Very disappointing upgrade to 8.04. Not just the Firefox 3 beta freezing problem that other users have reported, but also annoying screen blinking as windows appear and disappear, slower application launches and slower performance in some applications. On the same machine (a Dell laptop), I did a fresh install of Gutsy and everything was back to normal, i.e. fast, trouble-free performance.

Anyone else with these troubles? Could it be an upgrade vs. fresh install problem, or has Ubuntu dropped the ball with Hardy?

Took me five minutes after downloading and installing Hardy to find a show stopper, being using Gutsy ever since.

tasbuzz writes...

Could it be an upgrade vs. fresh install problem, or has Ubuntu dropped the ball with Hardy?

i did a fresh install, since i was running 7.04 installs.

8.04 seems to have a lot of bugs i suggest you try 8.04 again once it's 8.04.1

Gabz.. writes...

8.04 seems to have a lot of bugs i suggest you try 8.04 again once it's 8.04.1

Stay the hell away if you're using wireless is my advice. I spent 1/2 a day trying more than six different methods to enable my Broadcom BCM4306 Ver 03 but all were met with failure.

Even the Ubuntu forums and it's many guides were of no help. I hope this is a one of as if all linux distros are this buggy I'm glad I didn't try linux sooner.

kingnick writes...

Stay the hell away if you're using wireless is my advice.

Not my experience. I started using Ubuntu with Dapper Drake and haven't had major wireless detection/enabling problems. Wireless management is a different issue and I strongly recommend using the wicd utility to replace Ubuntu's network manager:

wicd.sourceforge.net

tasbuzz writes...

Not just the Firefox 3 beta freezing problem that other users have reported,

The firefox freezing bug was fixed in the hardy updates last week (specifically the update of xulrunner-1.9).

The firefox freezing bug was fixed in the hardy updates last week (specifically the update of xulrunner-1.9)

Not on my machine. The xulrunner-1.9 update had no effect.

Did you install the restricted driver for your video card, if you have one?

Kubuntu Hardy has been pretty good, it's very stable.
I'm liking the new KDE 4 apps and the built-in 3D effects.

I find the new Konqueror (KDE4) to be on par with Firefox 3, it can loads every sites fine. Plus, it's hard to beat multi tabs file-system browsing :D

May be you should give the KDE version a try.

Dejavuth writes...

May be you should give the KDE version a try.

A nice alternative to Firefox is the browser in SeaMonkey - uses the same engine, works faster:

www.seamonkey-project.org

I think there are many unresolved bugs however I've been using Hardy on both a Clevo D900T laptop and a Dell workstation at work. The only problem i have is instability of FF mainly viewing multimedia (ff crashes). Wireless is ok, Webcam doesn't work (never has) its not supported yet...

I can understand it be very frustrating..some its just the luck of the draw but i have found more issues resolved with this release. Like the previous poster stated perhaps its worth waiting...

I like what i have been able to get going..for those interested:

www.gunnsoft.com.au/images/Screenshot-1.png

After a few lockups on my clean installs: lappy & desktop Hardy works perfectly after a couple of updates. No problems with wireless,applications, video etc.

FF3 is definitely slower then the windows FF3

I'm still using Feisty Fawn :)

tasbuzz writes...

I did a fresh install of Gutsy

Its a good idea to have a spare partition for testing a new OS,
so you can dual-boot back to the old one if needed.

e.g. have two small root partitions for the old and new OS (e.g.8GB each), and a big /home partition for your data. (And maybe another for windows.)

I have found it buggy and slow as well. It's also the same with Xubuntu 8.04. FF is really bad, crashed a lot when there is flash on a page. I have put up with it though and each few weeks with updates things seem to be getting better.

Ubuntu 8.04 server addition however is rock solid so far, been running for about 3 weeks on a server at work. Also have it on a server at home with no issues although the load and use it gets at home is hardly going to show any cracks.

I've given up with it.

i needed dualview monitors, and a usable interface.

i've gone back to XP and couldn't be happier.

I'll try agin in a year or so, see if its improved to at least half usable.

motomartin writes...

I've given up with it.

Was Ubuntu your first Linux experience? Why not try a different distro?

motomartin writes...

i've gone back to XP and couldn't be happier.

+1.

Setup my main desktop to dual boot with windows XP SP3 and Ubuntu 8.04 recently after installing SP3, I wanted to move my sister's and father's laptops to Ubuntu as it was noticeably faster than Windows XP on their laptops.

Ubuntu 8.04 in its current form is useless considering the main use of both laptops is web browsing which is impossible because the wireless doesn't function correctly even after multiple OS installs and guides via the terminal.

Ubuntu 8.04 feels very unstable and sometimes much slower to respond than 7.10 so I'm taking my sister's and father's laptops back to Windows XP and will be removing Uubntu 8.04 off my own desktop and replacing it with another distro.

I don't like being a mandatory beta tester.

Let me get this right. Moving back to Windows SP3
Windows Service Pack 3

8.04 had a few wiggles with my monitor and resolution, but overall I'm very happy (3 days in). needed to install the en-au dictionary for OpenOffice.org (even though it claimed it was using it).

Noticed a few glitches - probably Compiz &/ OpenOffice.org related, but they weren't overly troublesome.

Installed EVE-online very easily. All worked well (except the game is not to my taste). Happily playing Klotski at the moment.

Running Gutsy on a Server. Haven't used it otherwise.

I was using 8.04 yesterday at site setting up a mixture of networking types, wireless and wired to a myriad of different devices and must say the inbuilt network manager is really bad when someone must swap between them regularly, like every 10 mins or so, all day.

