WetGeek If Solus doesn't do something to make things easier for users with new computers to install it, eventually Solus'll just fade away. That would break my heart.
A quiet note: Solus is not the only distro with serious upstream issues keeping up with new hardware. Every disto that is dependent on the kernel for hardware drivers has trouble keeping up with new consumer-level computers.
The upstream issues exist because many/most hardware manufacturers do not make developing Linux drivers a priority (if they do it at all, which they don't, in many cases), kernel developers/maintainers do not make keeping kernel drivers for new hardware a priority, and the community does not do much of a job developing manufacturer-independent drivers for hardware.
The Linux driver situation is a mess. Taking a look at the most common issues I see on this and other (e.g. Ubuntu Budgie, Zorin OS, Ubuntu) forums, NVIDIA doesn't seem to be able to develop/maintain Linux drivers without tripping on its own shoelaces, AMD develops/deploys CPU/GPU drivers for the kernel at a snail's pace, and RealTek components almost never work properly without intervention. Meanwhile, the kernel developers/maintainers are in no rush to include drivers for new hardware into the kernel. When it comes to supporting new hardware, Linux always seems to be a day late and a dollar short.
This is nothing new. Linux driver issues have existed since I started using Linux 15-16 years ago, and nothing seems to change.
The bright spot in the picture seems to be Intel, which is reasonably good about keep Linux drivers current and up-to-date, but that bright spot doesn't exist in a vacuum. Intel is motivated to keep drivers for its components current because it has a strong financial incentive to do so. Intel powers most of the servers in use, the server market is a (perhaps the) market segment that is very profitable for Intel, and the server market is dominated by Linux. It is no surprise, accordingly, that Intel does a good job of keeping its drivers current, and is (I think) the largest code contributor to the kernel.
I have a rule of thumb: It is Intel, it will almost certainly work in Linux. If it is not Intel, it is a crapshoot. That's why all of my computers are Intel-only.
Like you, I'd like to see the Solus ISO kept more current (say, twice a year) than it now is, but unlike you, I don't think that would solve the driver issues. Help, but not solve. Like the crazy uncle nobody wants to invite for a holiday dinner, NVIDIA, AMD, RealTek and other Linux indifferent/incompetent component suppliers will always be with us, it seems. and kernel developers/maintainers will continue to focus on market segments where Linux dominates rather than the desktop market.
