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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.

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How do you find and add OEM repositories? (self.linux)

submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by pglpm to c/[email protected]

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I just installed Kubuntu 22.04 on a Thinkpad, letting it take over (on purpose) the whole hard drive. Everything is working fine so far, all hardware seems to be working. If I take a look at software-properties, the "Other sources" list is empty: there are no ppa's added at the moment.

On another Thinkpad I have Ubuntu 20.04 pre-installed. In the "Other sources" list I see some OEM repositories: they must have been added by the Lenovo people before shipping.

I have two questions about this:

How necessary or useful are these OEM ppas? I suppose they mainly offer optimized drivers; is that true?
How do you find these OEM ppas? For example, what should I do to find such a ppa for the first Thinkpad (with Kubuntu), and see if it has useful software or drivers?

Edit: just as an example, there's this list: http://oem.archive.canonical.com/dists/ But I have no idea how to choose from there, it's a bit of a labyrint and the names don't reveal very much. For example, there are several "jammy-..." folders; and if you enter one of them, say "jammy", there are many subfolders with very cryptic names.

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[–] DarkAngelofMusic 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Personally, I tend to focus more on what software I want to install, and what version of that software would work best for me. Only after that do I consider from where to get it. As an example, when I wanted to install a PostgreSQL server instance, I considered the version I wanted, checked my distro's main repository, and ultimately decided to install the official PostgreSQL repository.

Short answer, I choose the repos that offer the software I want.

[–] pglpm 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Thank you, completely agree on that. I think the point with OEM repositories is that they offer specific and maybe optimized drivers. Or maybe I'm mistaken? This is why I'd like to know how to access them. PS: I edited my question; I realize now that it was a bit too vague.