Things I already hate about Kubuntu (new user)

[Scott]

Terry North wrote:
> This list is not one, I've already received help here and on the forum.
> 
> 1. Installation.
> First, it reminded me of Windoze, one thing I don't need. 

God forbid no!

  > No input at all.
> Tried choosing "expert".  Did not look like offering choices.

Funny it offered me quite a few more than the default install.

  > And no setting of
> the root password.  That really threw me.

That's one of the choices offered in expert.  It sounds like you thought
you were in expert mode, but weren't

> 2. Security.
> Anyone, and I mean anyone, can boot as root using Recovery Mode.  I took
> advantage of that to set a root password.  Whether that stops anyone else using
> Recovery Mode to gain root access I don't yet know.

Do you kn0w of a Linux distro that's any different in this regard? I
don't. It's true of Windows as well.


> 3. Grub.
> Ubuntu took it upon itself to lead the list in the boot loader.  Hey, I want to
> be in charge of the Boot Loader!  It does not suit me right now (for obvious
> reasons) to have Ubuntu as the default.  When I set out to change this, I came
> up against various obstacles, more of which in a moment.

Yep, you weren't in expert....

> 
> 4. Screen Resolution.
> I've now got 3 systems on my computer.  

What kind of "systems"? Operating Systems?  Which ones?

  >The other 2 are quite happy with the
> settings I use and the settings result in them using exactly the same amount of
> the available area - all of it.  Ubuntu wants to use less - with a good third of
> and inch or more left black on all sides.  When I tried to find the tool to
> check and, possibly, change the settings, it was nowhere to be found.

How odd.  It fills my screen quite nicely @ 1280x1024 @ 60 hz

> 5. Only KDE and what about other utilities?

KDE is not a utility,  it's a Desktop Environment.

> I wanted Kalarm, so I got Kubuntu 5.10 instead of Ubuntu 5.10.  But I'd like
> gedit and, if possible, Nautilus (Konqueror stinks, methinks).  

It sounds like you went about this backwards. But since you did, 
continue on with "sudo apt-get install ubuntu-desktop".

 >I paid $A9.90
> for a one disk installation.  I would happily have paid more for a decent
> installation if it was available.  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?
>  And don't talk to me about "Help".  "This page is not available.  Have you
> installed all the documentation?"

I have, have you? ;-)

> 
> 6. One touch and you buy it.
> I was alarmed to discover that selecting anything in a list does not just select
> the item, it opens it.  That is way out of left field and will take some getting
> used to.

So you've not used KDE at all prior to Kubuntu?  That's the way it works 
by default, but you *can* change it. No need to get used to it unless 
you really want to.

> 
> 7. Administrator's tasks made harder.
> A. I opened an administrative window from System Settings, which had decided to
> open as a list in Konqueror.

How odd. What "window" did you open from System Settings?

 >  Everything was greyed out, except, possibly, a
> note telling me to click on the Administrator's button if I wanted to change
> anything.  First, there was nothing to change.  Secondly, there was no
> administrator's button.
> B. So, that meant I had to edit menu.lst (to get a say in Grub).  Of course, the
> file is read-only.  So, I'll go into Midnight Commander, I think, and change the
> settings temporarily so that I can edit with Kate which has already opened the
> file with the one touch and you buy it policy.  I cannot believe (ok, I do
> believe it) there is no Midnight Commander or anything like it.

$ sudo apt-get install mc.

or "su -c 'apt-get install mc' " if you have root enabled.

> C. Next thought, open Kate, possibly from the root console.  Look for Help on
> the subject (see above). 

uhhh "kate"?

> Could try chmod but I'm getting awfully sick of this.
> 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.

If you had a root password (not a user password) you had two options for 
root access from a terminal

A)	su
	  password
	  command(s)
          exit

B)   su -c '<command(s)'

Both of those are standard operating procedure on any number of Linux 
distros I've used (Mandrake, RedHat, SUSE, Fedora, Debian....)

Now if you were trying to do this *without* a root password in Kubuntu 
(the norm for Ubuntu/Kubuntu), you needed the sudo command.

sudo gedit file.name.txt
sudo apt-get install blah-blah
sudo rm -rf /
ok, just kidding on that last one......

On a final note, if I'd been you, I'd have installed Ubuntu instead and 
then just added the KDE apps you wanted (e.g. kalarm).  But I'm not you 
so uh.....

Have the rest of a splendid day.

-- 
Scott
www.angrykeyboarder.com
© 2005 angrykeyboarder™ & Elmer Fudd. All Wights Wesewved