So the other network manager posted above will probably get installed.

Other than that only other headache but not to do with 8.04, was I had to install Wine in order to run a setup application for a device that only had a Windows installer.

Laptop is a Dell XPS 1710, all devices are detected and work well.

tasbuzz writes...

Wireless management is a different issue and I strongly recommend using the wicd utility to replace Ubuntu's network manager:

wicd.sourceforge.net

Yes, I personally think network-manager has gone way too far attempting to be "simple" for the end user. The resultant interface is just brain dead and infuriating to use and diagnose. I installed wicd about a year ago and haven't looked back. It's just much more sensible.

I've been disappointed with Ubuntu since 7.10. I had been using 7.04 up till last week. When I tested 8.04 and thought it was safe enough to use. It wasn't the case when it was natively installed. Totally different story. Everything I rely on is broken.

I figured when I moved from SuSE to Ubuntu I went from a distro that broke their package manager two releases in a row, now Ubuntu has borked everything two releases in a row.

Looks like my second favourite OS just became my number one.

Sad, but true. And I just finished giving a talk today for 3 hours on Open Source.

tasbuzz writes...

Anyone else with these troubles?

Not me...and this wasn't a fresh install either. In fact, the last fresh install on this machine was Dapper Drake. I've done upgrade installs via the alternate CD ISOs for each successive release.

It seems the main issues people have reported centre around Firefox 3 (well, it *is* beta!) and networking. Given that I've configured my wireless manually without using the gui (by editing /etc/network/interfaces) and use Epiphany rather than Firefox - perhaps my installation isn't exactly what's considered the 'norm'.

InterestedReader writes...

Was Ubuntu your first Linux experience? Why not try a different distro?
motomartin just wants things to work with minimal effort on their part. Anything else is unacceptable. (So there's really no point in trying to encourage or explain why things are the way they are. They simply have no interest in that).

They're stuck "between a rock and a hard place".
(Vista may not be suitable for them, and Linux is considered too much work on their part...What's left? Windows XP).

At this time, its easier for them just to stick with Windows.
(If they're on WinXP, I hope for security sake, they're using Limited User Account with Software Restriction Policy. As well, SuRun to escalate to Admin privileges when necessary).

I give it at least 5 to 7 years until these "easy to use" distros are able to cater for folks like motomartin. The general trend of these distros are heading in the right direction, its just going to take time. So at least he's (motomartin) going to re-consider Linux at a future date.

As for Ubuntu 8.04 LTS?

Well, I'm a little annoyed by the fact that some of the issues I've encountered in 7.10 (which have also been listed in LaunchPad), have regressed onto 8.04 LTS.

I going to switch to Debian (testing) "Lenny".

markbl writes...

I installed wicd about a year ago and haven't looked back. It's just much more sensible.

And it politely removes the bumbling network-manager from service, too. Great little utility.

After 'upgrading' from gutsy to hardy my ubuntu install runs so rubbish that I installed openoffice.org on my windows partition...

It feels rather odd using windows for homework etc. Unfortunately I don't have the time right now to reinstall linux as it's uni crunch time with assignments and such :/

I've had less problems with Hardy than I had with Gutsy, pretty happy so far. Had a few little/huge issues getting it going, one being the update process - it asked me if I wanted to keep / overwrite my samba config, I opened the menu to select my choice and the window greyed out. Left it for half an hour and nothing. Killed it and the install didn't continue and I had to nuke the / partition and start again.

In general hardy:
Wireless - On restricted drivers and works mostly fine (few niggles with the network manager interface but works better than Gutsy)
Dual Monitors - I've got an intel card in this laptop, currently all I've done is mapped out a large virtual desktop and xrandr'd montiors next to each other so no compiz, other than that works well!
Misc - Can't complain about anything else but openoffice being stupid... it kinda just does that (can't get the dictionary settings right, doesn't pick up sdfjlaskf as being spelled incorrectly etc.)

I have been running hardy from upgrade since some of the early release candidates... its been perfect for me and definately an improvement on feisty/gutsy. I do use FF2 still due to plugins not being available for FF3.

I was LOVING Ubuntu but 8.04 is rubbish, I thought it was just me being (relatively) newish to Linux, seriously contemplating switching back to osx86...

Note that the bug in the link below may shed some light on why 8.04 feels slower.

The desktop variant is running the wrong scheduler, so random background tasks (even niced) can interfere with a smooth desktop.

https://bugs.launchpad.n...untu/+bug/188226

Good news is, it's changed in -proposed so should be rolling out as an update soon :)

i tried Freespire before HH 8.04.

In retrospect, it was a much better overall package.

I've got an 11 month old boy who takes up 95% of my spare time - gone are the days of p1ssing about with computers just for the hell of it.

i simply haven't got the time or resources to get under the hood every time i need to try an do something, any more.

XP rules...especially if its free ;)

PS - i've got a Canon MP800 multifunction printer / scanner that just simply refused to work in Linux.
Works 100% perfectly in XP

why would i bother ?

In my opinion Kubuntu Hardy is better than Ubuntu hardy . I have not had as many problems with kubuntu hardy than I have with ubuntu hardy. I have found that if you have problems with the ubuntu GUI install the text install usually works unless ubuntu fails.The ubuntu AMD 64 version seems to have more bugs than the i386 version.

Hardy seems to work best after a text install and I am starting to wonder if it was designed that way.

For some reason or other the DVD versions seem to have more bugs than the CD versions although I could have received a bad iso. from the Internode mirror.

