• Ubuntu a disaster zone?
    31 replies, posted
I'm fairly new to linux, but I'm pretty sure I've encountered every area of problem already. I'm not sure if it's just me, but Ubuntu is so unimaginably unstable that it should be called an alpha build. Since I've started using it some glaring design flaws and random errors have happened. First of all, when I enabled autologin one day it bricked the computer because apparently ubuntu fails to decrypt the home folder if you're auto-loging in and this breaks the GUI, disabled all of your data and creates an unsolvable problem unless you have SSH to it set up (thankfully I did). Then, ubuntu refused to connect to the internet. Then, ubuntu wouldn't let me ssh. Then, ubuntu wouldn't let me VNC headless. Now, ubuntu has completely dropped any hope of working with sound and no amount of random posts online have been able to help me with this. Every single one of these errors has either come from me enabling one option, or simply breaking itself in an update. Is it just ubuntu that has this problem or are all linux distros like this? Is there one I should try instead? I'm honestly just fed up with this. Almost every single one of these problems has taken at least an hour of searching to find an answer to online.
I've never had most of these issues on 10.4
I'd recommend Fedora. These days it seems to be much more stable than Ubuntu. I haven't used Ubuntu since 8.04 because it was buggy as all hell.
Refusing to connect to the internet is the only one of these problems I've ever had. And that was because of my network card. You must've done something wrong somewhere. That or your computer is just the most incompatible with Ubuntu that any device could be. You could try Debian if you want something simple like Ubuntu. Or Arch or Gentoo if you're up for learning a lot.
What kinda learning is necessary for Arch? Most of what I want to do with my ubuntu system is a simple backup server, with SSH and VNC. I just want to use it to back things up to and compile things which are only for ubuntu (IE, my router runs openWRT and I can only develop for it using linux). I've heard arch linux is fast, and my system is a really old piece of junk so if it is, I'd go for that.
Did you install through Wubi? If you did so than there's your problem, it's known to cause faulty installations... I never had such problems with Ubuntu back in my days (8.04). Once I knew my way around linux I dumped it quite rapidly and ended up using Arch. I personally don't like the distros that try to do it all. It is easier for new users, but I think it should only be a transition. Trying another distro like fedora might do the trick. I think the best thing to do is to use Ubuntu and Fedora as a learning experience and then to move onto a distro that makes you do stuff yourself.
[QUOTE=Elspin;23097277]What kinda learning is necessary for Arch? Most of what I want to do with my ubuntu system is a simple backup server, with SSH and VNC. I just want to use it to back things up to and compile things which are only for ubuntu (IE, my router runs openWRT and I can only develop for it using linux). I've heard arch linux is fast, and my system is a really old piece of junk so if it is, I'd go for that.[/QUOTE] Arch is pretty straightforward but since the bare minimums are pre-installed, you won't have to worry about a bunch of senseless things slowing down your system. If you're just gonna use ssh and run it as a back-up server, you could forget entirely about installing a desktop environment and assuming you're familiar enough with CLI, do everything through that. That'd be more "fun" for sure. But yeah, Arch Linux should be fast since it doesn't have additional frills and things you'll never use like a lot of simple distributions do. Don't get me wrong though, Debian is still great for servers and it's also a simple distribution. You can do an advanced install of Debian and also go through with no desktop environment, too.
I use Ubuntu on my laptop, and I haven't had any problems with it in the most recent build. In some older versions I have had some glitches, though.
[QUOTE=littleicyman;23099525]I use Ubuntu on my laptop, and I haven't had any problems with it in the most recent build. In some older versions I have had some glitches, though.[/QUOTE] Exact samething here, running a hp mini 210 here, everything works well, less crashes then windows and my hard-drive is near empty, that coming from someone with the power to fill up a 40 GB one in about 2 hours
I haven't had anything like this. Are you running Ubuntu on a black and white Gameboy or something?
For me Ubuntu 10.04 is pretty stable ! But go ARCH LINUX !!!!!
[QUOTE=nikomo;23100819]I haven't had anything like this. Are you running [b]Ubuntu on a black and white Gameboy[/b] or something?[/QUOTE] Now there's an idea... Someone get the people behind [url=http://uclinux.com/]uClinux[/url].
