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From: noshellswill 
Subject: Re: Problems after installing Ubuntu (fairly long)
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NNTP-Posting-Date: Sat, 24 Feb 2007 23:29:05 EST
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Date: Sat, 24 Feb 2007 23:29:34 -0500
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On Sat, 24 Feb 2007 23:58:55 +0000, elaich wrote:

> 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.


BigE:

Yes, learning Linux IS quite impossible. But don't sweat it. 

carry on:

nss
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