I believe/hope that the October version will work better than the April version mainly because the April version seems like a beta version.

If you have the RC1 disk you can upgrade from that without any problems in fact an upgrade seems to work better than a fresh install.

motomartin writes...

why would i bother ?

Linux is for people who bother. When set up properly, it works like a dream. For some other reasons to bother, see

www.whylinuxisbetter.net

motomartin writes...

why would i bother ?

Windows is like paying for a hooker, If you look and put in a lil effort you can something better for free that isn't riddled with virus

tasbuzz writes...

Linux is for people who bother. When set up properly, it works like a dream. For some other reasons to bother, see

www.whylinuxisbetter.net

He has already indicated that he has neither the time, nor the patience for Linux. So there's really nothing more to say. (While I don't have children myself, I have babysit before. I know all too well that kids need time and attention...Until they fall asleep).

While I am a pro-Linux person, you can't force or "encourage" someone onto something. (Hint: Microsoft tries to do this as part of their "upgrade treadmill").

Our objective, is to provide a choice for everyone to be independent and free to do with their systems as they wish. This is achieved by developing good software under the open source model. (most preferably under the GPL v3 where possible)

Our best efforts should not be used to change people's minds. But to provide better alternatives such that people will decide for themselves. Producing a good solid solution speaks far louder than a half hearted one with a multi-billion dollar marketing campaign. (You can't beat free marketing when someone demonstrates what you can do on Youtube!)

When people use open source solutions, its because they want to. That's the thinking we should adopt.

Forcing or trying to get people into your thinking doesn't work. It just makes them more resistant. Let them choose. Its a far more lasting effect. (Granted, people want quick results, but in reality, it doesn't work that way).

Of course, this approach isn't easy. It demands lots of energy in the form of patience on your part. (This is where you need to develop some strong mental muscles).

Just remember this, Microsoft has billions of dollars to burn.
* They can buy all the knowledge and infrastructure they want.
* They can buy marketing campaigns with enough spin to rival a tornado.
* They can even buy people with no values or integrity.

But what they can't buy is the hearts and minds of people.

Don't believe me? Just look at the public reception of Vista. That's all the proof you need.

They may convey the perception of invincibility, but they really aren't. They can be hurt, and all it takes is long term persistence of producing good open source software. That's it.

PainToad writes...

Windows is like paying for a hooker, If you look and put in a lil effort you can something better for free that isn't riddled with virus

Well, I have more respect for hookers than I do for Microsoft, so I wouldn't use that analogy.

I would view Microsoft as a tyrant of the IT world. They have global power and they aren't afraid to use it. This was demonstrated by their ability to manipulate the ISO process to their desire. (ISO is now referred to as "I Sold Out").

Better yet, they're more like the world's biggest drug dealer, and Windows is their drug. A very powerful, addictive drug. A drug such that it causes the victim to become impatient and to stop using their brains. (There isn't much theory in Windows, you just use it. Anything goes wrong, just click until it works OR format and re-install. If you actually want to solve a problem, that's a whole different story!)

As well, victims are led to believe bandages provided by third-parties (to address the deficiency of Windows) are a standard solution to problems.

Its like taking a drug, and taking something else (bandages) to relieve the side-effects of the drug! (ie: Anti-malware apps)...Rather than prevention, they give you the cure.

With that in mind, you'd realise how difficult it is for someone who's used Windows for a long time, to transition to Linux. There is a "culture shock" being experienced.

Windows => Practice + Bandages
Linux/BSD/etc => Theory + Practice + Solutions

The problem gets worse when you realise who's going to help those "Windows to Linux" people. To dig a little deeper, I did a simple calculation. (I know its not accurate, but it gives you a ballpark idea...A feel of "there's much work to be done").

There's approx 6.6 Billion people on the planet.

1.4 Billion are connected to the web. (That's about 21% of the world's population)

There are approximately:

* 1.29 Billion Windows based systems on the web.
(This is Windows 95, 98, ME, CE, NT, 2k, 2k3, XP, and Vista)

* 8.87 Million Linux based systems on the web.
(0.63% according to net based statistics)

This roughly translates to the following: For every Linux user, there are about 145 Windows users.

So if you really want to do your part for Linux, consider helping 145 Windows users change over!

Maybe set up a unversity style class consisting of 50 students per 12 week semester? (6 hours per day, 30 hours a week?)

You could churn out 145 educated Linux users every 18 months! (Need rest periods in between for new releases of Linux distros and to revise/update the course itself).

Bare in mind, I envision turning beginners to self sufficient Linux users with skill. (ie: They know what to do when the crapper hits the fan, and they're also interested in teaching others themselves).

As you can see, plenty of work to be done! ;)

Wasn't this thread about comparing Ubuntu versions? When did it become a Linux evangelism thread?

As a Windows AND Ubuntu user, I've been using Hardy for a few days (installed through Wubi - which is fantastic - and also in a VM) and I've had a great experience with it. I was especially rapt with it on my Dell D630 laptop... wireless worked out of the box as did all the Compiz goodness.

Random5 writes...

Misc - Can't complain about anything else but openoffice being stupid... it kinda just does that (can't get the dictionary settings right, doesn't pick up sdfjlaskf as being spelled incorrectly etc.)

For some reason the spell check doesn't work properly unless you install openoffice.org (it is not installed by default, only the individual writer, impress apps etc are). Hop into synaptic and check if you don't believe me. Once you've installed openoffice.org the spell check should work. Silly things like that put people off but on the whole Hardy is working like a dream for me.

