Fedora 16 instabilities

Thu Jan 12 13:43:25 UTC 2012

On 01/11/2012 10:00 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.
Good for you.
> - 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.
What are your system specs? If you wanna criticize, do it in a
constructive manner so people can fix issues.
> - 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.
df | grep sda :)
> - The mount command, which was once useful, isn't any more.  It's
>    simply unreadable.
See above.
> - 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.
It is acceptable, because skype is closed source.
> - 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!
Check your date/time settings and your BIOS settings as well.
> - 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.
NumLock or CapsLock?
> - 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.
Disfunctional how? It doesn't work at all? Any errors? Remember that
the MX 440 is old, don't expect wonders.
> - 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.
What the **** is so cryptic about "rm -f filename" ?
> - 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.
As before, you just say "randomness" or "fails" or "refuses"
without providing any useful information.
> - 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!!!
>
>


-- 
Rares Aioanei