Re: When will Linux distros 'get it'?

From: ray (ray_at_zianet.com)
Date: 07/27/04 

Date: Tue, 27 Jul 2004 09:04:42 -0600

On Mon, 26 Jul 2004 23:21:32 +0000, Seth Brundle wrote:

> I have been a Linux server application developer for about 9 years,
> but I stopped using Linux on my desktop after 2, and have been using
> SecureCRT under Windows ever since. I dont particularly care for
> X-based workstations, and I like to relieve stress by playing games
> now and then - any game, not just Linux ports.
>
> I also have never been much interested in debugging Linux hardware
> installs. system and network administration is something I can do, but
> almost always prefer to page someone else to do it instead. I dont
> find it enjoyable nor do I get paid to do it.
>
> Recently, someone got me to try Suse 9.1, saying it was the cutting
> edge in distros. As I am want to do every couple of years, I tried it.
>
> Boy, not much has changed.
>
> The first time I attempted to install it on a second drive as a
> dual-boot system, the boot loader failed to load Windows althought
> Yast identified the Windows drive and offered to add it to the boot
> loader menu during install. I dont remember the error but it was
> completely unhelpful. Something about chainloader +1 (?). I know
> nothing about Grub, except the community and distros seem to like it,
> while all the sysadmins I know dont trust it. No one knew what to do
> with that error.
>
> Anyways, I rebooted to Suse and just got a clock icon on a black
> screen - the end. WTF?
>
> I tried again today on a different machine - a Suse-only install. Yast
> once again locked up, this time while 'analyzing my system'. After
> ripping out and reinstalling every damn piece of hardware on the box,
> I found that it didnt like the existing windows install on the sole
> hard drive, which I expected it to warn me about but happily delete
> and repartition for me (is that asking too much?).
>
> One new hard drive later, I got it to install, and I like the desktop,
> which really works now that Firefox exists. Its the first version of
> Mozilla I like over IE.
>
> Anyways, I was going insane looking at the screen in about 2 minutes
> because it obviously had chosen a 'safe' low refresh rate for my
> unidentified (sigh) NEC CRT. When I found the setup screen to change
> the refresh rate, I changed it to 85 hz, which I know it can do, and
> CTRL-ALT-BACKSPACED.
>
> That was the last I saw of KDE - ever. I tried changing the monitor
> settings back with text-based Yast, but I could not get X to start
> again, either on reboot or from the command line (I dunno - kde?
> startkde? startx?).
>
> This reminded me that breaking X by making a seemingly common and
> simple config change which would be trivial in windows was one of the
> irritating linux desktop behaviors which got me off it in the first
> place.
>
> So, basically Suse failed for me in 3 different ways in one day, none
> with any particularly helpful error messages, fail-safes, timeouts,
> etc.
>
> Anyways, back to Windows.
>
>
> /rant

I have moved my household (three computers) to linux primarily because of
MS's insane activation policies (I still have win98 installed on one of
them in a multiboot scenario, along with four linux distributions). The
only real trouble I've ever experienced with linux is bleeding edge
hardware, which often causes difficulties with MS as well.

Since you're not happy with the SuSE solution, I suggest you might want to
look at a couple of others. Knoppix, for one, will boot from a CD and has
VERY good hardware detection - it can also be installed to hard disk if
you should decide to do that later. In general, it seems that there is
always some hardware configuration that will baffle most any given linux
distribution. Have you checked the SuSE web page to see if any of your
problems have been identified and corrected?

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