Sachmojo writes...

installed through Wubi

Shudder. Do a proper dual boot.

Sachmojo writes...

Wasn't this thread about comparing Ubuntu versions? When did it become a Linux evangelism thread?
When someone said they preferred Windows.

Would you prefer evangelism or another flame war of "Windows vs Linux"? :)

asrai writes...

For some reason the spell check doesn't work properly unless you install openoffice.org (it is not installed by default, only the individual writer, impress apps etc are). Hop into synaptic and check if you don't believe me. Once you've installed openoffice.org the spell check should work. Silly things like that put people off but on the whole Hardy is working like a dream for me.
While I full agree with what you've said, I dug a little deeply on this issue. Its not specifically an Ubuntu issue per se.

I did a little testing with:
* Ubuntu 7.10 "Gutsy"
* Ubuntu 8.04 "Hardy Heron"
and
* Debian (testing, daily build) "Lenny"

The "issue" appears in all three. You'd expect spelling to be working by default. But it isn't. (I am not sure why at this time...There's a reason behind it, but my main concern was to get the thing working).

To get spelling working in OpenOffice, this is what you need to do.

(1) Start OpenOffice

(2) Select:
=> File => Wizards => Install New Dictionaries

(3) A page will appear:
=> Select English
=> Then click on "Start DicOOo"

(4) Follow prompts, click on "Retrieve lists" (or similar) to download a list of dictionaries available. Select the dictionaries that you need. It will download and install them for you. (You obviously need web connection)

(4) Close OpenOffice. Then start it up again. Test it by typing some random words and some intentionally mis-spelled ones.

Spelling will now work. I have tested this process with OpenOffice 2.3 and 2.4, in all three distros.

stmok writes...

To get spelling working in OpenOffice, this is what you need to do.

Worked fine here as well using "Debian Lenny" Thanks stmok.

cheers

Burgerboy writes...

The desktop variant is running the wrong scheduler, so random background tasks (even niced) can interfere with a smooth desktop.

Thanks for that link

I allowed proposed updates, and am now running -17 kernel, but have not noticed any real improvement. Scrolling in programs is slow, and when I scroll it causes my music to pause/skip. On that page it seems they are saying that the update is supposed to fix this issue?

Anyone else upgraded to -17 and noticed any difference?

My wireless performance and setup has improved quite a bit with 8.04, but in general the OS feels slower (even though my system now has more RAM)and seems to have a few more issues then 7.10

jsphaus writes...

I'm still using Feisty Fawn :)
+1

As I am running hardware that some would consider to be a boat anchor - but does all that I want it to do. Reassuring to note I am not the only one running Feisty Fawn.

Hi,

I recently intalled Hardy 8.04 for a friend and had no real issues with it.

Hardy 8.04 happens to be thier first taste of the Linux world.

I am abnout todo another friend hopefully that goes just aswell.

Thnaks.

:-)

BDC writes...

Anyone else upgraded to -17 and noticed any difference?

Yes, it won't boot anymore.. something about libATA emulation or something..

an older -14 kernel will however, and is marginally faster. most notably in copying between ext3 & ntfs drives and things like image previews. a little less hard on the cpu too.
also compiz is a lot more stable, doesn't kill itself and leave me borderless anymore.

stmok writes...

To get spelling working in OpenOffice, this is what you need to do.

That didn't work for me...i can't open the pop-up window.And I've lost the icons as well after changing the gnome theme. OO is a bit dodgy isn't it?

I installed a dual boot Ubuntu 8.04 with Windows XP SP3. I haven't used Linux for a while but have done so in the past. I was very impressed that it recognised my webcam, blouetooth adapter and Card readers without any problems (much easier than Windows) but it took a while to get a Netgear wireless USB working (It doesn't support Linux so I can't really blame it) and I haven't managed to get any microphones or TV cards working yet. Most of my problems so far have been because of my own unfamiliarity with Ubuntu/Linux and not knowing of tools to convert windows drivers to Linux drivers.

It seems that it is EXCELLENT at supporting devices that are catered for in the official distribution but fairly poor at catering for anything else (without some major command line work).

Overall I have been quite impressed as most of my PC usage would not involve TV cards or Microphones.

NotTheMessiah writes...

That didn't work for me...i can't open the pop-up window.And I've lost the icons as well after changing the gnome theme. OO is a bit dodgy isn't it?

Have you got compiz running? there is a bug that stuffs up the popup with compiz on. I downloaded the dictionary using synaptic but the popup will work with metacity instead of compiz.

stmok writes...

I would view Microsoft as a tyrant of the IT world. They have global power and they aren't afraid to use it. This was demonstrated by their ability to manipulate the ISO process to their desire. (ISO is now referred to as "I Sold Out").

*sigh*.

I don't suppose Sun and IBM's opposition to Microsoft's OOXML standard was anything other than political given their vested interest in supporting OpenDocument (StarOffice and Lotus Symphony, anyone?), and that they didn't spend time/money lobbying ISO voting members, in order to try and break Microsoft's hold over the corporate office productivity market.

Only the 'evil' Microsoft would do that...right?

Oh wait...

The main enemy of Linux, and FOSS software in general, is the people who militantly advocate it. If Microsoft's work was so crap, why was the Windows GUI pretty much cloned into KDE?

You have idiots wiping whole hard drives and installing Linux on there instead of Windows, without prior permission from the owner's laptop after the machine needs to be rebuilt..."because it's better".

