| Linux and Windows Device Support | 6-3 Short Paper Submission | | By Lauren K Homa | 7/10/2013 |

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It is true that the internet hosts an abundance of support websites, forums, links and other discussions regarding Linux and Windows device support. It would seem that this topic has been highly debated for some time as to whose support is best. In my own research, I have found that responses and web sources tend to be biased towards one OS or another based on personal experiences and preferences depending on the task that the system is being used for. I have found one non-subjective difference between Windows and Linux that could help get to the bottom of the discussion: When it comes to Windows, “Microsoft writes generic drivers to help ensure users can get up and running, then 3rd party supplied drivers can be installed to optimize performance. With Linux, drivers are all included with the Linux kernel, and devices are detected and the appropriate drivers are then activated on the fly. There are no 3rd parties to contact for drivers (unless a proprietary driver is needed, in which it has to be manually installed, similar to Windows.” (Clay, 2013) This offers some benefits and costs to each system. With Windows being more prevalent, it’s evident that Microsoft makes an effort to ensure that software is compatible and available with all their hardware drives and devices, and that resources can be readily available to customers if needed. With Microsoft cranking out more products, it could sometimes take Linux time to catch up to the new hardware, but it has never seemed to take long for Linux kernel developers to come up with something so that they could implement the new drivers into the kernel. In my experience, Windows is also more interactive with the user when it comes to running and installing drivers, which makes sense given the information above. This could mean that an administrator is needed to do something as simple as installing a print driver, whereas with Linux, the kernel will load its modules and drivers as needed and bypass the user interaction. This lack of extra “work” on behalf of the user could confuse someone who is used to the extra tasks required to run drivers in Windows. Personally, I believe making the call for the best device support would fall on my own personal experience. I have always been able to install devices that are needed with my Windows devices online or do research in forums to find my way around. However, I have learned in doing this research that Linux may be a better way to go if you simply don’t want to deal with all the hassle (unless of course you need something proprietary, in which the processes would still be very similar). Other criteria that could be considered for device support would be easy customer service portals (either via the web or phone), easy to read websites, and that the device is popular enough that the online IT community has had enough experience with it to help out when needed. I believe I’d find myself very frustrated as well if things like drivers were not available for download on the web as often I’ve found myself in a critical bind and going to a website to download a print driver or video driver has saved me time and time again as opposed to directly trying to speak with someone.

Works Cited
Clay, C. (2013, 07 30). Device Support in Windows vs Linux. Retrieved 07 10, 2013, from zdnet: http://www.zdnet.com/device-support-in-windows-vs-linux-4010018141/
What is a Device Driver? (2003, 03 28). Retrieved 07 10, 2013, from Technet: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc776246%28WS.10%29.aspx