Unsafe Linux Buffet

[pbpersson]

Okay, I have one complaint and one comment. You can think of me as somewhat perturbed.

 

Item number one I think is a bug. Item number two is mostly something I want to comment on and get some feedback as to whether I'm right.

 

1. In Mandrake 10.1, logon using a TEST user account. Go into KDE desktop settings--->Look N' Feel---->System notifications. Turn on all message windows and apply to all applications. You will lock up the OS so tight you will be forced into a cold boot. Someone who knows Linux gave me some options like CTL-ALT-Backspace and that got me out once but then when I logged in as that same user nothing would get me out. All these little message windows appear with OK buttons but the buttons don't do anything. Is this a bug?

 

2. In Linux since everything is free I treat it like an all you can eat buffet. If a little choice is good I figure putting everything on my plate will bring unlimited joy into my life. I just discovered XMMS and was quite impressed but wanted some skins. So I went out to URPMI and found tons of options for XMMS. I mean it will do this and that and I can control it using a web browser on my wireless laptop. COOL! I told URPMI that I wanted it all.

 

So I logged out and as KDE was restarting I was rubbing my palms together looking forward to XMMS on steriods. I fired up the MP3 player, told it to play my favorite song and it vanished.....gone. Where did it go? So I tried it again - start up the application, hit the play button......gone.

 

So figuring that some options are just not compatible I went back and uninstalled all the stuff I didn't really need and now it works fine. Now, I'm sure these add-ons and plugins all work fine with XMMS and they are written by different authors in different parts of the planet and no one even knows what options there are. Is someone looking into forming a planetwide integration testing center that will certifiy that all plugins will work properly with all other plugins on all distros on all versions and provide proper warnings when this is not the case? :D

 

Oh.....one other thing....when I went back and actually read all the options for XMMS there was one that said - "this collection of skins is unsafe and may cause segfault crashes, use at your own risk" which is sort of like finding a dish on my buffet table that says, "warning, this might kill you". What sort of buffet table is this, anyway??? :unsure:

[Tymestream]

To the first point, I cannot say anything, as I have never had this problem.

 

To the second point I can say, that while I agree that some incompatibilites can be frustrating, let's be reasonable - totally free and totally perfect - not likely. Besides the fact that nothing is perfect, let's face the fact that if Linux had no bugs and worked awsome all the time - what fun would that be? :D

 

The shear fact that Linux excists in a world that, by and large, is self centered and selfish is a tribute to the nature of open source and all the people involved with Linux on every level.\

 

Just my 2 cents.

[Guest anon]

What sort of buffet table is this, anyway???  :unsure:

Well like any big buffet table, there are bound to some things you either don't like or stuff that doesn't agree with your particular stomach. But you can't really complain because:

1) there is some stuff you do like.

2) Its all free.

 

Linux is about choice. For example, if you buy the MDK CD or DVD set you get about 7,000 Apps !!!

Many of these apps do the same things, so you get 4 consols, 5 browsers 3 whatever. Which is best? which works best on your system? Its up to you to find out, its your choice. But nothing is guaranteed to work at all.

[pbpersson]

To the first point, I cannot say anything, as I have never had this problem.

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I reported it to Mandrake Expert as a possible bug, we will see what becomes of it.

 

 

Phil

[Dyslexic]

I think a better analogy would be "Warning: some people are allergic to this dish." For example, a few of the XMMS packages depend on OpenGL, which can be unstable if you don't have solid OpenGL hardware, and OpenGL drivers correctly installed. Take a look at the Windows world. There's even greater choice in terms of available software, but the free ones will often give you tape worms. Would you rather have to monitor your allergies, or have tape worms? As aforementioned, the choice is yours. A few years ago I decided I liked Linux enough to only buy compatible hardware. Consequently, pretty much everything in the official distribution works for me without any issues.