New Kubuntu 8.04

There has been some controversy about the latest version of (K/X)Ubuntu. They decided not to tag the Kubuntu part as LTS (Long Term Support) because of the incoming version 4 of KDE. I think it was utterly stupid considering they'll have to take some kind of stand regarding KDE over every variation of Ubuntu if that is truly their stand. The question I have yet to get answered is "What happens if I add KDE to Ubuntu LTS?" Here's the scenario, I have an Ubuntu LTS install straight from the CD. I add all the repositories, and then decide I want to run a KDE 3.5.9 app. What now? I have installed the KDE libraries, and a KDE app, if KDE was the reason the LTS tag was withheld from the Kubuntu variant then I'm now no longer supported long term on my Ubuntu install. I'm sure a business which has set this up is going to love to hear that. If I were them, I'd go to Mandrake, or SUSE, neither of which would have a hard time supporting KDE Long term.

However, since I have no concern about how long its supported, because I'm at home, I upgraded to 8.04. It was very uneventful. Which, I guess, is a good thing. Except for the fact that it tried to force Firefox 3 beta on me. Firefox 3 is going to be a great browser, you can tell that, just like KDE 4 is going to be a great Desktop environment, but not one of my extensions works with it. Google is especially crappy because they talk big and even at times act big, about open source, but don't really seem to follow through. I think the problem is the childish mindset of the company as a whole. They need to grow up, and realize that you can't just keep jumping from this to that and forget the first part, and not support it because your running around trying to whip up the next "cool thing". Anyway, Google needs to get off its behind and get focused on Firefox extensions that equal in number and quality the windoze only extensions. And, oh yes, I haven't said lately just how much I do not like windoze.

Mom and Dad just recently bought a new Dell, and they want me to transfer every thing over from the old PC. The problem is windoze. I wonder at times just how much money and man hours they put into studying and programming user irritation features. The more exposure I have to virus vista the more I love Linux. Once you get past the pretty face it's ugly to the bone! I've got to bring the new box down to the house so I can get things working, and all patched up.

Ahem, back to the Kubuntu saga. Well, I have tried KDE 4 and it lacks so many of the things I really like about KDE that I am steering clear of it for as long as I can. If they were to force me to upgrade or go to Gnome, I'd get used to Gnome. If I'm going to have to work in a way I don't like them I'm going to snub my nose at those who try to force me to do it, and go somewhere else. Kind of like the Bike Dealer who wouldn't sell me a Bandit. I think KDE 4 was released WAY TOO early, and with WAY too many things not even at that level. Good grief your PIM suite isn't even at 4 yet. I understand that they think they've come up with a "better" way to work, but I like the way my desktop is now, and if they can't accept that, I'll find another environment that will. Not to mention that lately all my appointments created on Google calendar are showing up in Kontact an hour OR MORE, off! Evolution doesn't have a problem, my Nokia N810 doesn't have a problem, and even my virus outlook at work doesn't have a problem, and they are all synced. So, I've been looking at Evolution anyway, 'cause I despise the way Thunderbird handles folders that house lists (it doesn't at all without an extension).

So, I'm now on 8.04 and it looks just like 7.10 although I'm sure something under the covers got changed / improved. Oh, I have noticed now that my WiFi light doesn't light up any more. Oh, my wireless is working fine (using it now) but for some reason the WiFi light on my Dell E1705 no longer shines when connected. Oh, well, as long as it works I don't care. Everything else seems to work / not work just as it did before. I'm about to try the VOIP software and see if any of the sound driver's capabilities have improved. (I doubt it).

Well, talk to ya' later.

Not Interested in $10,000?

Sorry, I know the headline may have gotten you, but somethings never cease to amaze me. According to this link, "not interested in Linux" from ComputerworldUK the reason a Ubuntu Laptop remained unhacked after three days in a contest was because, "There was just no interest in Ubuntu,"! Can you believe that? I can't. If I thought I could take down a Linux box and get 10K for doing it your darn right I'd hack that puppy! I wouldn't care if it was DOS 3.3! Would you? Sounds like to me Microsoft, who hates to have a bad image, cough cough, may have put some pressure on the old boy. Whatever. I know Ubuntu is probably NOT hack proof, OK, but you don't have to start making excuses when its the last OS standing. What bothers me is that non of these so called "Hackers" could hack a Windoze box remotely. If these laptops were configured as they come default, and these hackers couldn't hack the thing remotely, I worry about them. There have been very very few OSes that I can remember that had no known remote hacks. NetWare 5.1 was one (security through obscurity and all :-), OpenBSD (I believe) was the other. If not that BSD it was another of that variant. I've never known (note that word) of a Linux, MAC, or Windoze that was ever that good. So, anyway.

I know, its been a very long time since I've blogged. Everyone thought I had quit. Well, that's because I did, at least for a while. I'm back now. For a while anyway.