If Joe Public is going to move to Linux, they need a compelling reason to do so. Believe it or not - cost is not a valid reason here, and the vast, vast majority of computer users do NOT care if software is free (in either definition of the word).

What Joe Public want is innovation, and a program that will do what they want, the way they want.

Its like taking a drug, and taking something else (bandages) to relieve the side-effects of the drug!

I guess you're talking about Windows service packs?

Let's see - I installed Ubuntu Hardy one week after release. Since the initial upgrade installation, I've downloaded well over 300MB of updates, some of which address flaws reported by users, and some of which address security holes. Yes, that's right - security holes in Linux.

There's a common saying in Engineering circles - 'simplify and add lightness'. Both Windows and the popular Linux distros are failing to address this - resulting in bulkier distros, and more complicated code means more points of failure.

For God's sake - Ubuntu ships with the work of the Compiz project rolled in. Compiz is basically 'Pimp my Linux' and adds no more benefit to Linux/Ubuntu than Aero Glass does to Windows Vista. It's eyecandy, and it consumes system resources. It is the complete antithesis of what Linux advocates say Linux is - fast and streamlined. It's almost like putting heavy, bulky, cast iron wheels on a Lotus Exige because it looks good.

I use Ubuntu because it works for me. I'm happy to help anyone with genuine problems with it - but you won't see my evangelising the distro. If someone wants to use Linux, they will do so on their own terms.

Linux's main problem in general is that they let their own ideology get in the way of their software. They knowingly cripple their own software, making endusers unshackle it themselves.

Imagine a non-technical set of end-user parent jumping onto a laptop with Ubuntu on it.

Oh, I've got a clean Ubuntu install on this machine, let's play an MP3 on it. Oh wait...I can't.

No problems, let's play these AVIs that my son recorded for me on his machine. Oh wait...I can't.

Oh dear, why don't I grab one of the DVDs from the movie rental store and play it on this machine. Oh wait...I can't.

Reckon Mum and Dad are going to install Ubuntu on their own machine?

Yeah, right.

asrai writes...

Have you got compiz running? there is a bug that stuffs up the popup with compiz on. I downloaded the dictionary using synaptic but the popup will work with metacity instead of compiz.

Yes i have:) Thanks for the tip. i'll give it a go.

NotTheMessiah writes...

That didn't work for me...i can't open the pop-up window.And I've lost the icons as well after changing the gnome theme.

Hmmm...
(1) Which version of Ubuntu are you using?

(2) How did you install/upgrade Ubuntu? Is it a clean install or an existing one?

(I got it working with Ubuntu 7.10 to 8.04 upgrade; 8.04 clean install; and Debian (testing) "Lenny" clean install).

(3) When you say you can't open the "pop-up" window, is that after when you clicked on "Start DicOOo" button? (The DicOOo Wizard should appear).

OO is a bit dodgy isn't it?
Its a work in progress. I'm still curious about your issue though.

You may need to look at this...

Dictionaries
wiki.services.openoffice...iki/Dictionaries

Hardy

Clean install

The issue was resolved after i switched off compiz(in order to see the entire pop-up after clicking DicOOo button)
Prior to this, the spellcheck worked on occasions.

And the loss of icons(in OO) when changing themes is a weird one. I've downloaded the icon set,changed it to human but only a couple of icons are of human type(see pic -help icon) the rest are the old,default ones?!?!? strange:)))

img223.imageshack.us/img223/2069/oodh2.png

I have had issues with wireless from Dapper onwards, and each upgrade was always a journey of mystery and adventure. This time, did a clean install of Hardy, and after a week of shouting at the computer (didn't help much in hindsight) trying to get wireless working I gave up, went out and bought 20m of cat5 cable plus a long drill bit, and got busy with the walls (wife slightly horrified as this was going on). It's wonderful to not be plagued with network issues anymore.

Was also suffering firefox 3b5 locking up, but found a one line fix on google that solved it (something to do with IPv6 I think).

All good now, but I may well have given up/gone elsewhere if this was my first foray into Linux.

I upgraded from Gutsy to Hardy and found that it ran slower on my machine. I did this on a spare box & haven't been interested to use it since the upgrade. The box has a 2.4Ghz Celeron Processor, 256MB RAM shared. I guess it isn't enough for Hardy. I am a bit disappointed but that's progress.

:-)

Happy Chappy writes...

I upgraded from Gutsy to Hardy and found that it ran slower on my machine.

but it's still running with 256mb:)

Wand Weaver writes...

For God's sake - Ubuntu ships with the work of the Compiz project rolled in. Compiz is basically 'Pimp my Linux' and adds no more benefit to Linux/Ubuntu than Aero Glass does to Windows Vista. It's eyecandy, and it consumes system resources.

Compiz has a lot of usability improvements ... the scale plug-in which puts all your windows at a glance ... the desktop cube which visually separates your workspaces etc.

NotTheMessiah writes...

The issue was resolved after i switched off compiz(in order to see the entire pop-up after clicking DicOOo button)
Prior to this, the spellcheck worked on occasions.
Oh, ok. I don't use Compiz, (that's a personal preference), but its interesting to note.

So Compiz affects the visibility of DicOOo? Hmmm...I guess someone needs to inform the DicOOo or Compiz developer(s).

And the loss of icons(in OO) when changing themes is a weird one. I've downloaded the icon set,changed it to human but only a couple of icons are of human type(see pic -help icon) the rest are the old,default ones?!?!? strange:)))

img223.imageshack.us/img223/2069/oodh2.png
Yeah, that is really odd. I mainly stick to the default icons myself and only change the desktop background wallpaper to something livable...Brown, orange, red, etc can only get you so far before you snap! :)

tiges writes...

