Linux *sigh*

Linux *sigh*
7th Jun 2010 - 17:14	by jansic
Nothing about Linux is ever low-motion. I have 2 systems, both Ubuntu, my server runs 8.04 and my work machine runs 8.10. I recently decided that it was time to move to the head of the Ubuntu release schedule and upgrade both. I did my server remotely, firstly upgrading to 9.04. Being a server it lacks any graphical components, that was until it was upgraded. I can almost forgive this, because I installed a gui originally and then pared it back; what I can't forgive it for is changing the way things are configured. All my custom configuration and boot sequences (provided by the sys-v init stuff) all made completely irrelevant by 9.04 shipping with 'upstart' instead. After a good half-hour spent fixing the resulting mess, I then upgraded it again to 10.04 - making a nice new mess of completely different configuration files. Another half hour later after a remote reboot my server failed to come back up. Later, when I arrived home I went to reboot it but all that had happened was the script that updated the dynamic-dns entry hadn't run - because of yet another configuration change. *sigh* I upgraded my work machine in much the same way; with much the same experience as above. Except this time I had nfs, nis and automounter issues to contend with; resulting in a remote home directory full of rubbish configuration data and bad gvfs mounts from differing versions of the same Linux distribution.The work machine upgrade took a different path too. It upgraded itself to 9.04, twice, then 10.04 also twice (I have no idea). I'm certain parts of the upgrade failed silently too, as I appear to be missing audio capability - no doubt some module or codec isn't hooked up correctly in Linux's over-engineered audio chain. *sigh* On another audio related note; I was using Amarok from the 8.04 release; it was reasonably quick and quite functional. What the HELL happened to the verision of Amarok that shipped with 10.04? It's slow, clunky, incongruously KDE and a retrograde step in UI design. Why would I possibly need big chunky swooshy applets with lyrics and wiki pages sliding around!?! I want to add music to a list and then listen to it while I work; I don't want to 'browse' the app! Anybody know of any, simpler audio players out there? </rant>

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