From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
Community icon by Alpár-Etele Méder, licensed under CC BY 3.0
Well because of money. You certainly have to pay to get Ubuntu certificated. And you only do this to have a Linux system with support from the manufacturer.
It's an enterprise problem with an enterprise solution.
The normal personal systems are not in the same segment.
Precisely. It's not just "it works", it's third-party hardware that Canonical tests, certifies and commits to support as fully compatible. They'll do the work to make sure everything works perfectly, not just when upstream gets around to it. They'll patch whatever is necessary to make it work. The use case is "we bought 500 laptops from Dell and we're getting a support contract from Canonical that Ubuntu will run flawlessly on it for the next 5 years minimum".
RedHat has the exact same: https://catalog.redhat.com/hardware
Otherwise, most Linux OEMs just focus on first party support for their own hardware. They all support at least one distro where they ensure their hardware runs. Some may or may not also have enterprise support where they commit to supporting the hardware for X years, but for an end user, it just doesn't matter. As a user, if an update breaks your WiFi, you revert and it's okay. If you have 500 laptops and an update breaks WiFi, you want someone to be responsible for fixing it and producing a Root Cause Analysis to justify the downtime, lost business and whatnot.
I guess because Ubuntu is not as great as it used to.
No one has bothered to update the list
No one offered to? Not even the business who runs the site nor the departments within said business who do the testing? From the link:
What we test - Canonical’s QA team performs an extensive set of over 500 OS compatibility focused hardware tests to ensure the best Ubuntu experience. Every aspect of the system is checked and verified.
Regular testing for up to 10 years - Roughly every 3 weeks, Ubuntu releases Stable Release Updates, ensuring a secure and reliable experience. These updates are carefully tested by the Hardware Certification team to make sure that systems work well with Ubuntu.
Our laboratories - Canonical conducts tests in dedicated laboratories, located around the world. The “Ubuntu Certified” label is applied to systems that have been verified and are continuously tested by Canonical throughout the Ubuntu release life cycle.
Sounds like it should be someone's job at Canonical to update the list/site.
At a guess, probably because the ones made with Linux in mind aren't the ones you won't be sure of.
I'm not sure I follow. Won't be sure of what?
Take a machine with Linux preinstalled. Will it run Linux without problems? Yeah, of course.
Take a machine with Windows preinstalled. Will it run Linux without problems? Check the list.
Counterpoint: All the hardware and software with broken official linux support with the justification of "linux users can fix it themselves they're used to it".
I don't think that is how these programs work. Community made lists an Wikis, yes. But this requires some corporate contracts, money being paid and some laptop samples being send to a laboratory where they will be kept for years and continuously tested for years. I suppose it's going to be quite pricey and no-one will do that to a random windows laptop. Unless someone says I'm going to buy 7000 of those if they have that 'certified' sticker on them.
But I get how a company like Sytem76 would say, we won't pay for that, we have Linux in our name and are just selling to consumers.
This certification program is for big companies that have requirements and contracts. They need to buy certified stuff. It's not meant for consumers or small companies at all. That's also why the featured laptops are a shiny Dell XPS 13 and a Thinkpad P16. Something you'd find at work.
Well more than half of that list is Dell products. Followed by some Lenovo and HP. That's it. (except for servers.)
When I bought a system76, I didn't think for a second to check whether it was on Canonical's list. I didn't even know there was a certification.
So I believe the poster meant, a buyer can be sure they are getting hardware with linux support regardless of a list kept by ubuntu. But if you are buying from a brand that has no pledge to be linux friendly, a list of what works out of what's available helps.
It's expensive af and only worth it if you have dell/hp/asus/fujitsu like volumes. The Linux first venders are sadly not there yet.
Oh, OK. That makes sense. What a pity.
Because the list is "certified" not "works with" - essentially, the "certified" list is for hardware that not only works, but that Canonical will guarantee works and will make software changes to fix if it breaks
Sure, but why aren't those vendors certified? Is it a lack of action on the vendor's part? Is it a monetary problem where Canonical is demanding too much money and thus gatekeeping smaller vendors with smaller pockets from being certified? what is it?
I suspect most vendors just dgaf about being linux certified. They just build their hardware to work with Windows since that is what most people will use. If the hardware happens to work with Linux too, great. But it's much more important to make sure it works with a system that over 90% of your users use.
If you build laptops that you deliver with a Linux system on it, then yes, you will make sure it is Linux certified and it works properly.
It's not difficult to imagine that for most laptops that are made, Linux wasn't even considered for a second.
Maybe because these are niche products? so not enough interest to test them.
This is corporate-grade stuff. That's why only Dell, HP and Lenovo bothered certifying their laptops. They hold an oligopoly for fleet laptops.
Hmm... it would make sense for the linux vendors to get on the corporate list then, no?
No chance.
Imagine, you're in a large company and buying (or more likely, leasing) several thousands laptops each year. This is corporate world, you need to minimize expense, downtime and failing that, someone to blame.
You need to have a supplier with sales, 24/7 support and logistics in your country. Who has stock available at all times is able to replace any broken piece of equipment in less than a business day. Even if you keep a small inventory at hand, this inventory needs to be replaced quickly.
Trust me, corpos never buy from small vendors. They always go to the big brands.