Reassuring to note I am not the only one running Feisty Fawn.

no mate, there's at least a third one: my wife...
I had installed Kubuntu 7.04 on her PC (an old Win2K machine with seriously old innards) because all she wanted to do is write a bit, use e-mail and browse the web.

Worked just fine until I got sucked into a version upgrade: WiFi card no longer recognised - no web access... tried everything I could think of, including fresh installs from ISO or text-based CDs.

In the end I gave up and went back to a fresh install of Fawn... (I'm not game to touch her machine again :-) Is there a way to disable the constant invites to upgrade to a new version?

NB: I have OpenSuSE and Ubuntu 7.10 running on two other PCs and like both; but for my day-to-day stuff I still use my old workhorse XP mac hines...

Cheers,

LMH

carioca writes...

(an old Win2K machine with seriously old innards)

With similar specs, I am thankful that I have resisted the urge to upgrade to Gutzy - as may have encountered similar problems.

I installed Ubuntu 8.04 on my test machine. Both my Wi-Fi cards are working with WPA.

Haven’t had any issues
VNC works !!!! took me about 45 min to get it working with forums and other stuff on 7.10.

Other than that haven’t played enough yet to say if it’s better or worse.

Wand Weaver writes...

Oh, I've got a clean Ubuntu install on this machine, let's play an MP3 on it. Oh wait...I can't.

No problems, let's play these AVIs that my son recorded for me on his machine. Oh wait...I can't.

Oh dear, why don't I grab one of the DVDs from the movie rental store and play it on this machine. Oh wait...I can't.

If you find it so hard to click on an extra link which Ubuntu informs you to click on, then maybe pen & pad is what you need.

Lets not forget the awful codec issues on Windows. You run an installation program and it tries to install all this bloatware on it.

vladi voodstock writes...

If you find it so hard to click on an extra link which Ubuntu informs you to click on, then maybe pen & pad is what you need.

True but this is linked to having problems with your internet connection(wireless, software dial-up modem etc). If you do have a working connection then it is a breeze.

NotTheMessiah writes...

True but this is linked to having problems with your internet connection

If you are from the third world I can see why you might complain.

It is a one of thing too.

On Windows I waste more time searching for a software to download of the web, and then making sure it is not trying to install other crap with it.

This is worse when you have to advice a novice to install a software.

Wand Weaver writes...

Oh, I've got a clean Ubuntu install on this machine, let's play an MP3 on it. Oh wait...I can't.

No problems, let's play these AVIs that my son recorded for me on his machine. Oh wait...I can't.

Oh dear, why don't I grab one of the DVDs from the movie rental store and play it on this machine. Oh wait...I can't.

LOL,

You've just described exactly what happens in a fresh Windows install. :D

All of the above work perfectly in Ubuntu with zero user knowledge.

neilmc writes...
" LOL,

You've just described exactly what happens in a fresh Windows install. :D

All of the above work perfectly in Ubuntu with zero user knowledge.

Hi neilmc,

I would have to agree with u on that.

Thanks.

:-)

I am running Hardy 8.04, and I love it compared to Gutsy 7.10.

Hardy picks up my internal webcam, where Gutsy didn't.

So cool :-) Now I can use my webcam in Ubuntu.

vladi voodstock writes...

If you are from the third world I can see why you might complain.

I have dial-up internet and i do live in Australia.My software modem wouldn't work with linux when i tried to switch so i couldn't download n-driver/codecs etc.

NotTheMessiah writes...

I have dial-up internet and i do live in Australia.My software modem wouldn't work with linux when i tried to switch so i couldn't download n-driver/codecs etc.

If your software modem won't work then........

The best solution is to ditch your current winmodem for a real hardware modem (which will likely work better anyway). Or if you are looking at another winmodem, research if it's supported first.

Just like when you upgrade from 98 to XP or XP to Vista and some hardware is not supported. Ditch and replace it or stick with the OS you had.

neilmc writes...

If your software modem won't work then........

Thanks mate but i solved my problem a long time ago:) when i bought an external dial up(serial).
I was just saying that there are people with dial up modems trying to switch to linux so it is possible that they are struggling with internal soft-modems and therefore can NOT download the n-driver,codec etc.That's all.

NotTheMessiah writes...

to windows so it is possible that they are struggling with internal soft-modems and therefore can NOT download the n-driver,codec etc.That's all.

That's a legitimate problem and will frustrate people.

Hardware support will get better over time but there will always be a lag with availability until more hardware vendors are cooperative. Things might be turning around with the likes of Intel and AMD getting behind open source drivers.

They earn a lot from the big end of town that is more likely to be spending big on hardware to run non-windows platforms.

There will probably need to be more of a critical mass of *nix desktop users to get any vendor driver attention for something like a $40 Belkin winmodem.

Things seem to be changing a little. I've seen a couple of cheap consumer products bragging "Linux Support!" on the box. Unfortunately this sometimes means a closed driver for 1 distro and 1 kernel version.

If vendors release open drivers or good hardware spec, the community will pick up the work of ongoing support saving the vendor on resources.

neilmc writes...

That's a legitimate problem and will frustrate people.

