Password apparently changed by system update

[Bret Busby]

On 06/02/2020, Bret Busby <bret.busby at gmail.com> wrote:
> On 06/02/2020, Bret Busby <bret.busby at gmail.com> wrote:
>> On 06/02/2020, Bret Busby <bret.busby at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> On 06/02/2020, Bret Busby <bret.busby at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> Hello.
>>>>
>>>> On my other computer, I have UbuntuMATE 19.04 installed.
>>>>
>>>> In the last few hours, a system update was shown as being available,
>>>> including something to do with giving some users extra superuser
>>>> privileges.
>>>>
>>>> I do not know whether it was that component that was responsible, but,
>>>> after locking the screen when going away from the computer for a
>>>> while, when I tried to log in, I have found that the password has been
>>>> changed.
>>>>
>>>> Is this an intended effect of the system update, and, how do I get
>>>> around the operating system having changed the login password on me?
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Bret Busby
>>>> Armadale
>>>> West Australia
>>>> ..............
>>>>
>>>> "So once you do know what the question actually is,
>>>>  you'll know what the answer means."
>>>> - Deep Thought,
>>>>  Chapter 28 of Book 1 of
>>>>  "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy:
>>>>  A Trilogy In Four Parts",
>>>>  written by Douglas Adams,
>>>>  published by Pan Books, 1992
>>>>
>>>> ....................................................
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Sorry - it is version 19.10.
>>>
>>> --
>>> Bret Busby
>>> Armadale
>>> West Australia
>>> ..............
>>>
>>> "So once you do know what the question actually is,
>>>  you'll know what the answer means."
>>> - Deep Thought,
>>>  Chapter 28 of Book 1 of
>>>  "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy:
>>>  A Trilogy In Four Parts",
>>>  written by Douglas Adams,
>>>  published by Pan Books, 1992
>>>
>>> ....................................................
>>>
>>
>> First assessment is wrong - it is not that it has changed the password
>> - it is that a key on the keyboard no longer works (disabled?), that
>> coincides(?) with the system update
>>
>
> It just got weirder. The keyboard is an external USB keyboard.
>
> I was able to login using the laptop keyboard.
>
> It then occurred to me, to try using an xterm; then the character was
> not displayed. So, I unplugged the external keyboard, and plugged it
> in again. Then, a string of occurrences of the character, displayed in
> the xterm session, without me touching the keyboard; I assume from the
> keyboard buffer.
>
> But, <CTRL><ALT><F1> does not work.
>
> So, I assume that the system update has done something to the
> communication with the external keyboard.
>
> But, also, on checking, trying <CTRL><ALT><F1> on the laptop keyboard,
> gives no response.
>
> So, something seems very wrong, from this system update on 19.10.
>
> --
> Bret Busby
> Armadale
> West Australia
> ..............
>
> "So once you do know what the question actually is,
>  you'll know what the answer means."
> - Deep Thought,
>  Chapter 28 of Book 1 of
>  "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy:
>  A Trilogy In Four Parts",
>  written by Douglas Adams,
>  published by Pan Books, 1992
>
> ....................................................
>

And then, when I tried to enter "exit" into the xterm using the
external keyboard, the display on the laptop (which is upposed to be
disabled, with the external moniror being connected), displayed the
console display that resulted from the <CTRL><ALT><F1>, then the
external monitor went to displaying the console session, so I used
<CTRL><ALT><F7> to return to the GUI.

If this is a preview of how 20.04 is going to be - increasingly
unstable, it appears best to stick with the last stable version -
16.04.

-- 
Bret Busby
Armadale
West Australia
..............

"So once you do know what the question actually is,
 you'll know what the answer means."
- Deep Thought,
 Chapter 28 of Book 1 of
 "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy:
 A Trilogy In Four Parts",
 written by Douglas Adams,
 published by Pan Books, 1992

....................................................