Thanks to all - but Ubuntu is for geeks

[Terry North]

James Gray <james <at> grayonline.id.au> writes:

> Ubuntu took it upon itself to lead the list in the boot loader.
> This is the default behaviour for every Linux I've ever installed.

Yeah.  Still, no flexibility in installation.  The real point is that it isn't
made easy to alter.  It's really primitive to have to alter a file like
menu.1st.  And that's not helped when you do not know how to open Kate as super
user, which I could not find.

> > 4. Screen Resolution.
> 
> Is this on the console or in X?  If it's in X you may need to double check   >
the monitor sync ranges and/or add a mode line to /etc/X11/xorg.conf.  ...

I have to say that all sounds so Dark Ages.  I've got a standard monitor which
gives no problem even to the Redmond company, which is even able to provide a
GUI device to alter the settings.

> > 5. Only KDE and what about other utilities?
> 
> Exactly how much space do think is available on one CD? :P  

That's sort of my point.  I would have paid several times over for an
alternative to my present Linux system.  I can handle multi-disk installations.
 I suspect most people can.

> > While I'm at it, what would be wrong with a tool such as System Settings
> > opening in its own window instead of in Konqueror?
> 
> ALT+F2, type "kcontrol", hit "Run".  This should be in the K-menu under 
> Preferences -> Control Center too. 

Thanks, that's gone into my notes.  Konqueror, of course, applies the same
settings to every tab and every folder.  I set it to list mode rather than icons
and it looked bizarre having a system settings tool as a tab in my file browser.
 
> Single-click execution is the default behaviour in KDE and has been as long as
I can remember.

Not on the system I've been using.  Right-click to select?

> If you don't like it, you can revert to "double-click to 
> execute, single-click to select" type behaviour:
> 1. Open "kcontrol" (see above)
> 2. Expand the "Peripherals" branch and select "Mouse".
> 3. Select the "General" tab and voila!  Edit to your preferred behaviour :)

I was hoping there was a fix somewhere some time.

> > 7. Administrator's tasks made harder.
> > A. I opened an administrative window from System Settings, ...
> Try opening it in kcontrol instead.

Right, why expect it to work in the first place you find it.

> 
> Non-root users can never lower the permissions of a root-write-only file.  
> It's basic file system security.

Of course.

> You can simply "sudo <CLI-editor-of-choice> 
> <file>" to edit a root-owned and protected file.

Thanks.  That's what I was looking for: > C. Next thought, open Kate, possibly
from the root console.  Look for Help on the subject (see above).

>Could try chmod but I'm getting awfully sick of this.
> 
> You're approaching it the wrong way :)  Rather than lowering the permissions 
> of the file so you can edit it as a normal user, elevate yourself to a higher 
> privilege level THEN edit the file.  The tool is called "sudo" and when it 
> prompts for a password it is your USER password.

Right.  Since I was missing sudo and was dubious about opening an editor from
the console anyway, I thought of taking the other route.
> 
> > D. Light goes on.  Login in as Root, open Kate, open file, edit, 
> > all's right with the world.  Sorry, no can do.  Jeepers Creepers.
> 
> Correct - root doesn't own the KDE instance so root can't get access to the X 
> server.  This is normal.  
No, it's not.  I seldom have to do it, but I can login as root on my other
distro.  I managed to open the Ubuntu X server as root in Recovery Mode.
>

Finally, I've seen comments here about Ubuntu being for the ordinary user.  It
isn't.  It's for geeks.  And, after this frustrating start, it'll have to wait
until I have oodles of time to deal with it without aids that typically simplify
the process elsewhere.  The resolution thing troubles me because I found during
installation that I could not alter certain settings although invited to do so
and, as I say, even Redmond gets that right.

The other point, of course, is that, as we all know, things do not always unfold
as instructions indicate they should.  Manuals etc can be written in fairly
cryptic terms and it is not always clear what's meant.  I did not expect to have
to build a system from such meagre beginnings.  I wanted something I could use
at least as an alternative but, hopefully, in preference to what I've already
got.  (I was attracted to the dynamism of the Ubuntu updating process.)  That
might yet be possible but it will have to wait until I've got a lot more time
than I expected to need.