Frustrated but sticking with it

I switched my personal laptop from Windows to Linux because I enjoy learning about computers and I wanted to try something new. Also, I use Linux for some things at work, so I was inspired to learn more about Linux.

I installed Ubuntu 8.04 with a Gnome desktop on my Gateway MX3652 laptop.

I started out extremely frusterated by it... I came very close to switching back to Windows.

Some things that frusterated me: -it didn't automount my MP3 player -it would not play a dvd... then when i installed codecs that allowed a dvd to play the default video player did not support menus, and had various bugs -there was an annoying system beep that beeped very often -something about my touchpad would cause the desktop to shift to a second desktop -the sound didnt work!! -bugs in the file browser, when resizing columns

I have since sorted most of these things out. I learned that it is very important that I get comfortable searching in forums and that I get comfortable downloading and installing new software codecs and patches and other packages.

Ubuntu Linux is very cool in some ways. I love that you are encouraged to be involved in the development. I love how you can customize your setup in so many ways. I'm amazed that all this was created and it is 100% free to use.

It was, however very frustrating to get started with. Its still frustrating how many bugs I run into with fundamental things like the file browser, or the video player. Its also frustrating that I'm not clear on how to get involved reporting and fixing these bugs.

selahlynch said: I learned that it is very important that I get comfortable searching in forums and that I get comfortable downloading and installing new software codecs and patches and other packages.

Yeah, it is. Of course, Google is usually better for searching the forums than the forum search is. I did a search for "Kubuntu" yesterday before I installed it over my regular Ubuntu, thinking to look for user experiences or common problems. First response in the forum search result? The BUMP thread!

Google gave me what I was looking for almost immediately. :)

selahlynch said: Ubuntu Linux is very cool in some ways. I love that you are encouraged to be involved in the development. I love how you can customize your setup in so many ways. I'm amazed that all this was created and it is 100% free to use.

Yeah, it is cool. The customization thing was never very important to me until I ran Ubuntu and was able to actually do it. Then I realized how restricting Windows was. And it is great that it's free of charge, too. Awesomeness abounds. :)

selahlynch said: It was, however very frustrating to get started with. Its still frustrating how many bugs I run into with fundamental things like the file browser, or the video player. Its also frustrating that I'm not clear on how to get involved reporting and fixing these bugs.

That's the nature of the beast. Some say with so many eyes looking at the code, things get fixed more quickly and easily...but I guess some issues aren't going away, no matter where the fault lie.

As for the video player...grab VLC. If you have an ATI video card, turn off desktop effects, and then grab VLC. Medibuntu is pretty good, too.

Good luck! :)

Thanks for the reply and the encouragement.

About the bugs though.... they should go away!! Especially something like resizing columns in the file browser! That should be caught and fixed quickly. I also realize there is no "they" that should fix it cause Ubuntu is user driven. I'm really eager to get involved reporting (and someday fixing) bugs. Is medibuntu the place for reporting such a bug?

If you were me and having problems resizing columns in the file browser how would you go about getting it fixed?

(I work in a desert camp and have extremely slow internet so its difficult for me to browse these websites and figure out these answers on my own.)

launchpad.net is the place to report bugs. It is also the place to check for possible fixes that have not yet been incorporated into a release.

selahlynch said: Thanks for the reply and the encouragement.

About the bugs though.... they should go away!! Especially something like resizing columns in the file browser! That should be caught and fixed quickly. I also realize there is no "they" that should fix it cause Ubuntu is user driven. I'm really eager to get involved reporting (and someday fixing) bugs. Is medibuntu the place for reporting such a bug?

If you were me and having problems resizing columns in the file browser how would you go about getting it fixed?

(I work in a desert camp and have extremely slow internet so its difficult for me to browse these websites and figure out these answers on my own.)

Yeah, launchpad is the place to report bugs, though I personally wonder at its effectiveness. I've always heard the developers don't read the forums - which I thought was obvious given the length of time some problems stick around - but I wonder sometimes if they check in at launchpad, either.

Medibuntu is a package that gives you codecs and libraries and such to play DVD's and other media. It's the stuff Ubuntu can't ship without breaking the law. I think.

As for your column resizing issues, I'm not sure. I've never had the problem, personally. Surfing Google may be the only answer. With a slow connection, you could always turn off graphics in your browser. It would make the pages ugly, but it would significantly speed up the load time. :)

Good luck.

Actually, medibuntu is a whole software repository, containing various packages of non-free or otherwise encumbered nature, such as libdvdcss for DVD playback and Google Earth.

I must say you're doing much better than I was a couple of years ago. I gave up about three times before I finally decided that I just wasn't going to let Linux frustrate me.

Yep, there are bugs, but I personally haven't found any show stoppers, there have so far always been workarounds or alternatives. And, although it can sometimes take a couple of years or more, bugs tend to get fixed. :)

agurk said: Actually, medibuntu is a whole software repository, containing various packages of non-free or otherwise encumbered nature, such as libdvdcss for DVD playback and Google Earth.

I must say you're doing much better than I was a couple of years ago. I gave up about three times before I finally decided that I just wasn't going to let Linux frustrate me.

Yep, there are bugs, but I personally haven't found any show stoppers, there have so far always been workarounds or alternatives. And, although it can sometimes take a couple of years or more, bugs tend to get fixed. :)

Well, I was half right. Medibuntu *does* give you DVD playback and codecs and the like...it just does a whole lot more, too!

Thanks for clearing that up. :)

agurk said: I must say you're doing much better than I was a couple of years ago. I gave up about three times before I finally decided that I just wasn't going to let Linux frustrate me.

It took me five or six times, but I really don't think it was problems with Linux, for me. Rather, I suspect that Windows was my safety net, where I knew what was what and how to fix most problems I would encounter.

Ubuntu (Kubuntu for me) was unmapped territory, which is what I think sends a lot of new users back to Windows. Windows is simply familiar.

This is also why, I think, once a person gets the basics down, they're committed forever. Once Linux replaces Windows as the safety net, it's a whole new ball game. :)

agurk said: Yep, there are bugs, but I personally haven't found any show stoppers, there have so far always been workarounds or alternatives. And, although it can sometimes take a couple of years or more, bugs tend to get fixed. :)

I don't believe there's such a thing as absolutely bug free software. Kubuntu, for instance, has had to live with KDE 4, which - while it is better now - had a very hard time in the beginning with bugs. But none of them were the send-you-packing type, and with a little patience and a little time, most of them are now fixed.

Just takes a little effort, a little patience, and a little time. :)