Re: Frustration
Originally Posted by
leif-s-o
Hello everyone!
Let me start with a little rant. I just encountered (once again) a bug where my Ubuntu 20.04 wasn't usable any more. It showed me only a black screen after boot. This time, it happened after following instructions from a website telling me step-by-step, how to enable a chinese keyboard.
This is unfortunately not the first time I encountered big problems with Ubuntu 20.04. I recently had issues with hardware, like a monitor or a Wacom-tablet not being recognized, and with software bugs in Xournal++ or in Kdenlive. Also, I am tired of trying out a bunch of different alternative programs just to realize in the end, that the program I was using all the time is probably the lesser evil.
And these things make me sad, because I love Ubuntu. I started using it 12 years ago as an alternative to Windows, and I always had - and still have - the feeling that using Linux is the right way.
But all these issues that i run into make me become more and more frustrated with Ubuntu.
What I want is a Ubuntu that just works and does not keep me from doing my stuff.
When I want a chinese keyboard, I want to install it with one click in the configurations of Ubuntu, and not by following a step-by-step manual that I found on the web, leading to an unusable system.
When I plug in a Wacom tablet, it should just work (unlike now, where it gives me a 50-50-chance of working or not working).
I completely feel your pain. There are a couple of issues that I have had to "come to grips" with when transitioning from Windows to Linux. The first is, simply put, Windows has much better driver support for hardware. Where Linux may support the HW in the Kernel, and there are ways to wrap drivers from Windows to work... ultimately direct drivers in Windows work better with their respective hardware. For example, I have a Samsung 840 Pro SSD, and the Samsung Magician software will not work in Linux, it is Windows only.
The true freedom comes from running free software. And the biggest problem people have with understanding this, is thinking that "all" software is free. This unfortunately leads to people thinking that Ubuntu is just a free version of Windows, and will run all their non-free Windows software, freely... I'm sure you can see the flaw in this logic. The deeper flaw, is that even most Linux OS's aren't "free" to coin the FSF term. Media (games, movies, music, books) is not "Free." These things have usage fees, and they are part of the "licensing agreements" taken at purchase or run-time. Just because you use Ubuntu, doesn't mean you get to pirate software in the name of freedom.
Freedom is the right to use software (run, alter code, add to, etc.) however you see fit. But that software cannot be "non-free" to begin with. You aren't allowed to alter Microsoft Edge (the old one) and turn it into your own browser. However, the Chromium project, can be altered and turned into different browsers (New-Edge, Google Chrome, Brave, etc.) without cost. But the parts added by each of the companies is, again, non-free software, making the end result non-free. Chromium, however, unaltered, is still "free."
Originally Posted by
leif-s-o
So, I am wondering:
Am I the only one in this state of loving and hating Ubuntu at the same time?
No. I do this all the time. I love Kubuntu, and hate Kubuntu. Driver issues, which are more of a "Linux as a whole" thing. I buy a new piece of Hardware that suits my purpose very well, and lo-and-behold, it won't work in Linux. So, I have Windows around for just this purpose.
Also, I have 20 years of work and training in Adobe Software. I started with Aldus Photostyler and Aldus Pagemaker a long time ago, and progressively worked into Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and Adobe InDesign (previously Pagemaker). And the "free" software available that works in a very similar way, just doesn't cut it for me. GIMP, is a great Photoshop alternative. Inkscape is a great Illustrator alternative. Unfortunately, Scribus is a weak InDesign alternative, so I cannot use it.
Originally Posted by
leif-s-o
Do you also run into many issues with Ubuntu 20.04?
Not MANY, but Some. Usually in the form of drivers. Especially Nvidia. But this was from previous versions. With 20.04, everything really just seems to work well.
Originally Posted by
leif-s-o
And what do you recommend me to do? Should I go back to 18.04?
If it didn't have any problems for you, then sure, if you like. I usually take the time to learn the new LTS version, and how to work out the issues I need worked out. Most of which are resolved within a month of release. If these issues are a problem for you, I would suggest only using the LTS (Long Term Support) releases, and not the interim ones. i.e. 20.10
Originally Posted by
leif-s-o
Do you know any other Distros that make less trouble?
And in case you know: How to get a chinese keyboard (pinyin input) running on Ubuntu 20.04?
Yes, and No.
Ubuntu (and it's flavors), Mint, Pop!_OS, Zorin, and most Ubuntu based distros are the easiest ones for people to use. Whether that's transitioning from Windows, or just giving "Linux" a try. So, they make less trouble from a user interface point of view... but other distros like Fedora, Manjaro, PCLinuxOS, and the like can make less trouble from a technical standpoint. Then there are distros like Gentoo and Arch that take more time to set up (sometimes people equate more time to mean more trouble), but can be the most stable systems in the long run.
But a Pinyan Keyboard... Sorry man, that one I just don't know.
Originally Posted by
leif-s-o
Ah, and to finish the story: After googleing on my smartphone for some time, I found out that I need to revert the input method back to IBus via terminal, so I could at least use my computer again, but I don't know how long it will still take me to successfully install a chinese keyboard, which is ridiculous, keeping in mind that Ubuntu is the OS that claims to stand for usability and accessibility more than any other system, and has been developed for such a long time. But I guess I won't be able to type my chinese homework this week, while my classmates using Windows have no issues. And I am just too busy to spend a whole afternoon solving these issues.
Cheers,
Leif
Good Luck to you. And please never feel afraid to ask questions here! We all try to help the best we can.
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Adv Reply
Sorry, I just could not resist. But may be Ubuntu kylin is the answer.
) in some wine games. and vice versa - i have US keyboard on a laptop i bought in Asia, and i would always add native keyboard, so i can type all the strange letters we use. i know where they are located by heart. 
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