Kubuntu for everyone?

[monon]

Linux for the home user of computers? Not Kubuntu, anyway. I have been using Kubuntu for some time now. I am not a good hacker but I prefer it over Windows, even with the problems I have had recently. I bought a laptop on Black Friday, an HP G62-347NR. After registration thru Windows, I installed 10.04 LTS. The onboard speakers did not work, the microphone did not work, and the HDMI port did not work. I enabled the backports repository and upgraded the ALSA driver which got the speakers working. The mic and the HDMI still did not work. Just today 12/9 I got the mic working based on what I saw in the Kubuntu forums. The HDMI port still does not work.

The point is that my wife or my mother would never have been able to use completely this computer with Kubuntu 10.04. Heck, I still cannot use it all. In addition I cannot get the akonadi server to work with Kaddressbook. Kubuntu is not ready for prime time. It is okay for those who want to hack around, but not so good for those who would like the install to work out of the box

[jeremy1701]

Re: Kubuntu for everyone?

Just out of curiosity, why didn't you go with 10.10? It seems much more stable than 10.04.

[Linkmaster]

Re: Kubuntu for everyone?

Just out of curiosity, why didn't you go with 10.10? It seems much more stable than 10.04.

I am in agreement with this. I'm using 10.10, and I've noticed no major problems, other then the minor software tweaking issues that all OS's have. In fact, I'm duel-booting XP and Kubuntu, and cannot do half of what I do with the Kubuntu then I do with the XP[though that might be because it installed funny]

[dibl]

Re: Kubuntu for everyone?

The onboard speakers did not work, the microphone did not work, and the HDMI port did not work. I enabled the backports repository and upgraded the ALSA driver which got the speakers working. The mic and the HDMI still did not work. Just today 12/9 I got the mic working based on what I saw in the Kubuntu forums. The HDMI port still does not work.

Dude, why do you think they provide a Live CD (which can also be installed on a bootable USB stick)?

[monon]

Re: Kubuntu for everyone?

Just out of curiosity, why didn't you go with 10.10? It seems much more stable than 10.04.

I was thinking of 10.04 as the Long Term Support version and that if I don't want to mess installs every 6 months, it was my best choice.

[jglen490]

Re: Kubuntu for everyone?

What video components does that laptop use?

HDMI is a function of video output and therefore the video driver used. While drivers are available for use with Linux, some of them are actually commercial, closed source products and cannot be legally distributed with open source software. So if that laptop uses Nvidia or ATI video components, it will be necessary to separately obtain the correct drivers.

It's the same old story, although that story is getting better, Linux is at the mercy of proprietary software or the ability of small groups of people to engineer a functionally correct piece of open source software for certain hardware. It has been that way for a long time, and will be until Linux has greater acceptance and therefore a larger customer base.

It's not Linux's fault, nor is it specifically *buntu's fault. It's the old chicken or egg question.

[claydoh]

Re: Kubuntu for everyone?

unfortunately LTS does not mean Long Term Hardware Support

You could try installing the non-free fglrx driver - your laptop seems to have an ati Mobility Radeon HD 4200; in theory the free driver *should* support HDMI for this gpu , however being a laptop, the kernel itself may have problems with it. A livecd of 10.10 would be worth trying, and do remember non-LTS still have 18 months of support.

[GreyGeek]

Re: Kubuntu for everyone?

....
I was thinking of 10.04 as the Long Term Support version and that if I don't want to mess installs every 6 months, it was my best choice.

That's why I chose and stay with 10.4 as my main OS. I play with Maverick and the others as a guest OS using VirtualBox.

[ardvark71]

Re: Kubuntu for everyone?

Kubuntu is not ready for prime time. It is okay for those who want to hack around, but not so good for those who would like the install to work out of the box

Hi...

I certainly understand your frustration as I have been there myself. I concur with jglen's summary of the problem although it does seems to have greatly improved between the time 5.10 was released (when I first attempted using Linux as my sole OS,) and now. I was surprised to see how well 10.04 supported the hardware on my HP dv9830 when I first installed it.

Regards...

[GreyGeek]

Re: Kubuntu for everyone?

unfortunately LTS does not mean Long Term Hardware Support
....

True, and installing an Alpha, Beta or Gold release of the latest doesn't always mean the hardware previoiusly supported will remain supported, nor does it mean that the newest hardware is supported.

Today I encountered examples of both problems. I've had a Samsung ML-1210 laser printer for years and since I bought it there was always support for it in CUPS. Yesterday my new HP LaserJet Pro P1606nd laser with duplex printing arrived. I deleted my samsung printer in CUPS and plugged in the new laser in its place. I ran CUPS to install the P1606nd and found that the PPD wasn't listed. I had to download the PPD file from HP's site and select it during the install.

Then, I changed my mind and decided to restore my Samsung (it was on my wireless print server) and move the HP duplex to my laptop as a local USB printer. Using CUPS to redo the ML-1210 configuration I discovered that it wasn't in the list of printer configurations available! I downloaded the PPD file from the Linux printer support site and got it working.

Executive summary: older printers often drop off the support list and the latest printers often aren't on the list yet. Fortunately, I was able to find the PPD files on the Internet, but I was wondering if I had purchased too new a printer.....

[woodsmoke]

Re: Kubuntu for everyone?

Ya know....I really do not understand what the "problem" is....I mean, I push a distro just about as far as a distro can be pushed in terms of hardware....

and hardware is ALWAYS a problem.....

and Kubuntu, AS IT STANDS NOW...does just fine....

I would not have said that two years or so ago...........the thing just crashed all the time...but then I run from what "used to be" the absolute latest and greatest hardware to the absolute OLDEST....

And ya gotta remember...........the old woodsmoker is older than dirt!!

and if it couldn't do both then...."I'm outa here!!"......but Kubuntu this last few months has gone above and beyond....

Now..........will it run the latest scanner made in some obscure country where the don't even have scanners to use themselves..............um..........maybe not............

but.........

Here is the question................

Search for woodsmoke's posts...............

Do you see any whining about this or that not working?

Can you possibly think why that is?

woodsmoke

[Ole Juul]

Re: Kubuntu for everyone?

Linux for the home user of computers? . . .

I've had similar problems setting up a full desktop system for someone else to use. I know how you feel. It's not always easy.

However, I took on the job on my own volition so it is my responsibility to make it work. The alternative would be to pay someone else to do it. There are people out there with the skills to set up your system and I'm sure some of them are looking for work. I personally won't use Microsoft OSs for various reasons, but if I did then that would not necessarily solve the problem. Installing any OS is not without issues. Most MS users plunk down their money and get a completely configured system right off the shelf, so that solves that problem. We could do the same, but unfortunately just like the MS users, we would also have to pay. Perhaps you were you hoping to save a few bucks, but have you looked into getting a pre-configured linux box?

The point is that my wife or my mother would never have been able to use completely this computer with Kubuntu 10.04. Heck, I still cannot use it all. In addition I cannot get the akonadi server to work with Kaddressbook. Kubuntu is not ready for prime time. It is okay for those who want to hack around, but not so good for those who would like the install to work out of the box

Have you ever put a drive with a MS OS on it into a new box? Try it some time. You will get so many errors it will make your head spin - if it runs at all. My point is that there is no modern OS out there which is "ready for prime time". They ALL need to be configured and someone has to do the work. The question is who will do it?

[ardvark71]

Re: Kubuntu for everyone?

Have you ever put a drive with a MS OS on it into a new box? Try it some time. You will get so many errors it will make your head spin - if it runs at all.

I have and it can be an interesting experience.

Regards...