I know printers can be a hassle with Linux.
I use other items though. I have a scanner, a drawing tablet, my iPod, among other things and I have concerns that I will not be able to use them through Linux because it will not be able to detect them or there won’t be an option to download drives for them that function on Linux.
I’d grab a cheap SSD of Amazon, $20 bucks, and install Linux. See if your devices appear / work. Or try the live distro, but I don’t know if drivers will work.
Ben gave you a great suggestion. You will be able to see if your things work or not.
In most cases, you shouldn’t have too many issues. Linux has come a long way and there are ways around everything. I use different devices no problem, granted - I do need specific software to run certain ones but they are easily downloadable through the terminal.
It is a good idea to just keep a few on hand for testing distros in general. I learned this a while back. It saves you time and hassle and allows you to play with multiple distros at once to see which functions best for your needs.
Thanks Ben!
I just ordered two cheap ones. I figured if I have an issue with one I can have a second under a different brand. They should be here Tuesday!
If you run into any issues, just come on here and make a thread for it. I am sure someone here will be able to walk you through it. Once you get the hang of Linux, you are going to love it.
I was able to test things out and get things working. I am all set up now but I noticed with one of the SSDs I got, after I deleted the distro I had on it, it seems to have stopped functioning? I am not sure what is going on with it. I cleaned it off to give to my brother and he can’t load anything onto it now. Do you know what the issue can be with it?
For scanners, I know that most scanners are supported on Linux through the use of SANE framework. You would have to cionnect your scanner to your computer and run
sane-find-scanner.
It would show you if your scanner is compatible or not. If your own model is not compatible, you would have to search the community for drivers.
For iPods, it might be a little bit difficult to find seamless connection with Linux because licensing restrictions abound. But tools like gtkpod or libimobiledevice can be used to transfer music and photos between an iPod and Linux easily.
It is a major problem. When it comes to windows then the installation is done within seconds and find adequate driver rapidly. When it comes to ubuntu or almalinux (i have both of them) then you need to google a lot of find the driver to install a printer. It seems a little obvious to rely on windows for your drive and forward work from your ubuntu machine.