Why is adding a new Ubuntu PC to an existing LAN such a pain?

[Bob Adams]

In message <1169339760.5495.0.camel at sb-home.lan>, nodata
<lsof at nodata.co.uk> writes
>Am Sonntag, den 21.01.2007, 00:08 +0000 schrieb Bob Adams:
>> >Adding machines to a network without DHCP is _always a pain :) Is there
>> >a special reason why you use static addresses?
>> >
>> Because I do not have a DHCP server and also because I want to use the
>> same addresses as my Windows PC's.
>
>Eh? What do you mean?
>
>
You know what I mean! The same address range of course.

And it wouldn't be a pain at all if the install script just asked a
simple "DHCP? Yes/No" question.

As for other comments later in this thread from users who have clearly
not actually tried what I am describing, I would like to know how on
earth one is supposed to enter scripts, setup, etc, etc, when the PC is
not responding to any commands. No shell, no menu activity, nothing. All
you can do to get back some control is to reboot and that is far too
like Windows for my liking.

        Bob