Taking A Break from Ubuntu

[Michael Haney]

I've decided to take a nice long break from Ubuntu.

This wasn't an easy decision for me because I really like Ubuntu.
What I don't like is having to fight with the desktop screen
resolution every time I install a new version.  I refuse to fight that
battle again.  Every time it happens its NEVER really fixed.  Oh, I
get the resolution I want (1024x768) but only via a down-and-dirty
workaround that ends up breaking something else.

I depend on the Desktop Zoom and color inversion capabilities of
Compiz Fusion because of my visual disability.  The problem is NOT
getting the Nvidia drivers installed.  Its getting a desktop
resolution of higher than 640x480.  My monitor is non-standard.  Its a
Sun Microsystem CRT with dual inputs, one is a huge plug for a Sun
workstation, and the other is for standard VGA.  Prior to Ubuntu 7.10,
where you selected your screen resolution there was a tab where you
could scroll through a list of hardware manufacturers and select your
specific model Monitor.  If it wasn't listed you could at least select
one of the Default options.  I usually selected Generic 1024x768
Monitor from the list, and I was good to go.  This feature was
removed.  I issued bug reports about it, made complaints, and not a
GODDAMN thing has been done to address the problem.

This is such a simple problem.  Why can't Canonical just make a
separate GUI for selecting your monitor's make and model?  WHY THE
FUCK HASN'T THIS BEEN FIXED YET?  I'm not the only one with this
problem.  Don't they pay attention to the bug reports?  Didn't someone
look at it and think "hey, that feature we removed that let you change
what kind of monitor you from the screen resolution GUI is causing big
problems for a lot of our users, lets fix it!"  But, no, it just sat
there for more than a year with barely any activity and no
announcement at all that anyone was going to try to fix it or propose
that it should be fixed.  This is a crippling problem keeping a lot of
people from using Ubuntu and its been ignored.  WTF?

The Nvidia X Server Configurator doesn't fix this problem.  You cannot
select your monitor make and model or change anything about your
monitor in any way from that GUI.  I tried using my down-and-dirty
workaround by editing the xorg.conf file using my monitor settings
from a version of Ubuntu that does this correctly.  I searched Google
for solutions too.  I've tried randr, I've tried tried running the
setup wizard for X.org from the command line after finally getting
X.org to shut down.  The wizard didn't even give me the option of
choosing my monitor, just the keyboard.  In many instances X.org
wouldn't even start afterward.  So, for now and until this is fixed
I'm done.

Maybe one of you has more influence in the community or knows the
right strings to pull to get this issue looked into and corrected.
For now, I refuse to go through any more frustration and pain to fix
something that is so basic.  I can't just run out and get a better
monitor or video card, not on my budget.  One day maybe Canonical will
get a clue and fix this problem.  Until then I have to so goodbye to
Ubuntu.

I've found that many other distros DO THIS CORRECTLY, and Mandriva
actually installs Compiz Fusion with the Nvidia drivers installed at
1024x768 by default.  So, I have Mandria 2010 running on my machine
right now.

If anyone has a "known to actually work" solution to this specific
monitor problem I'll reinstall 10.04 and try it.

-- 
Michael "TheZorch" Haney
"The greatest tragedy in mankind's entire history may be the hijacking
of morality by religion." ~ Arthur C. Clarke
"The suppression of uncomfortable ideas may be common in religion and
politics, but it is not the path to knowledge, and there is no place
for it in the endeavor of science. " ~ Carl Sagan

Visit My Site:  http://sites.google.com/site/thezorch/home-1
To Contact Me:
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