The Ultimate Hardware Database

[Lord Nikon]

Ever needed support setting up that wireless network in FreeBSD? Ever wished
there was a place that gives support specifically for your graphics card?
Well, in development is the ultimate database for hardware support,
providing you with the HOWTO's, step-by-step setup guides, help with
configuration, and the support you need. Ranging in all different hardware
types from digital cameras all the way to webcams, on all different
operating systems, such as Windows, Linux, and FreeBSD. Users are able to
submit their own guides to help people who have been having specific
problems with that hardware type.

While there are forums, support sites, newsgroups etc and most of it can be
found via a little Googling, how long does it usually take, if it's
uncommon/new hardware, on say, BSD, you may get clues in which direction to
go, but then it could still take hours.

How much easier would it be if you could get the info in a few clicks?

Sure, there already is sites like this, but they all require subscriptions.

Now, my question to you is this;

How many of you would be interested in using a service like this? Would any
of you ever submit your own guides?

Before I go through the motions I'd like to hear everyone's opinion on an
idea like this.

Thanks for your time.

 

[Mike T.]

Ever needed support setting up that wireless network in FreeBSD? Ever
wished there was a place that gives support specifically for your graphics
card? Well, in development is the ultimate database for hardware support,
providing you with the HOWTO's, step-by-step setup guides, help with
configuration, and the support you need. Ranging in all different hardware
types from digital cameras all the way to webcams, on all different
operating systems, such as Windows, Linux, and FreeBSD. Users are able to
submit their own guides to help people who have been having specific
problems with that hardware type.

While there are forums, support sites, newsgroups etc and most of it can
be found via a little Googling, how long does it usually take, if it's
uncommon/new hardware, on say, BSD, you may get clues in which direction
to go, but then it could still take hours.

How much easier would it be if you could get the info in a few clicks?

Sure, there already is sites like this, but they all require
subscriptions.

Now, my question to you is this;

How many of you would be interested in using a service like this? Would
any of you ever submit your own guides?

Before I go through the motions I'd like to hear everyone's opinion on an
idea like this.

Thanks for your time.

If it had enough information to be truly useful, it would also have
incredibly high traffic. That kind of hardware and bandwidth is expensive,
so it would have to be run on a paid subscription basis.

But then if it was run on a paid subscription basis, there wouldn't be
enough participants to MAKE it useful.

It's a catch-22 situation

Open source software works because there are millions of people working to
make it work. What you are proposing would work only if there were millions
of people working to make it work. Nobody (except bill gates, possibly)
could afford to run such a site on a free-to-use basis. -Dave

 

[ADeGru]

Now, my question to you is this;

How many of you would be interested in using a service like this? Would any
of you ever submit your own guides?

Before I go through the motions I'd like to hear everyone's opinion on an
idea like this.

Thanks for your time.

I think it would be awesome if it could be gotten off the ground.

Other posters have already echoed my own concerns about something that huge.

But big projects can work, and can be free for most if enough chip in
(see SourceForge as an example).