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Fix Ubuntu

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Re: Fix Ubuntu

#161
Use Arch. Problem solved. Yes, it takes a bit more work, but you get a much better understanding of your system and learn how to block or eliminate things (like this ad-serving search crap) you don't like.

Re: Fix Ubuntu

#163

" I wanted to update/install my nvidia drivers, so I opened the dash and typed "drivers". IT DISPLAYED GOLF CLUBS on sale at Amazon!" https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/bikeshed/vtXkVdALoJ8/N... Of course, 14.04 will increase the usability level by automatically charging your credit card, with next day delivery of the golf clubs guaranteed .

Ha, check out the petty retorts to the sentiment as well. One guy even stoops to nitpicking the other's (perfectly cromulent) grammar. And of course the requisite brandishing of the dreaded "FUD".

This whole thing is pathetic, why defend it? Why is it so hard to admit that your precious free software has problems?

Re: Fix Ubuntu

#164

I'm not whining here, I'm a long-time Ubuntu user and want it to do well and become more popular, but if the 'year of the Linux desktop' is ever to happen, there are greater fixes that Ubuntu needs (Ubuntu is pretty much the only distro that, at this time, has a chance of becoming mainstream i.e. reach at least 5% usage share). For starters, it needs to work out of the box with the average user in mind. I don't think…

Interesting; I mostly agree, except for the "no smooth installs" - from my data points, where I was struggling with Windows drivers, Ubuntu had been mostly plug-and-play (since about 10.04 onward). Then again, my userbase is mostly using office PCs and laptops, without too specialized peripherals.

Agreed. Most of the time, I have no problem getting my laptop upgraded to the newest version, and all of my drivers are already there; no need to search online for any of them.

However, I also have the problem with small, minor things either only partially working or being completely broken (e.g. when I updated to 13.04, it started hiding applications on me, but it 'fixed' itself some time ago).

I think it would be a double-edged sword if the 'year of the Linux desktop' did occur. On one hand, more people would be using a great set of OS's and we would probably get more updates and flashier new features. However, with more people understanding the Linux kernel and how it operates, more 'black hats' and 'script kiddies' would have the tools to damage Linux systems, create Linux-based viruses, etc. In my opinion? I'm OK with where Linux is right now.

Re: Fix Ubuntu

#165
post #156
post #139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This reminds me of "whoopsie" when I first came across it after upgrading my servers to 12.04. Its a program that resides in the ram, automatically homes in the crash reports and would have to be explicitly disabled. At first I din't mind, but after watching it eat through my ram I had it disabled. As far as privacy goes, who knows what those sent in memory dumps might have.

whoopsie doesn't send anything without your permission.

Yes it does, how is it going to ask for my permission in a server environment? It automatically sets "report_crashes=true" under (/etc/default/whoopsie) when Ubuntu is first installed.

Here are some resources with more people reporting the same:

[1] http://blog.retep.org/2012/07/05/whoopsie-how-to-disable-it-...

[2] http://glog.procrasstination.com/index.php?/archives/47-Ubun...

[3] http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2000108

Re: Fix Ubuntu

#166
this should give a nice boost to fixubuntu.com page hits. nice work canonical - I knew you secretly wanted people to disable the default security problems... cheers...

Re: Fix Ubuntu

#167
post #131
post #51

I (still) don't think online searches are a privacy violation. 1) It's a search box. Stuff not typed in the search box never leaves the machine (unless you count things that do by design, such as web browsers and email, obviously). 2) It's plainly obvious the first time you use it that results are coming back from the Internet. No real user is going to be misled into believing that searches are local. This makes it n…

I'll respond, though I'm sure the reason nobody's responded is they're as tired of this conversation as I am. 1) Yet. When boiling frogs it's best to turn the heat up slowly. Canonical isn't providing a service for free here, they make money mining your searches and sending them to 3rd parties like Amazon. Compare this with its parent distribution's Social Contract. [0] Especially the phrase "We will be guided by the…

I don't like that the default is to search online as well as locally. But calling it spyware is hyperbole - the interface makes it quite obvious that it's doing a combined online+local search. I'd rather stick to more factual criticisms.

Re: Fix Ubuntu

#168
post #165
post #156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

whoopsie doesn't send anything without your permission.

Yes it does, how is it going to ask for my permission in a server environment? It automatically sets "report_crashes=true" under (/etc/default/whoopsie) when Ubuntu is first installed. Here are some resources with more people reporting the same: [1] http://blog.retep.org/2012/07/05/whoopsie-how-to-disable-it-... [2] http://glog.procrasstination.com/index.php?/archives/47-Ubun... [3] http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread…

It's vestigal on a server. It's there because the server installation and the desktop installation share that component. But since there's no UI for you to approve transmission, currently the crash reports sit on the server awaiting (local) examination and do nothing.

All the resources you pointed appear to be people who have found a setting and do not understand that it does not do anything.

Like my posts elsewhere on this thread, it's open source. Take a look for yourself, or ask someone who can.

Re: Fix Ubuntu

#169
post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While I see why people are unhappy with the sale of their data and ads, I have to agree with you on this. While obviously I don't enjoy having my information collected and sold without me really knowing by default, they do need to get money somehow. I feel like we're in a weird transitional period where the "free internet" in which all major apps and services we used were VC funded and growing, completely free with n…

Somehow, every other publicly available Linux distro doesn't need to include spyware in order to do their job.

Hey man, reinventing the wheel is a surprisingly expensive proposition!

Re: Fix Ubuntu

#170
post #112
post #102

Solution: stop using Ubuntu. There are lots of other very able distributions out there, many of which not only have better privacy features but also are technologically superior in one way or another. In no particular order, these are all very capable operating systems for a variety of needs: * https://fedoraproject.org/ * http://www.centos.org/ * http://www.opensuse.org/ * http://www.mageia.org/ * https://www.archli…

Linux Mint? Isn't that essentially the same thing as Ubuntu or am I missing something? That is, is it the lens search that is the problem or are there other privacy concerns about Ubuntu?

It's only the Unity lens, that's why you see people here recommending Ubuntu derivatives like Kubuntu and Xubuntu.
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