Supported Hardware

There is a lot of hardware that is supported by free software drivers. Unfortunately, there is also lot of hardware that is difficult, or even impossible, to create free software drivers for. Hunting for a good computer that is entirely compatible with free software can be a daunting task. But don't worry, it is possible to have a powerful modern computer running entirely on free software. Many computers are already well-supported by gNewSense.

With the help of many users, the Free Software Foundation has created a directory of hardware devices that support GNU/Linux. The directory lists all sorts of hardware that has free software drivers available. Check it out to see if your hardware is supported.

Another good place to look for free software friendly hardware is our Laptop and Netbook Guide.

Good Support

Some hardware is well supported by free software. This includes almost all processors, memory, hard drives, network cards, CD and DVD drives, USB storage devices, (digital cameras, thumb drives, and card readers) and mice and keyboards.

Partial Support

Some hardware will run well with free software, even though not all of the features will be supported. This includes things like motherboards, (for example, built in networking and audio may not work) and video cards and monitors (for example, you may be able to use it, but maybe not be at the optimal resolution).

Occasional Support

Some hardware is hit or miss. For example, many sound cards, webcams, and printers work, but many still do not.

Rare Support

Some hardware is still in early stages of support by free software. This includes wireless network cards and some special hardware for laptops.

Testing My Hardware

Trying gNewSense

You can try gNewSense by using the Live CD feature. Download a copy of gNewSense, burn it to a disk and boot into it when restarting your computer. You can test out gNewSense and see if it works on your hardware. When you shut your computer down and take the disk out, your computer will be unaltered.

Getting New Hardware

If you are building a computer, look for user reviews from free software users or check out the website of the company that makes the hardware. If you insist on only buying hardware that is supported by free software drivers, then more companies will be inclined to release hardware that is well supported by free software drivers.

Why?

What is the benefit of using free software drivers? Free software drivers are small, often much smaller than non-free binary drivers. You can have support for your hardware regardless of operating system or processor type, be it x86, 64-bit, or PowerPC. If a bug is found, it can be fixed and installed as soon as possible. Free software drivers are designed to work with the other free software you use. You can be guaranteed that your hardware may always be supported even if the company decided to stop supporting it. These are the kind of benefits you get by using free drivers that are provided for some hardware.

Helping Out

With new hardware coming to market and drivers being written all the time, the list of supported devices is constantly changing. If you are using gNewSense with a hardware device that isn't listed in the FSF hardware directory, please send them the information. It only takes a minute and is useful to anyone who is using or considering using a Free operating system.

External Links

Here you can find more information on hardware that is supported by free software.

http://kmuto.jp/debian/hcl/ - GNU/Linux device driver check page.
http://free3d.org/ - A list of the most powerful video cards that have free software drivers.
LibrePlanet's freest hardware comparisons.

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