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Why Ubuntu Netbook fails in real life
On paper, Ubuntu Netbook Edition looks great. I mean, what's not to like? It's got a sexy launcher, a lean and mean footprint, fast boot times, ... and it's free!
So, I decided to take the plunge. I didn't use a virtual machine to just "review it," though. I actually took an old Acer Aspire 1650 laptop -- which was running XP -- and switched it to Ubuntu Netbook Edition.
Installation was a breeze. I just fired up Wubi right from XP and within an hour the whole thing was downloaded and installed. It was also installed in such a way that I could uninstall it from within Windows later (and boy, am I glad I did it like that).
At first glance, the system holds a lot of promise. The launcher is very nice; the default applications are cool, too.
However, when you start trying to get something done, that's when FAIL sets in.
I tried to do something very, very simple: connect to a Windows share. That's all. Okay, so I go and read the Help. Help sends me to a menu that exists on Ubuntu Desktop but not on Ubuntu Netbook. I figure it out anyway (the "connect to server" command in Nautilus).
After fumbling around for the command, I finally manage to connect to the share! Yay! Now, I want to rename it. I right-click its entry in the Nautilus side pane, select "rename," and edit the name. I hit Enter and nothing happens. The name stays just as it was.
Okay ... I try again, to no avail. It's simply useless. When I go to the Bookmarks menu and try to rename it from there, the new name appears already! I rename it again anyway, and now it does work.
That's fine. I've had enough for a while, so I set the computer to sleep. When I come back to it, it won't boot correctly; graphics do not redraw on the screen, and the whole thing is frozen.
I switch to a terminal (Ctrl+Alt+F1) and try to figure out what's up. At this point, so many error messages are popping up that I cannot even see what I am typing. Switching to another terminal does not help; the error messages just follow me. It's actually the same message about a video card problem, again and again. Yes, I know there's a video card problem, thank you. Despite typing my username and password, it won't log me in. I try root, but there's no joy. Okay, I need to physically shut down the computer and cold boot it.
I boot it up and discover that it now requests both the Wi-Fi password (without a checkbox for "remember password") and the password for the network share again (also without any way to save it).
I enter the two passwords, and then I try to figure out how to mount the network shares permanently so that I don't have to enter the password again with every boot. I know I can fire up nano and manually edit fstab, but I want to see what the Ubuntu guys have in store for novice users.
And the answer to that, my friends, is apparently nothing. There was no simple way to permanently mount a network share; I searched throughout the system and the docs for quite some time, and I came up with nothing.
That is just one example, but it's a real scenario. Utter fail, Ubuntu. Thanks for letting me uninstall quickly, Wubi. Let's hope CrunchBang Linux (which we've looked at before) will be better for this aging Acer laptop; at least it doesn't pretend to be "for dummies." I'll let you know once I try it out.
Comments
59
Subscribe to commentscritter42cJun 7th 2010 10:16AM
The only thing I want to point out with your "real scenario" is that a majority of the people using a netbook won't be connecting to a network share with it.
Everyone I know that has a netbook AND is a 'novice' only uses the device to surf the web, check/write email or create the occasional document - all of which UNE does really well. I've installed it on several friends' netbooks and all have liked it better than the default XP install they had.
JonJun 7th 2010 10:45AM
Well, the majoraty of the people I know and work with use netbooks AND connect to network shares; such a fact does not make it as a rule or defines a "real scenario".
totoroJun 7th 2010 11:37AM
Connecting to a network share seems like a pretty standard need, to me.
Cile1977Jun 7th 2010 1:24PM
It depends if netbook is only computer in use or not...
TimJul 20th 2010 11:42AM
I absolutely agree with you, Critter42c. I use ubuntu Netbook on my HP Mini. I switched to it because my dumb ass of a friend managed to get a virus on my XP version, so I had the whole HDD erased (I had nothing on it in the first place) - Really, I think that the Ubuntu Netbook/laptop version is a revolutionary version of Ubuntu in many ways. I am no programmer. I am not someone who really cares about Windows Shares. I'm a person who focuses mainly on the web and communicating with friends, which is why Ubuntu Laptop/netbook was designed in the first place. Granted that this version of Ubuntu has some flaws when it comes to programming, but why program on a netbook in the first place?
I pwn the internet with this OS. People see me at a cafe shop running this OS and think it's amazing. Technically, the OS is amazing even in real life then it is on paper. It's not made for programmers or experienced developers for Linux, sorry :D
nonbuddhistzenJun 7th 2010 10:24AM
note to editor - fail is not a noun.
lookatthepiggyJun 7th 2010 10:42AM
You obviously haven't been on the Internet in the past 2 years.
MadduxJun 7th 2010 10:38AM
I call FAIL on your ability to use Linux. critter42c is right that this stuff isn't really meant to be used to do things like that. Most people I know who use netbooks as their primary computers probably wouldn't even know what "mounting a network drive" even means, much less ever have the desire to do so.