(K)Ubuntu 7.04 upgrade

Wow. I like it. How's that for a start? :-D Well, I took the plunge on my Linux Mint running Dell Inspiron E1705 first. Things went smoothly for the most part. I had to keep running the package manager, and refreshing the views to keep getting the things I needed, which was a pain. The Update manager Ubuntu uses has NEVER completed an upgrade for me for some reason. However, its easy enough to fire up Adept, or Synaptic (my favorite) and keep hitting reload and apply until all your updates are downloaded.
Once all the updates were downloaded, and whatever you do don't reboot until they are downloaded and installed, I rebooted and viola, an upgraded system. EVERYTHING worked, except for the Nvidia drivers, which I expected. If you are running an Nvidia card you'll need to download envy 9.2 or later. Do a Google search for "envy nvidia drivers" and you should see the page. The page you want to go to is Alberto Milone's Home page. You'll find the latest updated envy package there.
Once you have downloaded the package uninstall the older version (via adept, dpkg, or synaptic) any older version you may have, and install the new one. Then run the envy command (with either the -t for text based console screen or -g for a xwindows gui) and uninstall the older nvidia driver and then install the latest version. The sound is still bad in some games, and doesn't work for voip (which bites). But, its not bad.

I updated the toshiba, which finally started running again (Thanks to the Lord, who is the ONLY one I can think of that could have gotten in running and so well). I have also updated my main PC with the printer attached. All is well. Feisty actually has turned out to be a nice upgrade. I especially like the newer version of Bibletime (1.62) that is included.

I also installed in on the work IBM Thinkpad to get some things done, and its doing well there too. Except the Airo wireless card still doesn't support WPA or LEAP in Linux.

Some other things I've noticed:
1. The icon feed back on app start up is different. The icon kind of flashes in KDE when you click or double click to start the app. cool.
2. The Guidance Power manager is MUCH better, and has MORE options. Liking that a lot.
3. The Kernel is 2.6.20 which evidently has better support for hardware. The Toshiba can now (actually in reality) hibernate.
4. OpenOffice.org is at the 2.2 version.
5. KDE is at 3.5.6 (which could also be installed on Edgy, but is default in Feisty)
6. On the IBM the screen resolution tool actually worked. Not sure it every really did in Edgy.
Lots of other updates, and updated apps i'm sure. However, the stuff I need and use everyday is what I noticed.
Now to try Beryl or Compiz which ever is better for KDE.

Tired of Fighting

Well, no, I haven't forgotten about the BLOG. I did postpone working with it for a while though.

Today's topic: Tired of Fighting in Linuxland.
Linux is really beginning to suck wind. Sorry, but that's the best I can say about it. Why?
Easy, There is NO way to stay decently up to date.
There is NO way to just do an install of an application.
There is NO decent hardware support.
Should I go on?
Now, some of you are going to try and argue that distro X has this part or that part, the problem is NOT A SINGLE STINKING one of them have it right! Debian is technically at the top, but they have WAY too many cry babies, and jerks. On one hand you can't use their "trademarked" name, but yet they whine and moan about Firefox wanting to trademark its name. Stupid, absolutely STUPID! They don't mind putting anything into their distro, or working with anyone as long as you're not MORE popular than they are, or as long as you don't try to control what they can do. Its OK, however, for them to control you with their ignoramoose manifesto.
SUSE is also one of the best technical distros, however, once you install it, that's it. NO updates. I'm not talking about security or bug fixes, but new versions are out. Now, it may have changed with OpenSUSE since 10, but I doubt it. The problem is that you can't even download the source and just compile it. Thanks to their oddball way of locating the libraries, and refusal to populate the ld.so.conf file, you have to manually run configure with a hundred switches. And, now with Novell selling out and hooking up with Micro$oft, I wouldn't run SUSE at all.
Ubuntu being a Debian derivative is right there with its older brother. However, once they release version X they're as bad as SUSE about new versions of software. There is still no package, or set of packages, for OpenOffice.org 2.1, and other software even for Edgy! And from what I can tell there aren't any plans to make any. Granted I could jump through a thousand hoops with alien and convert the rpms, but that's another bone to pick.
Anyway, they're all beginning to show their age, and I'm getting tired of fighting my computer just to get basic stuff to run.
Since upgrading to Edgy, I can no longer simply run VNC, as a matter of fact, can't run VNC At all. Why? who knows? no one is telling.

Another reason I'm beginning to get tired of Linux, is the stupid, yes stupid, refusal to dump "package" management. I think that is the absolute dumbest part of Linux. Why can't I just run setup, or install and install an application regardless of what distribution I'm running? Because, we're to technical to be smart enough to make that possible.

I think package management has its place, but for general use, a simple installer for applications would make life easier.

There are many other reasons, but I'm getting pressured to do other things, so I'll leave you with those thoughts. And, YES, I'm upset at problems on my Linux machines.