Fedora 16 instabilities

Wed Jan 11 20:31:48 UTC 2012

On 01/11/2012 03:26 PM, Jesse Palser wrote:
> There is always Microsoft(R) Windows(R)
>
> I ran Linux for about two years natively on my main desktop.
> (first was Linux Mint, then Ubuntu, then Xubuntu after the switch to 
> Unity Desktop)
>
> Been running Windows(R) 7 Home Premium 64Bit for almost a year with 
> zero problems.
> Its really not that bad anymore...
>
> Jesse
>
>
>
> On 1/11/2012 3:00 PM, David A. De Graaf wrote:
>> Here's why Fedora 16 isn't ready for prime time.
>> Many of these have been BZ'd, without effect.
>>
>> - I won't even discuss the gnome3 controversy.  I've used xfce for
>>    many years and am very happy with it.
>>
>> - The worst aspect of Fedora 16 is it has made computing a stochastic
>>    process.  Instead of the rock-solid behaviour of previous releases,
>>    Fedora 16 behaves randomly.
>>
>> - On two laptops with encrypted disks, when booting, one asks for the
>>    passphrase once; the other twice.  The second request can only be
>>    seen if rhgb is removed from the kernel boot line, and you watch the
>>    systemd spewage carefully.
>>
>> - The command 'reboot' typed in an X terminal emulator, sometimes
>>    works; but often hangs the machine, requiring pressing reset.
>>
>> - Shutdown takes much too long, and often fails completely, like
>>    reboot.  This is quite annoying, especially with laptops.
>>
>> - The 'df' command has been rendered nearly useless due to the
>>    voluminous extraneous output.
>>
>> - The mount command, which was once useful, isn't any more.  It's
>>    simply unreadable.
>>
>> - The systemd system has replaced the simple and easily understood
>>    sysv init system with a jumbled mess.  The output during boot is
>>    scrambled and the terminology is grossly verbose and confusing.
>>    It may be a tiny bit quicker to boot on a multicore machine, but the
>>    loss of comprehensibility and reliability is much too high a price.
>>
>> - The systemd alternative to editing /etc/inittab with runlevel = 3
>>    is grotesque.
>>
>> - /var/log/boot.log is empty, sometimes.  When it is written, it
>>    contains no dates.
>>
>> - If 'startxfce4' is used at a console prompt to start an xfce session,
>>    root windows have $DISPLAY undefined, and cannot run privileged
>>    programs.  Critical tabs in various windows (shutdown, nm-applet
>>    editing, etc.) are greyed out.  A workaround is to create 
>> $HOME/.xinitrc
>>    with this cryptic line:
>>      ck-launch-session dbus-launch --sh-syntax --exit-with-session 
>> startxfce4
>>    and then use 'startx', as if starting gnome.   :-(
>>
>> - grub2 fails to correctly initialize /boot/grub2/grub.cnf when older
>>    kernel objects are present in /boot, and alternate root partitions
>>    exist.
>>
>> - grub2 sometimes sets the default kernel to an older one; sometimes
>>    to the newest one.
>>
>> - Changing UID's to start at 1000 instead of 500 is just annoying.
>>
>> - The latest kernel, 3.1.7-1.fc16.x86_64, causes skype to crash
>>    unless it is run with strace, in which case it fails to fail.
>>    Go figure!
>>
>> - With earlier kernels, skype was merely unreliable, sometimes with no
>>    microphone, sometimes no sound, sometimes no video.  The popup that
>>    announces an incoming call fails to appear - sometimes.  Despite its
>>    non-open status, skype is a critical utility.  Some way must be found
>>    to support it so it is reliable.  Making changes to the kernel that
>>    destroy it is not acceptable.
>>
>> - Some programs fail at random, unpredictible and unrepeatable times.
>>    Qtstalker occasionally simply stops working.  It's window can be
>>    deleted, but a zombie remains.
>>
>> - Systemd doesn't know how to tell time.  During boot, time is off by
>>    4 hours, then is fixed when ntp gets going.  Perhaps as a result,
>>    sometimes, not always, X starts with a screensaver.  It's random!
>>
>> - The cups print system can no longer print full Legal size pages.
>>    The print space is shifted upward and truncated.
>>
