No to (K)Ubuntu

The stupidity of the Ubuntu line has finally made me decide it has to go. I went to setup a CUPS printer access and quickly learned the the (K)Ubuntu has a all ports closed policy. Okay as much as that helps people new to Linux from getting hacked or otherwise compromised its bad policy period. A good IP Table firewall (Like Shorewall) will do better at that. The no open port policy destroys zeroconf networking, and CUPS. I have two computers and one laser printer. I should be able to see that printer on the CUPS broadcast, except CUPS isn't being allowed to broadcast.

This is the final straw. Good-bye Ubuntu and Kubuntu you just aren't worth it.

--Shaun

(SIGH!!) Back to Kubuntu

Well MEPIS blew up when I installed the Multi-Media support so its back to Kubuntu. It also means no cool 3D interface, for now. Oh well such is life.

MEPIS to the rescue

After my Kubuntu issue I decided that was it. However, I like the Ubuntu repositories simply because they have a large selection of available software. So the question is how do I get what I really want?

Well the stable version of MEPIS wasn't going to do it so I took a shot at MEPIS 6.5 RC3 and it works. I did a complete upgrade using the Edgy repositories, the original repositories were for Dapper. Thus resulting in me getting KDE 3.5.6 (Latest Version) and several major upgrades to core system files. So far I haven't had an issue. Warren also has the KDE 3D interface going nicely and I'm using it now. SWEET!!!

So I have the Ubuntu repositories, and I have a seperate root account (No sudo for me) and I have a cutting edge user interface. Granted its going to be a real PIA to get it all back together but considering what I'm getting in return, its well worth it.

HOW TO come soon.

(K)Ubuntu Annoyance Emerges

There is a reason why I hate the (K)Ubuntu setup. When things go wrong you sometimes need that root account. Today is a prime example. Something I could have fixed easily as root happened. However, because that option is not available I ended up with data loss. This is why I hate the (K)Ubuntu sudo scheme. And why I am not fond of (K)Ubuntu.

First off its simply not as secure as a separate Root account. Yes it can keep you from doing things you may not want to do, it can also keep you from doing things you may want to do, or need to do, as well.

Separate root accounts that you can log into allow you to fix issues before they become bigger issues. Which was my case. Having to log into an account that is in an issue situation can actually do more damage.

Root accounts allow system and account repair. (K)Ubuntu proved to me AGAIN why it fails to be a true *NIX access system. ROOT EXISTS FOR A REASON.

Almost Comical, Certainly Insane....

When does a law suit finally show its absurdity? When the claims of a company literally make them the owner of the Internet.

I have been following The SCO Vs. IBM case since the beginning. The fact of the matter is the case is all but over. There is no doubt in mine, or anyone else's mind that SCO made a big noise but had no real case to begin with. Now IBM is showing the court that if SCO's claims stand they would be able to claim ownership rights to the Entire Internet and all technology of Internet enabled devices. This includes cell phones, mp3 players, DVRs, etc. You can read about it at Groklaw.

Work is getting better and I am developing new customer relationships. I may bring in a contract service agreement here.

Kubuntu, though still not my preferred choice, is definitely growing on me. The sudo aspects, and the other annoyances associated with it still leave me a bit perturbed but it does what I need it to do for work purposes as well as personal stuff.

My next step in networking is to learn how to configure a Kolab server. This will be interesting.

Kubuntu doing the job...

Well Kubuntu is growing on me though there are definite annoyances but I have to admit it works and is doing what I want it to do as well as what I need it to. So that being the case I am learning all the work arounds. I have Kickoff installed and quickly learned how to change the button to what I wanted. Krusader allowed me to not only change the active button but to place the inactive button where I wanted it to be. (/usr/share/apps/kicker/pics/)

kicker_basic.mng is the unpressed launch menu button and kicker_active.png is the pressed launch button (No, I do not know the reasoning behind using two different file formats for the button graphics.)

I have placed almost all my wallpapers in the default /usr/share/wallpapers/ directory and as long as I can get to the rudimentary level I am satisfied.

