My many problems with Linux....

[timefox]

....and why I keep being forced to reinstall distributions or switch to Windows.

At first I am going to fill out this template:

• What release of Kubuntu you are using.
• Kubuntu 15.04 with Standard sources and backports turned off. (To "stay secure", not that it would help but atleast it gives me a better feeling.
• It's dual boot with Windows 8.1 (EFI)
• What version of KDE you are using: 5.9.0
• What version of Grub you are using: 0.97-29ubuntu66
• What other Operating Systems are installed: Windows 8.1 and my old "bricked" Kubuntu (from 2!! days ago)

Information about your PC:

• Type (Desktop or laptop): Laptop
• CPU: Intel i3 3rd Generation 1,9Ghz Dual Core
• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce 610M 1024MB
• HDDs: 1x 500GB HDD / 1x 24GB SSD

So, I've started using Ubuntu/Debian and so on many years ago, but I always have problems which push me back to Windows. From small problems like I can't play League of Legends to bigger problems that the whole system doesn't boot anymore.

Just for my notebook I am currently using the 11th Install of a Linux distro. (I always add a -mk11/12/13 after the computer name).

To come to some problems:

• with KDE:
• some programs tell me they crashed after I closed them, which is really annoying and happened since KDE 4 and now with KDE 5 the problem is still happening

• Plasma often crashes and sometimes doesnt even restart
• krunner, system settings and plasma crash after turning the laptop display off (to set an external display), thats most annoying when I connect a beamer to show my classmates something.
• the overall experience of KDE seems very "buggy" and "annoying"
• I've tested alot of Desktop environments but I love KDE, if only it would work properly
• weird graphic artefacts sometimes (probably caused by the propritary nvidia driver)

• common Linux problems/Hardware problems:
• poor wifi quality (in Windows wifi is working perfectly)
• graphics tearing in videos (I experience this on any Linux distro doesn't matter which driver I use and which vsync I set in the KDE system settings under compositor), thats like my biggest problem cause most of the time I watch series on Netflix / Downloaded stuff
• I can't install our printers driver but thats not important, but still a missing feature
• kernel problems like nouveau preventing linux from starting, so I can't even acces the command line, happens after installing kubuntu on first boot, then I HAVE TO install the propritary nvidia driver or use an old kernel
• I can't access samba resources from my school, not sure if I am just too stupid to manage it to work
• more I can't remember at the moment
• on Debian, where no driver tool is present, I never managed to install the nvidia drivers, I am too stupid and/or it is simply too complicated
• I NEVER managed to recover crypted files (ecryptfs) where you have to type that long (32) passphrase, so much data and time was lost with that. But I always crypt my files again cause its cool for privacy and I always think that I am secure because I got both passphrases.

My question is if someone else encounters that many problems as me and if it is normal for linux users to live like that. I mean to use a system which doesnt work and always have the fear that it doesnt boot up next time.

My last Kubuntu setup which crashed was like that: I installed some software and then opened the kmenu, without a visible reason plasma crashed and it didnt start again, I googled and wasted more than an hour trying to make it work again, then I rebootet and ksysman or something like that couldnt be started, so I wasted time again trying to make THAT work. After more time I rebootet and was at the point when even sddm didnt start anymore so I tried to make THAT work, I was close before getting a heart attack from being so angry so I reinstalled kubuntu cause I don't want to use Windows.

If anybody actually read this, thank you. I had to share this with someone cause its so freaking annoying.

[TWPonKubuntu]

Timefox,
I hesitated to respond to your post because I have posted such rants before myself... about Windoze.

I'm not going to try to address all of the items you list.

I will make a statement that I think the biggest "problem" is that you have chosen to use version 15.04, which, in my opinion is not ready for prime time. I will not be installing it (15.04 or higher) on my system(s). You are also making the switch from Plasma 4 to Plasma 5, which has it's own set of problems. Bleeding edge is not good for reliable usage.

I have been using a version of Linux for over ten years, continuously, and before that I used early (1980's-1990's) Linux distributions.

Currently, I have been running Kubuntu Linux since version 9 (don't remember the exact distro number, probably 9.04). My experience is that the LTS distributions are MUCH preferable to the short term releases. They simply work.

I'm running Kubuntu 14.04 LTS now and installed it on two different system, desktop and laptop. Yes, there have been "glitches" that required some digging to solve but overall, I think these occurred less frequently than when I ran Windoze. Just my opinion, I did not keep records.

You also are trying to run dual boot with Windoze. While I understand your unwillingness to say goodbye to the Redmond product, you also invite more trouble by your configuration. Again, that is a personal opinion, based on experience. I said goodbye over a decade ago and have never regretted it.

