How's Kubuntu?

Post by **The Beatles** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 4:19 pm

Hey Devari! Just wondering how you're liking kubuntu? Here's a more specific question: has it got a good GUI for configuring wireless? I mean, I'm fine with iwconfig eth1 key restricted <blahblah> && ifup eth1 but it's embarrassing at meetings... I'm the only desktop Linux user at work, and sometimes I get these glances as if to say "Look at the kid with the stone age technology." Plus, it has to be done as root (a setuid script isn't enough), so I can't see a good solution... and Red Hat's network config tools frankly suck. Don't want to go back to Mandrake though. And Fedora recently had some X-server related stability issues when I upgraded. So... how good is Debian/Ubuntu in this respect? I know apt-get will be the top-of-the-line in package management, and hopefully Ubuntu will keep packages fairly up to date. But the configuration GUI, the configuration GUI?

Cheers,
~Beatles

Post by **Devari** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 5:34 pm

Hi Beatles!

Goog gui for configuring wireless, eh? Well, I've attached the Kubuntu wireless configuration page - not sure if it is what you need. To my knowledge, that is the only wireless configuration page for Kubuntu. The screenshot is in "Administrator Mode" - note the red border to the page. You can't do anything with Wireless as a regular account; however, every configuration page that needs root can be used after one clicks the "Administrator Mode" button on the bottom of the page.

Keep in mind that Kubuntu/Ubuntu can use ONLY sudo by default. I think root logins may be disabled by default as well.

Also keep in mind K/Ubuntu uses an ugly GRUB. However, on the plus side, it found Mandriva and Win XP both, and added them on to the list. (Triple boot!)

Packages are strange, actually. The actual version of software does not change in the K/Ubuntu repositories. However, all security/bug fixes are backported quite quickly.
Read http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=28469&highlight=firefox+1.0.3 for more.

Stone age technology?! Do they not comprehend the beauty of a command line?! The shear poetry of bash?!

Anyway, you can silently laugh at their stone-age Windows XP. :*laughs*:

And when Longhorn comes out, you can still laugh at them.

Post by **The Beatles** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 5:44 pm

Hi Devari. Thanks for the info. Yes, as I suspected, the only config they have is KDE's own....

Available on all systems, actually. It has its fair share of quirks, let me tell you, as does KWifiManager. Oh well...
In related news, a Fedora kernel upgrade fixed 'scanning' on my wireless card. It, however, seems to have introduced a subtle bug into X. When I get in in the morning, something's causing X to use 50-60% of the CPU time for no good reason.

The person who ridiculed me with the stone age technology thing is actually quite good at bash. It's not the fact I use the shell, but the fact that it's not done for me automatically that's his picking-point. Then again, he's using OS X, "The OS even Alzheimer's patients can use."

I'll let you know later how things went with this kernel upgrade.

Post by **The Beatles** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 6:39 pm

Conclusion: KWifiManager and that config screen look nice but in reality aren't worth much. Bleargh.

Post by **The Beatles** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 6:46 pm

Out of curiosity, what configuration tools DOES ubuntu have? Not talking about the KDE ones here. (Does it have a HTTPD configurator?)

Post by **The Beatles** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 7:04 pm

Screw it maybe I should just hibernate for 5 years and all the problems will go away.

I miss Mandrake now... Then again I hated a lot of its guts. Ditto for Debian.
Can't install the ROX-filer. May soon explode

Philip · Post by **Philip** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 7:04 pm

Screw it maybe I should just hibernate for 5 years and all the problems will go away.
I miss Mandrake now... Then again I hated a lot of its guts. Ditto for Debian.
Can't install the ROX-filer. May soon explode

That is not very polite. Right now?
The ALICE chat robot can follow many things, like our discussion about Out of curiosity what configuration tools DOES ubuntu have. But I did not get that.
The ALICE chat robot can follow many things, like our discussion about

he or she miss Mandrake. But I did not get that.
Where are you located?
Ask me another question.
I often wonder if

soon explode

can.

Post by **The Beatles** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 7:04 pm

Yes, Phil, soon explode can.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 7:04 pm

Yes, Phil, soon explode can.

I see. My brain contains 33748 categories, but not one that matches your last input.

Post by **Devari** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 7:24 pm

Ubuntu does not have much in the way of configuration tools aside from KDE/GNOME ones; but those do most things I need.

yum acting up?

Post by **Devari** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 7:28 pm

Speaking of kwifimanager and kcontrol, what exactly are the quirks/problems with it? I may be working with wireless networks at some point, so I need to know.

Post by **The Beatles** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 7:29 pm

Yes. Nothing wrong with apt-get, btw. I may just stick with Mandrake. Certainly had less frustrations until I borked it myself. Main issues I had with it was that it put a lot of stuff in unusual locations, didn't support my wireless card, seemed less modern, and put too much random junk into /var/log/messages.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 7:29 pm

Yes. Nothing wrong with apt-get, btw. I may just stick with Mandrake. Certainly had less frustrations until I borked it myself. Main issues I had with it was that it put a lot of stuff in unusual locations, didn't support my wireless card, seemed less modern, and put too much random junk into /var/log/messages.

Next question?Really nothing?How do you plan to do this?No I don't think I have any less frustrations until he or she borked it him or herself.
But I do have
an answer to every question. . What happened to it?

Post by **The Beatles** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 7:30 pm

The quirks, on my end, seem only to be that it can't actually connect to wireless networks. However, everything else works fine with it. Oh yes, WaveLAN plugin and it report radically different connection strengths. (WaveLAN is right according to iwconfig). Also that it doesn't make it trivial for you to select which wireless network you want. However, once you do that, it's fine (except for actually connecting you see).

Philip · Post by **Philip** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 7:30 pm

The quirks, on my end, seem only to be that it can't actually connect to wireless networks. However, everything else works fine with it. Oh yes, WaveLAN plugin and it report radically different connection strengths. (WaveLAN is right according to iwconfig). Also that it doesn't make it trivial for you to select which wireless network you want. However, once you do that, it's fine (except for actually connecting you see).

What do you really want to ask me?
All things else works fine with it ?Yeah.
This was not a yes or no question. Can you tell me any gossip?
I think WaveLAN is a lot of things.
Not many people express themselves that way.
When? What is your purpose in asking?
<br></br>

I answer a lot of silly questions.

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