Yep that's the point i was making. When i tried to switch to linux i spent countless hours in trying to diagnose the problem with my internal modem(a lot of distros did not inform me why my modem wasn't detected by the os).So there weren't any pop-ups saying your modem isn't detected because of blah blah. So then i hit the forums and realized that my modem barely passed for hardware and was designed for windows. After that i was still trying to get it to work with help form other people until one person suggested to save myself the trouble and buy the cheapest hardware modem with a controller on board.And that's what i did:)). You can see the pain,suffering and time that i spent on this little problem:))). I never gave up and kept at it. I'm a recovering windows user so i have high tolerance for pain. But you CAN NOT expect average users to go through the same minefield. It will never happen.People have short attention spans,zero time and desire and are indoctrinated to use windows since conception.

Me....i'm loving lunux-ubuntu :)))

tasbuzz writes...

Very disappointing upgrade to 8.04

I upgraded to Hardy from Gutsy on this underspec'd laptop, Toshiba Tecra 8100 ( an oldie but a goody, like it's owner :) )
And everything worked out of the box, I didn't have to touch a thing, Wireless pcmcia card the usb ethernet emulator all of it, all I have done is disable ipv6, and rearrange some of my FF habits as some add ons and extensions where incompatible, it seems that many of the changes that I had made to Gutsy, like reducing HDD access/writes have been ported.
I for one couldn't be happier.

I upgraded Gutsy to Hardy more than a week ago, and it is still riddled with bugs.

Like not resolving the hostname (fixed via a workaround), "Failed to intialize HAL" error message, System -> Quit takes a long time to appear, VirtualBox stops working, this one, and Firefox doesn't remember when I change the bookmarks toolbar.

All in all, my impression is that Heron is a release you're probably best skipping - wait for Intrepid.

I probably jumped the gun a little early for my experience and upgraded soon after the RC came out. A whole lotta things broke (Problems with X and then emerald / awn were the most frustrating) but everything I wasn't able to fix myself pretty much all fixed itself within one or two days of the final release. I don't see that many differences so far (though obviously more would be backend). It's nice and stable again and works the way it's supposed to.

And my pressed disk from Ubuntu came today, so that's nice.

Pretty damned good for free software.

Most things will probably revealed in 8.01. To me Ubuntu 8.00 seems a little unfinished but Kubuntu 8.00 seems OK with FF3 beta 5 & Thunderbird.

pipsqeek writes...

I figured when I moved from SuSE to Ubuntu I went from a distro that broke their package manager two releases in a row, now Ubuntu has borked everything two releases in a row.

Mmmm. To be honest I am a little mixed on Ubuntu. On one hand I think that it's great - being beginner friendly and all, but on the other hand... Well I can't describe it, but I think that Ubuntu is starting be problematic in more ways than one.

For instance, the broken updates that the developers publish then.. "oh opps, that wasn't supposed be up yet" and breaks everyone's system. Then there is the whole upgrade fiasco, where if you upgrade every 6 months rather than clean install, it can and often does cause issues.

But a lot of the probelm is also with the community:- Can be a nice community and all, but a lot of them treat Ubuntu as god's gift. Litterally. It's like a religion to some of them.

Anywho.. There is more to it, but as I said, it's hard to explain.

As for the Suse comment:- Well I am sort of in the same boat. After being an Ubuntu fan for so long and never being impressed by Suse, especially the package management as of recent releases, I think that Suse MIGHT actually get it right this time. Especially that the new *official* openSUSE forums will be open very very soon. forums.opensuse.org

In order to provide a better service to the existing openSUSE
Community and to our new users, we're pleased to announce that
suseforums.net, suselinuxsupport.de and the openSUSE support forums at
forums.novell.com (the three largest English speaking dedicated SUSE
forums) are joining forces to merge into the new official openSUSE
Forums at forums.opensuse.org.

As for 8.04:- Well... I am thinking of installing it again and seeing how it goes. But.. just reading around on the Ubuntu Forums - a lot of people are having all sorts of issues with it. I am still undecided what I will do as of yet - might change distros altogether - maybe wait for Suse 11.0 final or even try out Debian testing. The idea of a rolling distro really appeals to me.

To all the MP3 Xvid complaints...

Both those codecs require money to allow the user to use them, Windows XP/Vista costs money and the license is part of the fee, just like other Linux Distro's that charge money which have support from install. the "FREE" codecs actually breach copyright laws in certain countries (hello USA and now Australia thanks to a "FREE" trade agreement) so responsible distros like Ubuntu/Debian leave them out.

And the repo is called "BAD" for a reason... naughty naughty...

I love Kevin Rudd writes...

For instance, the broken updates that the developers publish then.. "oh opps, that wasn't supposed be up yet" and breaks everyone's system. Then there is the whole upgrade fiasco, where if you upgrade every 6 months rather than clean install, it can and often does cause issues.name one OS that hasn't had a brain fart at some stage of its life? If it becomes a frequent occurrence then yes it is a valid point.

But a lot of the probelm is also with the community:- Can be a nice community and all, but a lot of them treat Ubuntu as god's gift. Litterally. It's like a religion to some of them. HA... have a look at Gentoo if you want God's gift attitude... joking ;)... lots of newbs feeling 1337 cause they run Linux and not Windows, was bound to happen as linux becomes more mainstream. no different to those SMUG Apple users ;).

Problems so far with Ubuntu 8.04

*No package for VMware Server and had to hack up the official version to get it working properly under 8.04

*Virtual box didn't work properly as its dependancies seemed broken. It didn't install the kernel modules and I had to do that myself

*Wireshark doesn't work. Had to hack that up as well get to it working without crashing

*Browsing and mounting SMB volumes doesn't work properly unless you are guest mode enabled. The client should ask for credentials if there is no guest mode enabled but it doesn't pass them back properly to the SMB server.

