Techniques for working with devices in Linux
Device Tricks
![](/var/linux_magazin/storage/images/linux-magazine.com/issues/2009/104/device-tricks/lmi-104-2.png/424953-1-eng-US/LMI-104-2.png_medium.png)
Linux is getting much better at managing devices, and the versatility of open source software leads to some interesting innovations.
Experts and beginners will tell you that devices are the perennial challenge of Linux systems. Linux is fast, stable, and safe – if you can get it to run on your hardware. We all have our war stories, but most users will affirm that the penguin's affinity for PC hardware is improving. Many of the device problems that plagued Linux systems in the early days were solved years ago. A Linux user from 1999 would be totally amazed to install a Linux system today and watch the system auto-locate the hardware. But maybe not all the hardware. Linux still has trouble with certain devices, and the lag time between the appearance of a new driver and its integration can mean a built-in driver isn't available for months.
This month's Device Tricks cover story starts with a study of some recent developments in driver management tools for Linux. Jon Masters describes some of the obstacles facing Linux developers and looks at some recent solutions that promise more seamless device support.
The next article in this month's set looks at a library of tools for supporting MTP-based devices such as music players and webcams in Linux. We'll describe some open source applications that support MTP, and you'll learn how to communicate with MTP devices from the command line. Next we examine the aufs2 stacked filesystem, which lets you add temporary write capability to a filesystem on a read-only device. The last article in the set shows how you can protect your privacy by encrypting the data on your USB sticks.
If you're looking for an edge in the device game, you'll find plenty to think about up ahead. Read on for this month's Device Tricks cover story.
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
![Learn More](https://www.linux-magazine.com/var/linux_magazin/storage/images/media/linux-magazine-eng-us/images/misc/learn-more/834592-1-eng-US/Learn-More_medium.png)
News
-
NVIDIA Released Driver for Upcoming NVIDIA 560 GPU for Linux
Not only has NVIDIA released the driver for its upcoming CPU series, it's the first release that defaults to using open-source GPU kernel modules.
-
OpenMandriva Lx 24.07 Released
If you’re into rolling release Linux distributions, OpenMandriva ROME has a new snapshot with a new kernel.
-
Kernel 6.10 Available for General Usage
Linus Torvalds has released the 6.10 kernel and it includes significant performance increases for Intel Core hybrid systems and more.
-
TUXEDO Computers Releases InfinityBook Pro 14 Gen9 Laptop
Sporting either AMD or Intel CPUs, the TUXEDO InfinityBook Pro 14 is an extremely compact, lightweight, sturdy powerhouse.
-
Google Extends Support for Linux Kernels Used for Android
Because the LTS Linux kernel releases are so important to Android, Google has decided to extend the support period beyond that offered by the kernel development team.
-
Linux Mint 22 Stable Delayed
If you're anxious about getting your hands on the stable release of Linux Mint 22, it looks as if you're going to have to wait a bit longer.
-
Nitrux 3.5.1 Available for Install
The latest version of the immutable, systemd-free distribution includes an updated kernel and NVIDIA driver.
-
Debian 12.6 Released with Plenty of Bug Fixes and Updates
The sixth update to Debian "Bookworm" is all about security mitigations and making adjustments for some "serious problems."
-
Canonical Offers 12-Year LTS for Open Source Docker Images
Canonical is expanding its LTS offering to reach beyond the DEB packages with a new distro-less Docker image.
-
Plasma Desktop 6.1 Released with Several Enhancements
If you're a fan of Plasma Desktop, you should be excited about this new point release.