Heard a younger tech say "drivers are for people who can't fix hardware" and it stuck with me

I was working a side gig at a school last week and this kid maybe 22 years old was bragging about never installing a driver in his life. Said if the hardware doesn't work out of the box it's junk. I just laughed and kept imaging a fresh Windows install on a Dell without the chipset drivers. Has anyone else run into this kind of thinking with the new guys coming in? Whats the weirdest thing you've heard a younger tech say?

2 comments

2 Comments

nora18411h ago

lol "drivers are for people who can't fix hardware" is such a hot take. Sure, I get the idea that hardware should just work, but that kid hasn't had to deal with a RAID controller or a NIC that needs a specific driver for wake on LAN. I've seen too many fresh installs crash because someone skipped the chipset drivers thinking Windows Update would handle it. Being able to track down and install the right driver is a skill, not a crutch.

the_beth8h ago

Six hours I spent last weekend trying to get an old USB audio interface working because the manufacturer literally deleted the driver page. It's like the whole "just works" philosophy falls apart the second you run into something that's ten years old or slightly uncommon.