I had the hard drive in my Home Linux system crash a couple months ago. Since then it’s been an interesting experience getting things back together and “normalized” again. Fortunately I’m using removable drives via the front of the case -and- my previous system is still sitting on a functional drive. I was able to use the old hard drive in the system while I strategized on a plan going forward. That plan was executed, well, let’s just say “attempted” a little over week ago when I was on vacation.
Nobody usually starts a vacation by saying “hmm, I think I’ll get that Linux system upgraded and back to normal.” Nobody except me. What in the world was I thinking? It should have been simple, yes my last backup was a few months old but no matter. Let’s install the latest version of Ubuntu and just keep on trucking. That seemed to be my first mistake.
I’ve used Kubuntu in the past and I’m running Ubuntu Studio Edition for video and audio editing on another machine. The Ubuntu series of releases seem to be redefining ease of use for Linux users; bringing the idea there is a replacement for Windows into reality. So I start off by downloading an ISO for Ubuntu and then Kubuntu. I burn the CD’s and I’m ready.
The install takes a couple of tries to get started. Darn video thing again, need to shut off APIC or APCI or… I forget… anyway, I finally get the installer running. Now to configure things.
I worked on configuring the video, for hours. I could -not- get the default drivers in Kubuntu to properly display the Operating System on my NEC Multisync LCD 1850E. Kubuntu recommended a download from NVidia. Well… okay, I’ll bite… … Wrong answer.
My video is now dead, all I can get is a console, and only then if I manage to get the system booted into a safe mode. Okay…. I can deal with this…. I -am- a computer guy…. I -do- know Unix…. I’ve worked with Linux from the command line before. We’ll just do an init 3, run the non-graphical interface and set video back to something that works.
Yea…. that should work.
After hours of trying to figure out why there was no init, and not being able to find what was supposed to be its replacement, -and- not finding any non-graphical interface…. Kubuntu is -history-. I wasted nearly two days trying to get Kubuntu running on this box. I was -not- happy. I wanted tools I understood.
For nearly 10 years, I have understood SuSE. I’ve seen SuSE turn into SUSE, going from the company of the same name to Novell. I’ve enjoyed using the YaST interface, both graphical and non-graphical. SUSE is very close to Unix, as I believe Linux should be. All the right commands in all the right places. And I’ve been used to it for a long time, I’m comfortable with it. It’s terribly terrific, coming from Novell with thousands of extra programs. Well I didn’t have time to purchase and wait for a box of SUSE to get here, so I decided on the next best thing, OpenSUSE.
OpenSUSE is at it’s core, the FREE version of SUSE. It doesn’t come with all the extra applications, it’s just the basic OS and interface of choice. My choice is KDE.
I download the KDE version of the OpenSUSE installation ISO. I burn it to CD and install it. It goes right in without a hassle. The Video is still “off” though, so let’s tweak it. Hmm, lets grab the latest NVidia Linux drivers, compile them and see if that helps. The short story there is that after hours of downloading dependencies and building the drivers…. I got the same thing as with Kubuntu. But wait, it gets better.
No really, it does get better… I’m in control. I have to reboot, because the system simply locks up when loading video. So I quickly get to a command prompt, do an init 3 and I’m in; the graphical system has successfully been shut down. Now, I can use the command line version of YaST or SaX2. Wonderful.
Using SaX2 a few times I was still unable to get any graphical interface working again; the NVidia stuff was still being a pain. Eventually, I ended up removing the driver (not an easy task) and using the standard VESA driver. All I can say is, at some point some magic happened. I don’t honestly remember how… I just remember I finally had the proper resolution in the proper position on my screen and it looked “wonderful.”
Don’t touch it.
After a few more tweaks of things like window decorations, window behaviors, mouse behaviors, NTP, clock settings, international settings, and the like, I have my Linux system back. And it’s back with all the glory of the latest Linux kernel, the latest KDE, and the latest versions of all my frequently used applications.
Yeah! Success.
So what’s my point here? Nothing really, I just needed to rant… It took three days of my vacation to get my Linux box up again… that’s -pathetic-. I was seriously disappointed with Kubuntu and how the Ubuntu team has seen fit to do things so differently it was impossible for me to get around using the console. I had to return to something I knew and was comfortable with. It all worked out in the end but I’ve come away with a little bit less admiration for Ubuntu than I had before. It won’t keep me from recommending it, but it may cause me to pause and ask how old your hardware is and what you’re running for video.
I am a cheap bastard. My Linux hardware is nearly 10 years old, it’s what I can afford. Yes, but it works.
Asa Jay
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