-on page. It could be useful not only for writing what works with free software and what not, but also for adding information about some particular configuration needed for make some device working.
I am a member!
It's probably worth mentioning this link here: http://trisquel.info/en/issues/2124