USB 3.0 Displaylink DL-3000 series: DL-3100 / DL-3500 / DL-3900

[Blastyr]

I could apologize in advance for the hostility that will probably come across in the tone of this post, but it wouldn't be sincere. It is clear to me that DisplayLink has no concern for the exploding demographic of users who run Linux, and therefore I'm not concerned with being polite. I will, however, keep my language in check, as I'd prefer it read rather than deleted.

I switched to Linux as my primary OS in 2008, and I've never looked back. Over time, I've been extricating myself from Windows entirely. It's no longer installed as a host OS (not even dual-boot) on any of my machines, and if I didn't need to test on multiple platforms (I'm a developer), I wouldn't even keep it around in a VM. It is (sans the testing bit) wholly unnecessary for anything I do - work or play. I have Steam with an ever-growing library of games (not to mention the games that are just plain native [thanks, Humble Bundle]), a web browser, LibreOffice for those trying times when I have to interact with someone living in the past, my entire toolchain for work, teleconferencing with Google Hangouts...and multiple displays.

Originally Posted by Wim

[...] As the Linux community hasn't adopted multiple displays [...]

What planet do you live on? I and three of my coworkers use Linux all day at work with three displays each. Two on Debian using Gnome, one on Ubuntu using Unity, and myself on Linux Mint using Cinnamon. In all cases, hotplugging these displays and configuring them took literally seconds. I know many dozens of others that use Linux, and the overwhelming majority of them do so with more than one display (six, in one case). So, when you state that Linux users don't use multiple displays, you're either being blatantly ignorant or deliberately untruthful. In either case, you should just shut up.

Originally Posted by Wim

[...] or created "easy to use" DisplayLink drivers for the DL-1x5 chips, justifying the work we would have to do to enable DL-3xxx support on Linux is difficult. So if you want to help show there is demand for DL-3xxx Linux drivers, making drivers stable and easy to use for the DL-1x5 family and showing demand for these USB 2.0 products on Linux first would be the catalyst to get DL-3xxx family support on Linux. [...]

This is absolutely the most backwards way of thinking I've ever heard. Open-source is not about getting other people to write your code for you, but I suspect you know that and are just trying to get the community to do it for you anyway. I'm gonna go ahead and point out that it's very likely that the reason there's so little interest in Linux support for the DL-3xxx series is precisely because there's no support. Your product doesn't do anything compelling to make us want to use it because when we plug it in, it literally doesn't do anything compelling (or at all). You've proven you don't care to support us, so we've moved on.

I'll be physically breaking this waste of $100 to vent some of my anger, and then disposing of it. Goodbye, and good riddance.

[thnld]

Hi,
this video shows how Chrome OS supports displaylink apparently quite well:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SW0QNcr6aJ0
Chrome OS is linux based. This indicates that there is some working implementation.
Please,
explain this.
Please,
make this code available on both Chrome OS and other linux flavours.
Thanks

[raoulbhatia]

So, while DisplayLink is deciding on that matter,
which other product, maybe from a different company, should we use to connect two (or even more) monitors to our laptops?

I have purchased a Lenovo ThinPad Dock 3.0 for my Lenovo X1 Carbon,
but as i require Linux for my daily work, this does not work out...

[yochaigal]

Just adding my 2 cents to this thread - I have a Carbon X1 (2nd gen) and I also purchased a Displaylink port replicator/dock from lenovo.
I am able to use multimonitors in Windows without issue; but not with Linux.

Why DisplayLink, why do you hate me? I'll happily never purchase a computer that uses your product again after this experience - and that includes for my clients (IT consultant for large companies). So, say goodbye to that sort of business, at least.

[vevmesteren]

I manage a team of developers as well as Security and DevOps. Bought a new Dell Sputnik for everyone of them. A couple of us bought ourselves the DELL dock in addition. Having the Terminal on 23inches is just so much nicer. Now finding ourselves with a glorified USB hub.



What a dissapointment....

[David Raymond]

On their Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/DisplayLink.social) they stated on 10th June "Afraid there are currently no plans for desktop linux drivers". I suggest people flood that page with complaints!

[gilrim]

I'd be willing to chip in for a reverse engineering attempt, anyone know where to start something like that?

[gaya]

I also registered for the +1
While searching for a tablet with proper Linux support and a docking station I came across the Dell XPS18. I have exactly that now. It definitely is a nice tablet, but I came to know after some time that the Linux support isn't as I expected and I cannot use my 2 other Monitors under Linux. I forced myself to use Windows 8.1 now. It is working somehow but annoying me in many places. It doesn't cold-start when shutdown down the PSU prior shutdown, it bugs with Windows 10, it complains about weird things, it cannot properly copy files and on the second Monitor it is slow. The DNS cache crashes the network when modifying the hosts file. Battery runtime has been less with Windows compared to a fully blown Gnome Desktop.

Windows has many antique parts no one cares for (Mail account settings, registry, browser, properties, explorer Window features ("window on top")).
In Linux you can find those antiques as well, but you often can find an alternative and it runs stable. So I'm forced to use Windows because of the docking station as I need the two monitors. And I hate it. I can't use my old scanner anymore because HP doesn't supply the driver anymore for Windows 7+. Linux has no issues speaking with that device.

I would love to go back to Gentoo. I considered financing the docking station driver, but earlier in the thread I read about companies buying 2000 laptops and that docking station for Linux will do better than me.

I can think of replacing my Windows with Linux sooner or later again or I can find another Docking station that works fine. Problem is that the few working seem to work with the DL1x5 chipsets. I don't have that many ports on that AIO-PC XPS18.

[jkudish]

Another big +1 from me to please add Linux Support. Got the Dell XPS 13 Developer Edition and definitely disappointed that I can't easily use the Dell accessories to connect a display.

Q3 is already halfway through, would be great to see support added soon. Happy to alpha/beta test

[Wim]

We’re pleased to announce the first version of DisplayLink support for Ubuntu is now available. It can be downloaded from here:

http://www.displaylink.com/downloads/ubuntu.php

We intend to maintain Ubuntu support, but have designed the driver in such a way, it should be possible to port the driver to other distributions.

More information about the release can be found here:

http://support.displaylink.com/knowl...rticles/683482

Wim