Scanners gets outdated by using older proprietary protocols that are not in wider circulation.
Check for a FOSS Linux driver BEFORE you buy a printer or scanner. If there are a high quality FOSS driver now, there will be decades from now...

> Date: Wed, 23 May 2012 15:57:56 +0000
> From: <email address hidden>
> To: <email address hidden>
> Subject: Re: [Bug 1] Re: Microsoft has a majority market share
> 
> On 05/23/2012 09:30 AM, Hein wrote:
> > ... Need a scanner: no problem for Windows or OSX: just look
> > for the respective logos on the box in the shops. Linux: search for
> > supported devices, read what features are or are not supported, and try
> > to get this (mostly outdated) model.
> 
> I have actually had the totally opposite result.  I plug in any Cannon 
> Lide scanner and it just works.  Any HP stand alone scanner, and it just 
> works.  On Windows 7, I needed to buy software for the HP scanners, and 
> could not get some of the Cannon scanners to work.  Only found one 
> scanner that would not work with Linux, a Microtik, and it was total 
> junk.  It was replaced on Windows with an HP and a paid driver...
> 
> And if you buy hardware with no research, whatever the OS, you have a 
> good chance of getting disappointing junk.
> 
> (By the way...  How does a scanner get "outdated?"  I mean, aren't the 
> features mostly set now?)
> 
> -- 
> You received this bug notification because you are subscribed to the bug
> report.
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1
> 
> Title:
>   Microsoft has a majority market share
> 
> Status in Club Distro:
>   Confirmed
> Status in Computer Science Ubuntu:
>   Confirmed
> Status in LibreOffice Productivity Suite:
>   New
> Status in dylan.NET.Reflection:
>   Invalid
> Status in dylan.NET:
>   Invalid
> Status in EasyPeasy Overview:
>   Invalid
> Status in Ichthux - Linux for Christians:
>   Invalid
> Status in JAK LINUX:
>   Invalid
> Status in LibreOffice:
>   In Progress
> Status in The Linux Kernel:
>   New
> Status in The Linux Mint Distribution:
>   In Progress
> Status in The Linux OS Project:
>   In Progress
> Status in The Metacity Window Manager:
>   In Progress
> Status in The OpenOffice.org Suite:
>   In Progress
> Status in Tabuntu:
>   Invalid
> Status in A simple player to online TV streaming:
>   Invalid
> Status in Tv-Player:
>   Invalid
> Status in Ubuntu Malaysia LoCo Team Meta Project:
>   In Progress
> Status in Ubuntu:
>   In Progress
> Status in “ubuntu-express” package in Ubuntu:
>   In Progress
> Status in The Jaunty Jackalope:
>   Invalid
> Status in “ubuntu-express” source package in Jaunty:
>   Invalid
> Status in Arch Linux:
>   Confirmed
> Status in Baltix GNU/Linux:
>   Invalid
> Status in “linux” package in Debian:
>   In Progress
> Status in Fluxbuntu: The Lightweight, Productive, Agile OS:
>   Confirmed
> Status in openSUSE:
>   In Progress
> Status in Tilix Linux:
>   New
> 
> Bug description:
>   Microsoft has a majority market share in the new desktop PC marketplace.
>   This is a bug, which Ubuntu is designed to fix.
> 
>   Non-free software is holding back innovation in the IT industry,
>   restricting access to IT to a small part of the world's population and
>   limiting the ability of software developers to reach their full
>   potential, globally. This bug is widely evident in the PC industry.
> 
>   Steps to repeat:
> 
>   1. Visit a local PC store.
> 
>   What happens:
>   2. Observe that a majority of PCs for sale have non-free software pre-installed.
>   3. Observe very few PCs with Ubuntu and free software pre-installed.
> 
>   What should happen:
>   1. A majority of the PCs for sale should include only free software like Ubuntu.
>   2. Ubuntu should be marketed in a way such that its amazing features and benefits would be apparent and known by all.
>   3. The system shall become more and more user friendly as time passes.
> 
> To manage notifications about this bug go to:
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