>> - The /etc/rc.d/rc.local file has been deleted.  It can be recreated,
>>    but you must know to start it with   #!/bin/sh   and make it
>>    executable.  Why not simply retain a properly constructed dummy?
>>
>> - gkrellm -s remotesys   often quits without reason.  Then, sometimes,
>>    it cannot be restarted without rebooting  remotesys.
>>    More randomness.
>>
>> - When xfce is restarted, the session manager restarts gkrellm windows
>>    with the bottom section truncated - sometimes.  Another randomness.
>>    The full length can be restored by manually running the
>>    Configuration popup and changing some item, then changing it back.
>>
>> - The session manager for xfce seems unable to restart roxterm
>>    windows, but can handle xterm's fine.  Why?
>>
>> - On one laptop the NumLock will sometimes turn itself on.  This can
>>    be annoying if a password must be typed.
>>
>> - On one machine, the password had be typed quickly in a console.  The
>>    root password was too hard to type to meet that requirement.
>>    However, if it was entered by cut-and-paste, it was OK.
>>    In X, there was no problem.
>>
>> - On one machine (of seven) the CD drawer pops open at random times.
>>
>> - An older nvidia NV18 GeForce4 MX 440 card requires the earlier
>>    version of the nvidia driver - which is no longer supported.  The
>>    nouveau driver doesn't work nearly as well.  A perfectly functional
>>    video card is rendered disfunctional.
>>
>> - Libreoffice insists on making files inaccessible via nfs.
>>    A workaround is to edit /usr/lib64/libreoffice/program/soffice to
>>    comment out these two lines:
>>      ## SAL_ENABLE_FILE_LOCKING=1 ## export SAL_ENABLE_FILE_LOCKING
>>    but this must be redone whenever a new update comes along.
>>
>> - The rt2500usb driver for my DLink USB wireless transceiver won't
>>    work reliably unless I disable power management with:
>>      iwconfig wlan0 power off
>>    However, trying to do this automatically in a control file,
>>      /etc/NetworkManager/dispatcher.d/16-power
>>    only works sometimes.  Another puzzling and annoying randomness.
>>
>> - A directory, ~/.gvfs, cannot be read even by root.  This should be
>>    impossible in a sane Linux system.  This unacceptable behaviour can
>>    be expunged by removing the gvfs-fuse package, which takes with it
>>    the shotwell, totem, and totem-nautilus packages.  So far, I haven't
>>    noticed any loss of functionality.
>>
>> - The microphone on one machine (but not others) wouldn't work until I
>>    added a cryptic line to the beginning of
>>    /etc/modprobe.d/dist-alsa.conf:
>>      options snd-hda-intel model=auto
>>
>> - Fedora 16 simply cannot be used with mythtv.  It refuses to detect
>>    any of my three TV receiver cards.
>>
>> - The mythfrontend program wouldn't start on a remote machine until I,
>>    cryptically, removed ~/.ICEAuthority.  I have no idea what this is
>>    all about.
>>
>> - Firefox can be configured to print a header and footer to record
>>    the URL, etc.  However, the cups printers refuse to print it,
>>    truncating this useful info.
>>
>> - My son, after reviewing this list, adds some more:
>>    Pnmixer fails to start roughly 1/3 of the time - meaning no sound -
>>    in XFCE4.  (I don't have pnmixer installed, so cannot confirm.)
>>
>> - Login and logout can take a variable length of time - from roughly
>>    one second to roughly one minute - for no apparent reason. So far
>>    this happens only on a newly built machine.
>>
>> - The problem of gkrellm not properly redrawing on restart may have
>>    been fixed.  We'll see...      IT'S RANDOM!!!
>>
>>
>
I've linux for years now, multi boot with other distros and win*
I rather like Gnome 3 and KDE4, I haven't any of the issues you stated 
with one exception and
that is with my wife's printer (Canon MP560). Bootup and shutdown are 
quicker than ever (faster than win7).  I noticed you didn't state your 
machine specs
Mine: Athlon FX-60, 2Gb DDR, 2 IDE & 2 SATA hard drives, GeForce 8500GT


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