Strange but true 8.04 updates today May 26[long]

[chuck adams]

On Tuesday 27 May 2008 08:41:55 Paul Lemmons wrote:


>
> The command should work as written. Can you run it again and past the
> results into a response to this thread?

Paul et al,

Did more than that.  Here is today's results.

System:  ECS Elitegroup GeForce 7050M-M mobo with AMD Athlon 64x2
running at 2.5GHz with 4GB of main memory.  500GB hard drive and
NVidia GeF7050 graphics.


Step 1:  Install from scratch Kubuntu 8.04 i386 from DVD.
             OK.  Worked just fine.

Step 2:  Click on video card image for nvidia install of nvidia-glx-new
             version 169.12+2.6.24.12-17.36.
             Installed without problems.

Step 3:  Reboot system.
             OK.  System comes back up with 1280x1024 resolution as desired
             for LCD display screen.

Step 4:  Click on red triangle with Koala bear hugging it for updates.
             OK.  adept manager comes up and does 6 installs and 71 updates
             without errors.   uname shows 2.6.24-16-generic kernel running
             for this.

Step 5:  Reboot to use new kernel.  uname shows 2.6.24-17-generic kernel
             running.  Everything functioning as scheduled, planned, and 
             desired......


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Step 1:  Install from scratch Kubuntu 8.04 x86_64 from DVD.
             OK.  Worked just fine.  Low screen resolution.

Step 2:  Click on video card image for nvidia install of nvidia-glx-new
             version 169.12+12+2.6.24.12-17.36.
             Failed due to "There was an error commiting changes.
             Possibly there was a problem downloading some packages
             or the commit would break package.

Step 3:  Reboot system.  At login, the screen blanks and the login
             screen returns.  My guess is that X11 is complaining about
             xorg.conf and/or driver(s), etc.  I didn't bring up the rescue
             disc and check this.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I went back to check the aptitude problem for x86_64.

        sudo aptitude update          worked just fine.

        sudo aptitude safe-upgrade     started just fine, so my guess is that            
                                                      I did something stupid 
                                                      yesterday like                                   
                                                      safe-update

       This  failed due to Segmentation fault for the bash module and it quit.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So, the x86_64 mirror looks to be corrupted and I am guessing it is
http://us.archive.ubuntu.com    as this is the site used by adept
manager for the i386 upgrades.  I was using aptitude for the x86_64
tests.

My problems started around 00:00 UTC today (May 27) when I was
able to get the nvidia module to work, but the updates failed.  I
reloaded the system and then tried again and everything failed.
So whatever was done at that time caused the failures I am now
seeing.  Was the us.archives updated and then the manager
switched mirrors??  Inquiring minds want to know.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A cry went up from the crowd!   STICK TO i386!!   Use it.  

I can't do that.  Here is why.  I need 64-bit floating point numbers
for some heavy computations.  How neat would it be if some one
from this group did the calculations, using kubuntu, to generate
the last 1024x1024 image that the Phoenix Mars explorer takes
before it dies 3 months from now?   Could ubuntu/kubuntu use
the braggin rights????  I think so.  

My expertise is radiative transfer.  I have done calculations for
light scattering from lasers, remote sensing both land and satellite
based, twilight color calculations for the earth, and polarization
calculations and measurements for Venus.   

I need 64-bits to do the calculations for Mars.  I want the above
system to do it  so that I can use the fastest processor
I own and save more that 25% on CPU times.

I refuse to give up on this quest.  Stand by.  Film at 11.
I will not be defeated, but I might be out scored.... :-)

Chuck