*This is pretty major. Beryl and ATI means a really annoying flickering in all GL enabled applications. Xmoto and any GL screensavers all have this flicker every 1 second that is unbareable.

I am all but dissapointed with 8.04. I had a really neat setup in 7.10. Everything was working perfectly. I should have just kept with 7.10 until 8.04 was a bit more stable.

I also went through the process of installing 8.04, but have now back peddled to 7.10

My main issue was the inability to see network shares, as other people previous have mentioned. I pretty much need to be able to do this.

I think I will stick with 7.10 for a while longer, once all the bugs have been ironed out, or a new release occurs(which ever comes first).

Cheers

Matt

pico writes...

*This is pretty major. Beryl and ATI means a really annoying flickering in all GL enabled applications.

Getting this when using google earth on 8.04. Makes the program very unusable.

One plus, 8.04 does allow remote system control to work. Although rather slowly.

removing firefox3b5 and installing firefox-2 removed the system lock ups i was experiencing

Ubuntu 8.04 is a disaster! At first I was captivated but since then I have had almost all the troubles documented by others. The instability was appalling and the crashes unending.

I've actually wiped it and installed the amazing newly released Australian Puppy Linux 4.0 (Dingo) (89GB download) and have been blown away by its speed, stability and capabilities. It set up my often difficult to support D-Link wireless card and provides a very satisfying experience on my old Dell Inspiron 8000 (a lovely laptop) with 384Mb RAM and a P111 CPU.

The amazing thing is that Puppy ran the Australian ABC video news straight out of the box - something that Ubuntu wouldn't look at.

Do yourselves a favour and give this Aussie distro a try - you'll be impressed!

Not sure if people are having problems with Samba shares on Hardy. I just upgraded one of my machines to Hardy and had trouble with samba shares on it.
Got this error using smbclient -L

Server requested LANMAN password (share-level security) but 'client use lanman auth' is disabled
tree connect failed: SUCCESS – 0

This web page had a solution to it
http://blog.jamisona.com/2008/05/15/kubuntu-710-to-804-problem/

["
if you add two lines to /etc/samba/smb.conf in the Global (on the client) section it will fix it.

client plaintext auth = yes
client lanman auth = yes
"]

It worked

darcyd writes...

Australian Puppy Linux 4.0 (Dingo) (89GB download)

Holly Cow! These distributions aren't getting smaller!

I'm running hardy at the moment, and honestly its not that bad. OK a few of those random screen fades every now and then but its all good.

I've had my fair share of troubles with Hardy.

-Firefox crashes because of Flash (I'm waiting for swfdec or gnash to get to a usable state).
-Password protected SAMBA shares are inaccessible through the GNOME places menu
-Certain programs will not play sounds because of the PulseAudio migration (such as Dosbox, which uses SDL, I think)
-There are programs that segfault on start-up, e.g. bristol

Apart from the lack of polish, it's not too bad. I'm waiting for Debian Lenny however to provide a rock-solid system, to replace Hardy.

saron

I think i found where the random fade screens are coming from. Looks as though its the sensitivity settings for the keyboard.

Ha Ha Ha.... This is piss funny! (well not really depending on your point of view)

Was going through and had a reboot to do, so i did and it shat itself! It keeps on saying reading files to boot but doesn't actually go any further.

I think there is something wrong with Hardy ,my and 64 version flickers at times my bar has moved 90 degrees left from horizontal to vertical all by itself. When I tried to update my i386 version just a few minutes ago my package manager would not open until I opened it by hand. My 2Firefox versions will no longer put a shortcut on the main panel .

I will probably go back to 7.10 until October this year at least.

I finally 'upgraded' to Gutsy, assuming 7.04 to 7.10 would be smooth only to have nvidia and wireless not working. Well there goes my weekend ! Nvidia X blank screening, sluggish Firefox, and wireless not playing nice with nvidia...yay.

This is just ridiculous and I find it bizarre that these upgrades are anything but. The Hardy horror stories have me looking at ditching Ubuntu now. The honeymoon is over. Microsoft is looking awfully good about now.

Lord NAAFI writes...

have me looking at ditching Ubuntu now. The honeymoon is over. Microsoft is looking awfully good about now.

Why not give another Linux flavour a try instead? Try something a little different than the 'buntu way...

Ubuntu is about as user friendly as Linux gets. Its just a question of time really – as much as I dislike Windows, it just works without me needing to spend dozens of hours stuffing around. This isn't 1990, its 2008 – why do I still have to keeping playing with xorg.conf and video drivers ? An end user shouldn't have to vi.

I figured waiting til the kinks had been sorted out with Gutsy would make the upgrade smooth but no cigar. The irony is my PC specs were bought with linux compatability in mind.

Lord NAAFI writes...

Windows, it just works without me needing to spend dozens of hours stuffing around.

Very true and this argument was just repeating its self in my head over and over last night as I tried to recover my ubuntu box. I updated from 7.10 to 8.04 and opened a can of worms. The crap really hit the fan – sdb wouldn't mount at all, firefox would not load at all etc and to top it all off, it made my server box run like a snail. I tried to repair from alternate cd but nothing worked. At the end i was forced to do a reinstall, luckily it was on it's own partition and i did not lose any important data and just had to get proftd and samba sharing setup again. I figured since i was reformatting that i'd try using the latest distro (8.04) again.

Fresh install and...no problems at all. Proftpd is chugging along happily and my samba shares are accessible from windows xp pc and laptop perfectly. So no hiccups for me with hardy...yet.