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From: elaich 
Newsgroups: alt.os.linux.ubuntu
Subject: Re: Problems after installing Ubuntu (fairly long)
Date: 24 Feb 2007 23:58:55 GMT
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dgk  wrote in 
news:sf51u2t5rtvsjdqfec6csocdvdoshuko93@4ax.com:

> So now I have a few comments and problems. Just about everything I
> tried didn't work very well.

I've been fighting with Ubuntu for about a month now, and am ready to 
give up. It's great for a) a novice user who only wants to use Firefox 
and a few other things, or b) an experienced Linux/Unix user who 
understands what it's up to. For someone like me, who likes to go beyond 
a) but not as far as b), it's hopeless.

The problem is not Ubuntu. Ubuntu is the most user friendly distro i've 
tried. It's Linux. The file structure is incomprehensible. I was told 
that most apps install into usr/bin, but some don't. Why not? Google 
Earth installed into opt. And then refused to work. Naturally, no 
launcher was made for it, nor a link in the Applications menu, so I had 
to go looking for it. As usual, not only was I not told where it had 
installed, but was not given the option to choose where to install it. 
Why is this basic function (creating a link or launcher for a newly 
installed program) so inconsistent in Linux? In Windows, everything 
installs in /Program Files. Why is Linux different?

I spent most of the day today trying to edit slrn.rc, a simple 
configuration file. I am not allowed access, because I don't "own" the 
file. Bullshit. I followed a complicated ritual to create a script that 
would allow any file to be edited as root if simply dragged and dropped 
into it. It didn't work. I tried another ritual to get logged in as root, 
and still was not allowed to edit the file. All I wanted to do was insert 
my personal info so slrn could work. 

The problem is that Linux is based on Unix, which expects a huge number 
of users who should be denied access to all but basic functions, and a 
handful of administrators who should be allowed access. Thus, access is 
difficult. Why should my computer, which I own, and of which I am the 
only user, refuse to allow me to edit a simple config file? Why should I 
jump through hoops for 6 hours and still fail? I looked up every resource 
I could find on the subject, and still failed. Unix is a fine solution 
for the corporate world, which expects not only tampering from within, 
but also from without. This level of security is simply overkill for the 
home user. There needs to be a happy medium between this and Windows, 
which allows anybody to do anything.

I have spent more time in Terminal lately than I have since MS-DOS 3.3. 
At my age, I don't want to have to learn another programming language. I 
learned CP/M and MS-DOS. I learned BASIC, and wrote a football game in 
it. I'm too old and tired for that any more.

Linux needs to allow the user more freedom. Things should be more 
automated. A lot of things that one has to do inside Terminal could be 
automated, but still have a nice level of security. 

I like the idea of Linux and open source software, and I like Ubuntu. 
But, to get anything done inside Linux, unless you know the programming 
language, is very hard. I worked for 2 days trying to compile the Sexy 
PSF plugin for XMMS. All I ended up with was a bunch of error messages. 
There is a .deb for every kind of video game music except the Play 
Station. Why hasn't someone created a .deb for PSF? Even Puppy Linux has 
a .pup for it.

It's just very frustrating. I have no security problems in Windows, never 
have. All it takes is a little common sense and knowledge. You use a 
firewall, you don't use Internet Explorer or Outlook Express, and you 
don't trust anything or anybody unless proven trustworthy. Good practice 
for any computer user. But, I don't like Microsoft, and I don't like the 
storm clouds that are gathering over Vista and rumors of Microsoft's 
intent. I'd like to see Linux reach a point where almost anybody can use 
it, and still be secure. But it's not there yet.

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