this post was submitted on 29 Aug 2023
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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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Met a nice lady at the grocery store (lemmy.ml)
submitted 1 year ago by _n9@lemmy.ml to c/linux@lemmy.ml
114 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Today at the grocery store a sweet older lady approached me and asked if I knew anything about computers. I said yes I do, and she produced a mouse saying that her son set up Linux mint for her and she was wondering if the mouse was compatible. It needed kernel version 2.6 or newer so I said that the mouse should work, guessing mint itself was probably newer than that kernel. Happy with my answer, we chatted a little, then she thanked me and left.

It was a nice experience, so I thought I should share!

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[–] SnowdenHeroOfOurTime@unilem.org 28 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Is this satire? Forgive me, but 99.999% of the population has no idea what a kernel is. Also, since when would a mouse care about your kernel version? Puzzling post.

[–] Knusper@feddit.de 28 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I'm imagining, it said on the packaging of the mouse that it needed that kernel version.

In Linux, the kernel delivers most drivers, so it may not yet have had the appropriate mouse driver in kernel versions before that.

[–] SnowdenHeroOfOurTime@unilem.org 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Maybe this is possible, but typically you're lucky to even find Linux support mentioned at all.

[–] Knusper@feddit.de 3 points 1 year ago

Kind of surprisingly, but kind of not, I've often seen it mentioned for such rather basic hardware.

Thing is:

  • The chip manufacturer sells in extremely high quantities (to many mouse manufacturers).
  • They probably hardly have to do anything for Linux support, because it's such basic hardware. Write a driver once and slightly maintain it over the decades.
  • Aside from low cost, their only real sales argument is reaching a bigger market with their chips, and the Raspi crowd + deals with organizations running exclusively Linux, isn't that irrelevant either.