On the Linux desktop, however, it’s completely different. You aren’t bound to the usual set of rules that come with a proprietary desktop. Generally speaking, peripherals from any time period are going to do well on the Linux desktop.
Unlike Windows 7 or OS X, today’s modern Linux distributions have very solid ‘out of the box’ support for just about any peripheral you happen to throw at it. Even better, most new peripherals work without ever needing to concern yourself with installing drivers.
This means the end user is free to upgrade to a new PC because they’re seeking a performance increase, not because of compatibility concerns. And it’s worth noting that sometimes upgrading for increased performance is beneficial.