Ubuntu fanboys on Linux Today arise for wireless input rant

Stan Beer
Friday, 13 April 2007 11:58

Opinion and Analysis

How about this: "Sounds like yet another Windows-Using-Loser who ran out and bought a crappy wireless USB mouse that works "ONLY" under Wincrap. There are a number of these beasts around, and the easiest way to spot them is to see if they mention a USB-TO-PS2 mouse or keyboard port adapter on the box. If they do come with the adapter you'll have little or no problems with the using the wireless mouse with "ANY" OS. If it doesn't work as a USB Wireless mouse, plug the usb connector into the adapter and use it as a *PS2* port wireless mouse. Now if you bought a cheap piece-of-shit wireless mouse "designed" for Windows and it "DOESN'T" come with the adapter, you're basically stuck with with a bright and shiny object you were "DUMB" enough to buy because some dumb-assed "PC GAMING SITE TOLD YOU TO BUY IT".

Leaving aside the immature insults, my local Linux supplier has confirmed that my Microsoft keyboard and mouse are standard rebadged Logitech devices and, after two years of trouble free use with exceptionally long battery life, I can attest to their high quality. In addition, the dongle comes with dual USB and PS/2 jacks. Now here's the kicker for the above know-it-all, MOST NEW PCs DON'T SUPPORT PS/2. My new Dell certainly doesn't. To quote Wikipedia: "Today's laptops and a large number of desktops do not include PS/2 ports and so the port is now regarded as a legacy interface, having been superseded by USB." There you go, PS/2 is a legacy interface - in fact it's a throwback from the unsuccessful IBM PS/2 machines launched two decades ago. So why would Ubuntu or any other distro have a preference for a legacy hardware interface over the new USB standard?

For sheer ignorance and offensiveness, however, the following gets first prize: "wow, this guy is naive enough to not even THINK that the problem would be with Microsofts hardware design. Those guys go out of their way to make things ONLY work on MS Windows and this idiot is complaining that it is Kubuntu's problem. And what is with that bit under the iWire logo about "connecting technology professionals"? Surely this author is not a technology professional, well then again he just might be a Microsoft technology professional. Picture a dorky looking guy with a white shirt and a MCSE patch over the pocket. He looks at the end of the ethernet cable and asks, "what's the IP address of this cable"?"

As I said, my input devices are simply rebadged Logitech hardware. I don't usually wear white shirts, I'm not an MCSE and I'm not sure what a dork is supposed to look like. I wonder if the above poster has a pony tail, a pot belly and wears shorts and sandals? If not, then I apologise for attempting to stereotype him.

Talking about regression mentality, a poster to iTWire actually believes that the problem I've had with getting my wireless input devices to work are a blessing in disguise: "Perhaps you should feel happy to know how much more secure you are.  Anybody could sit outside the home/workplace of anyone with a wireless keyboard/mouse, and capture everything.  All it would take is a radio receiver to get every key typed, every movement of the mouse. It would be pretty easy to find out passwords, & gain access to all kinds of stuff.  In this day & age, nobody should use wireless keyboards or mice." Perhaps. Maybe we should also forget about Wi-Fi and go back to cabling up our homes, airports, Starbucks and every other wireless hotspot in the world. Maybe not.

Anyway, it's good to know that there are serious Linux developers out there who take issues such as Windows to Linux migration for ordinary users seriously. I look forward to hearing more from them and less from the flame throwers as I recount further issues from my migratory experiences.