[QUOTE=<ToD> Aaron;23099508]Arch is pretty straightforward but since the bare minimums are pre-installed, you won't have to worry about a bunch of senseless things slowing down your system. If you're just gonna use ssh and run it as a back-up server, you could forget entirely about installing a desktop environment and assuming you're familiar enough with CLI, do everything through that. That'd be more "fun" for sure. But yeah, Arch Linux should be fast since it doesn't have additional frills and things you'll never use like a lot of simple distributions do. Don't get me wrong though, Debian is still great for servers and it's also a simple distribution. You can do an advanced install of Debian and also go through with no desktop environment, too.[/QUOTE] I guess if I did this I could do away with VNC altogether, I do end up using the CLI mostly. The one thing I wanted to do that I would probably need a screen for is streaming from my webcam attached to my linux server over the internet. Could never get my quickcam to work on it anyways though. [editline]03:10PM[/editline] [QUOTE=nikomo;23100819]I haven't had anything like this. Are you running Ubuntu on a black and white Gameboy or something?[/QUOTE] No, I wish. My system is slightly worse than an original Gameboy.
[QUOTE=<ToD> Aaron;23104972]Now there's an idea... Someone get the people behind [url=http://uclinux.com/]uClinux[/url].[/QUOTE] they could probably port w window system to it too, and then make mouse drivers that use the dpad. shit would be the shit
[QUOTE=<ToD> Aaron;23104972]Now there's an idea... Someone get the people behind [URL="http://uclinux.com/"]uClinux[/URL].[/QUOTE] The original Gameboy has 8KB of RAM, good luck loading anything useful into that.
[QUOTE=nikomo;23118757]The original Gameboy has 8KB of RAM, good luck loading anything useful into that.[/QUOTE] that's enough for a stripped down OpenBSD kernel and busybox
[QUOTE=ButtsexV2;23118880]that's enough for a stripped down OpenBSD kernel and busybox[/QUOTE] Bullshit, really?
[QUOTE=turb_;23121580]Bullshit, really?[/QUOTE] if you strip it down really hard, yeah I think my shoe could run openbsd if you really wanted it to, it doesn't take much.
[QUOTE=ButtsexV2;23122090]I think my shoe could run openbsd if you really wanted it to, it doesn't take much.[/QUOTE] Now [b]that[/b] is an idea. You could probably put all the parts inside of the soles of the shoes... Then you just need to have it auto-connect to your wifi and you could ssh to your shoe...
[QUOTE=<ToD> Aaron;23131585]Now [b]that[/b] is an idea. You could probably put all the parts inside of the soles of the shoes... Then you just need to have it auto-connect to your wifi and you could ssh to your shoe...[/QUOTE] That would be damn cool, someone needs to get one that. A wireless routers circuit board when cut down to not have the expansion slots is almost small enough to fit in a shoe. Someone get on this!
[QUOTE=Elspin;23096622]I'm fairly new to linux, but I'm pretty sure I've encountered every area of problem already. I'm not sure if it's just me, but Ubuntu is so unimaginably unstable that it should be called an alpha build. Since I've started using it some glaring design flaws and random errors have happened. First of all, when I enabled autologin one day it bricked the computer because apparently ubuntu fails to decrypt the home folder if you're auto-loging in and this breaks the GUI, disabled all of your data and creates an unsolvable problem unless you have SSH to it set up (thankfully I did). Then, ubuntu refused to connect to the internet. Then, ubuntu wouldn't let me ssh. Then, ubuntu wouldn't let me VNC headless. Now, ubuntu has completely dropped any hope of working with sound and no amount of random posts online have been able to help me with this. Every single one of these errors has either come from me enabling one option, or simply breaking itself in an update. Is it just ubuntu that has this problem or are all linux distros like this? Is there one I should try instead? I'm honestly just fed up with this. Almost every single one of these problems has taken at least an hour of searching to find an answer to online.[/QUOTE] 1) Router issue, or your card isn't supported. Look up the model and see if you need Ndiswrapper. 2) Check the allow file. 3) Remote Desktop preferences? 4) BIOS -> Sound Card. If you have an external one, disable support for onboard sound. [editline]11:53AM[/editline] Just off the top of my head shit here, because you sound like someone with this list of one-in-a-million issues that never happens to anybody else unless they fuck up so badly it'd be better to format. [editline]11:56AM[/editline] Ubuntu is the second most user-friendly for newcomers, after Mint (Amirite?). If you're cocking up like this now, don't try some other distro thinking it's going to be easier.