What I would like to see is a generic based distribution that uses the Ubuntu repositories but doesn't have the (K)Ubuntu silliness of keeping people out of the system files without the use of special programs like Krusader. I even made an entry for Konqueror as root in my menu and it still won't allow me access to the / level of my directory structure unless I put in the address bar manually. And lets please for the love of (place whatever you want here) get rid of the stinking sudo scheme.

Linux is supposed to be open, the (K)Ubuntu scheme just doesn't feel all that open to me.

Well I have updates to download on the laptop.

Home sick

Not feeling good today. which is a real bummer since its my sons birthday. Plus I am still behind on paper work thanks to the chaos that is my life.

Anyway thought I would show off the ugly dongle cord on the laptop.


There it is. Comments?

Shaun

Kubuntu and Me???

I am not the biggest fan of Ubuntu/Kubuntu, mostly because of the sudo usage. I prefer being able to log in as root. Still though here I am on my laptop using Kubuntu. Why? Well because PCLOS failed to update in time for me to be able to perform my work. Mepis was my next attempt and it broke when I updated. Linspire was pretty much out of the question since getting it to do what I need is a royal PIA.

Tried Your OS only to quickly learn it isn't being maintained well. Etc and so on. So I downloaded and burned Kubuntu 6.10 (Edgy) and installed it onto my laptop. I have to say its been through some nice changes. The gnome look has pretty much disappeared and there is a kickoff download for available here.

I can deal with the sudo thing even though I find it annoying at times but all in all its pretty nice and you can still get around the Kubuntu people trying to make settings access more in line with the Gnome philosophy. If I wanted that I would use Gnome, I use KDE because I can use the options if I want, and sometimes do.

Well the laptop is for all intent and purpose completed. While I was doing it the desktop arose with a surprise issue. PCLOS 0.93a Big Daddy was/is not ready for the change to Daylight Savings Time three weeks early. So while my laptop changed to the correct time my desktop did not. Tex sadly has dropped the ball on this one. I have no choice but to again move to another Distro and it seems Kubuntu is it.

However, I am sure I will find myself annoyed by some Kubuntu specific issue and my hunt will be on to find a more acceptable distribution.

Work has been keeping me busy so I haven't had a whole lot of free time to post in my blog.

Two bits worth talking about here: First the laptop, it was down for two weeks. The internal power connector cracked (or it already was cracked form the previous time, not sure on that.) Anyway, it was causing the positive connection to short out on the USB ground, which is like a yikes and bad news for the laptop. I had to purchase a new power connector. Tried to get one that would fit internally, no dice, found a dead main board on e-bay and bid on it. Someone wanted it more and I didn't see paying $70 as justifiable for a power connector. So went to the local Radio Shack who actually had the right size connector to fit the power supply. However, there was no way on earth I would ever get it to fit in the laptop case. Its one of the heavy duty cylinder types thats like an inch and a half long.

Well to get my laptop back up I had to remove the old broken connector and run two wires (Positive and Negative voltage lines) from the main board. I also had to put a small slit in the back of the laptop case so I could install the main board. I had to solder the wires of course which is really kind of a nerve wrecker. One slip of the soldering iron tip to the wrong place and its bye bye laptop. So now I have this dongle cable coming out the back of my laptop. (I wrapped it in electrical tape.) Its ugly but functional.

I also installed a Dual Layer DVD burner as well. I have burned some CDs but not a DVD with it yet. So now all I need is to refurbish (paint some letters on) the keyboard and get a new battery.

Secondly: I downloaded and started Playing with PCLOS 2007 Test 3. I tried out beryl for its 3D affects, very,very nice. However, it caused me to lose communication with the built in network adaptor. I had an IP address but I wasn't able to get the network to communicate when I fired up beryl. I even turned beryl off and tried resetting the adaptor, and it didn't work. So I was forced to reinstall PCLOS to get my adaptor back up. I will say this, I WANT BERYL WORKING. It was way way cool.