So keeping in mind that you're doing something far more applicable to the regular Ubuntu experience, you not being able to figure out how to use it doesn't mean FAIL on Ubuntu Netbook or even Ubuntu as a whole. MAYBE it means FAIL for linux, but I think it mails FAIL for you.
nicholascronwrightJun 7th 2010 11:05AM
If you do not know what "mounting a network drive means" then
1. You wouldn't be able to install Ubuntu Netbook Edition (or know what Ubuntu was) in the first place
2. If you were able to install Netbook Edition or ever wanted to use it, the ability to easily mount a network drive would be a good thing
3. Wouldn't be reading Download Squad anyway...
So, I don't see your point
Odd-rationaleJun 7th 2010 10:44AM
Seems like your main issue started after you put your computer in sleep mode.
Well, with Wubi, sleep and hibernate is note fully supported. That is because the Wubi filesystem (not being a "real" filesystem) is simply a disk image. Although it may not be the cause of the issue, just thought I'd let you know.
RobomasterJun 7th 2010 11:24AM
And because you, Erez, didn't read the stupidly obvious warning that Wubi gave when installing UNE, you really can't blame anyone other than yourself for the problems you encountered. Not to mention that Ubuntu is an OS that is looking forward; they have support for older computers (not to mention your Acer laptop which is rated less than 3 stars on all the sites I checked, not to mention that Google had more results for batteries than the actual laptop when I searched for it...), but they don't waste time making drivers for computers that next-to-nobody is going to be using.
So yes, you'd probably be better off sticking with XP if you're going to use a laptop that old. And don't go around trashing UNE just because you made mistakes yourself and used an ancient laptop without checking if UNE had support for it.
Taylor. Yes, Taylor.Jun 7th 2010 4:15PM
Hmm... So THAT's why my Ubuntu install craps out at sleep... There may have been a warning, but I never noticed it. I think plenty of us have been trained to ignore that stuff. I was pretty much under the impression that WUBI is just like a regular install, but easier. I guess that's not the case, and it sure would be nice of them to make that more clear...
-Taylor
hazardJun 7th 2010 10:55AM
I'm pretty sure that "everyone I know" isn't statistically significant. Erez's complaint is valid though UNB hardly fails because of it. It would have been more credible to say that "Why UNB fails me".
luqmanJun 7th 2010 11:02AM
I would suggest doing a real install instead of using Wubi, which will definitely affect performance. I did a plain vanilla install onto my old EEEPC 700, disabled swap and journalling to preserve the SDD, and voila: it runs better than it ever has. It is very quick, I have access to a large variety of software (especially ebook reading software which is quite nice on such a small device), I can watch on-line videos, etc. I am very happy with it.
Luqman
oliwekJun 16th 2010 6:35AM
I have the same experience with my eee-pc (the first model, with the tiny 7inch lcd). The netbook remix edition is tailored for small screens, and works extremely well on netbooks, just install gnome-do (a launcher) for even quicker access to your applications. On a 15inch notebook, especially if you need easier access to options/tweaking, just use regular gnome ubuntu (or LXDE if you're short on RAM with an older pc). Don't blame linux too quick, if you learn a bit, everything is possible even without a clickable option, from the command line... read the first page from this document : http://en.flossmanuals.net/gnulinux
Atanas BoevJun 7th 2010 11:01AM
"I tried to do something very, very simple: connect to a Windows share. " :)
Why is that simple? I have problems accessing shared items even in the windows-only network at my working place.
jokermatt999Jun 7th 2010 11:59AM
Also chiming in on the hatred for the word "fail" as a noun. It's become incredibly annoying.
As for real critique of the article, In find it to be a bit shallow. It identifies a minor problem, but fails to offer deeper analysis. I think the reason Linux ha problems with adoption is because of the tiny issues like these. There's dozens of edge cases that can come up and ruin an install. I think if they were on the user's default os (Windows), they wouldn't be as much of an issue, because it would just percieved as an annoyance. But because the effort was made to switch to an alternative, the issue becomes larger. No one would say "Windows has problems with , Linux will succeed". The problem is that Linux can't just be as good to gain marketshare, it needs be better by at least the cost of switching.
InsomnihackJun 7th 2010 11:18AM
C'mon guys, it's not like he was trying to do something obscure or difficult. I would describe mounting a network share as only slightly out of the range of ordinary tasks that people using netbooks are likely to encounter.
Besides, the point being made here is that if you DO happen to attempt anything other than the most basic of tasks you can be hit with an array of challenging errors to troubleshoot. Is that what you want people on netbooks to see? Or rather intuitive errors that actually allow you to troubleshoot the problem, or at the very least tell you that what you're trying to do isn't possible. And what about the renaming example? If you can't do something as simple as a rename without encountering problems, there's no way I'd recommend Ubuntu to anyone. Least of all novices on netbooks.
Lee MathewsJun 7th 2010 11:50AM
I gotta agree here, too. Mounting a Windows share really shouldn't be a complex act. In fact, if you're going to claim how easy your OS is to use it ought to be a pretty seamless process to integrate with shares from both the other major OSes.
That said, I'd love for Windows to ship with EXT2/3/4 support...which ain't gonna happen.
3tearJun 7th 2010 11:19AM
I ROFLCOPTER-ed at your FAIL.