[QUOTE=Sleighyuh;23139971]1) Router issue, or your card isn't supported. Look up the model and see if you need Ndiswrapper. 2) Check the allow file. 3) Remote Desktop preferences? 4) BIOS -> Sound Card. If you have an external one, disable support for onboard sound. [/QUOTE] Read the thread, they're all fixed except the sound. By the way, in case you ever want to do #3 you're gonna want this, because you definitely will not find it in remote desktop preferences. [url]http://www.abdevelopment.ca/blog/start-vnc-server-ubuntu-boot[/url]. The home folder thing is a definitely Ubuntu design flaw, and it wins my most idiotic design failure in an operating system. [editline]11:53AM[/editline] [QUOTE=Sleighyuh;23139971] Just off the top of my head shit here, because you sound like someone with this list of one-in-a-million issues that never happens to anybody else unless they fuck up so badly it'd be better to format.[/QUOTE] Story of my life, shitty ass luck [editline]11:56AM[/editline] [QUOTE=Sleighyuh;23139971] Ubuntu is the second most user-friendly for newcomers, after Mint (Amirite?). If you're cocking up like this now, don't try some other distro thinking it's going to be easier.[/QUOTE] Read the thread, most issues started after something as simple as a restart with no changes in settings from my end, I'm not doing much with the computer. I'm not looking for user friendliness, I'm looking for compatibility.
[QUOTE=<ToD> Aaron;23131585]Now [b]that[/b] is an idea. You could probably put all the parts inside of the soles of the shoes... Then you just need to have it auto-connect to your wifi and you could ssh to your shoe...[/QUOTE] getting on this now. I'm thinking a mobile-itx board with a CF drive for storage would be perfect. [editline]03:38AM[/editline] actually I could probably use some smartphone hardware.
So I found the problem with sound. It turns out ubuntu is not just an asshole about VNC with no monitor, it is also an asshole about sound with no monitor. No luck finding a guide on that though. Still gonna try switching to arch, not like it's a big deal at this stage, the server is still in the stage of "trying to decide what's best for it" and it doesn't have much on it.
Try leaving the monitor plugged in, but with the power off.
[QUOTE=Pixel Heart;23144244]Try leaving the monitor plugged in, but with the power off.[/QUOTE] Would defeat the purpose anyways, I was using the monitor as a secondary for my PC, as well as wanting to put some electronics equipment on the desk beside my server for <x>. In any case, this is going pretty good I guess. Only issue right now is aplay not doing anything and espeak not being found in the package repository. EDIT: scratch that, aplay is now working fine. EDIT: defeated pacman being a dick by using pacman -U and wget <url>. I have officially done everything I wanted to do on ubuntu in about 5 hours instead of 2 weeks. Who said archlinux was harder? It was a hundred times easier to use than ubuntu, sure I had to use a CLI but the commands were easy as hell to find and I could figure them out myself rather than it looking like a mess that only a linux developer could understand. In any case, yay for archlinux, everything's working fine and dandy.
[QUOTE=nikomo;23118757]The original Gameboy has 8KB of RAM, good luck loading anything useful into that.[/QUOTE] With bankswitching, you could expand the amount of usable RAM to 8MB. Also, with a CF or SD card slot you could have a gigabytes of permanent storage. It would all be horribly slow, and porting uclinux to such a frankenstein would be a nightmare, but theoretically it could be done.
[QUOTE=phazmatis;23146942]With bankswitching, you could expand the amount of usable RAM to 8MB. Also, with a CF or SD card slot you could have a gigabytes of permanent storage. It would all be horribly slow, and porting uclinux to such a frankenstein would be a nightmare, but theoretically it could be done.[/QUOTE] it's not like the hardware is capable of any sort of modern use, it would all be proof of concept.
[QUOTE=Elspin;23137229]That would be damn cool, someone needs to get one that. A wireless routers circuit board when cut down to not have the expansion slots is almost small enough to fit in a shoe. Someone get on this![/QUOTE] Yeah, let's develop sshoe! Sounds like something right off of hackaday.org. You could embed a tiny GPS controller too and track where/how far you've walked. Oh and a webcam so people can see you treading in dogshit.
[QUOTE=TehDoomCat;23149780]Yeah, let's develop sshoe! Sounds like something right off of hackaday.org. You could embed a tiny GPS controller too and track where/how far you've walked. Oh and a webcam so people can see you treading in dogshit.[/QUOTE] You can get a WRT54G, arguably the simplest and easiest to hack off of ebay from like $10, someone should grab one. I'm not gonna wreck my current one because I use it, haha.
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