I assume, from your comment, that you are gamer. If you want the same performance from Windoze based games running on a Linux distro, you are, again, inviting disappointment. Even with Wine, the experience will suffer.
So, if you have a dual boot system, why run Windoze games under Linux?

Please don't read this as a flame or rant. I think it is the reality of the current state of computing.

[claydoh]

Have you tried a more well worn release of (K)ubuntu, such as 14.04? It has been out longer and has therefore had more eyeballs on it, as well as installations on more computers.
Plus, KDE 4 will likely be more stable for you (though graphics driver problems are likely the cause of your plasma crashes).


Kubuntu has a driver tool that will suggest and install the better Nvidia drivers for you, which should help.

Personally, I am finding it harder and harder to assist users based on my own experiences, since I seldom have significant issues anymore. Granted, I have old systems, and I know more or less what kind of hardware I have, but I never pay attention to that when buying parts, replacements, or upgrades.




I do suggest trying 14.04 to see how that runs, as it provides a better-known, and likely more stable base to start from, to get your feet wet.

[timefox]

Thanks for your answers!
Guess it was my fault, I thought that the short term realease has less bugs (because it's never I thought that). But it seems like new releases mean new bugs?
At the moment I'll keep 15.04 installed, cause I dont really want to install kubuntu again. I will report every crash which happens.
On the kubuntu I have installed now, only the video tearing is annoying, but it looks like I have to live with it cause it's a problem with the propritary nvidia driver.
If you have any tips for stupid people like me, I would be happy to hear about them!

[Buddlespit]

Until qt5.5 is released, there is a bug in qt5-graphicaleffects (of which kscreen is a dependency) which causes a lot of the screen tearing and monitor hijinks. Also, have you tried to enable triple buffering yet? That's supposed to also help with screen tearing. Off of the top of my head, I don't remember what Kubuntu calls qt5-graphicaleffects, but if turning on triple buffering doesn't help, you can try uninstalling qt5-graphicaleffects.

Also, linux doesn't do windows games very well. You can sometimes get a game to play well thru wine, but I've found that I need an actual copy of windows to play my games at their fullest. This isn't a problem with linux, this is a problem with the game developers. If they don't write a linux client/port, then we, the linux community, suffer for it. And why should game developers spend time and money on a linux client when linux users are approx. 1-2% of total users in the world?

[timefox]

I dont want to experiment that much, could something bad happen after I remove qt5-graphicaleffects?
And how do I turn on triple buffering? Is it as easy as that?: export KWIN_TRIPLE_BUFFER=1 (from)

[notabug]

I have never worked in IT and I don't have a higher education, so in most cases if I run into a problem I can't solve through research, I almost always just do a reinstall. Most Linux distros are so easy and quick to install, it is often quicker than a fix. For someone like me who isn't the sharpest tack in the box, this is the best solution. Even reinstalling the applications is easy with the software managers available. Of course I always include a separate /home partition and reuse it when I think it feasible, retaining most of my configurations. Be prepared to do all that I have described if you want to stay and play on the bleeding edge. If stability is what you are after, stay with the Long Term Releases as suggested. My two cents.

[Qqmike]

notabug: I have never worked in IT and I don't have a higher education, so in most cases if I run into a problem I can't solve through research, I almost always just do a reinstall. Most Linux distros are so easy and quick to install, it is often quicker than a fix. For someone like me who isn't the sharpest tack in the box, this is the best solution. Even reinstalling the applications is easy with the software managers available. Of course I always include a separate /home partition and reuse it when I think it feasible, retaining most of my configurations. Be prepared to do all that I have described if you want to stay and play on the bleeding edge. If stability is what you are after, stay with the Long Term Releases as suggested. My two cents.

Well said. I'm with you 100%. Re-installing is a breeze (especially so now with USB flash drive installers, and especially with USB 3.0). It kinda freshens thing up As for stability of the LTSs, that also is a 100% fact, imo. So much so, that as I think claydoh also remarked somewhere recently, it puts me at a disadvantage for helping people because I have very little experience with problems--it's mostly clear sailing. (That's why I like to cause my own problems by breaking my booting now and then and learning to fix it , it keeps me awake.) So, right-on notabug.

[timefox]

Hey, thanks for all your answers.
Here's a funny full size photo of how my plasma said hello to me today: click

So what I will do now is to delete both kubuntu 15.04's (I still have the broken one cause I will fight to get my crypted data back) and install kubuntu 14.04 with a separated uncrypted home directory.
The only reason I like plasma 5 is because of the Breeze theme, its beautiful on the outside, but ugly on the inside :/
I have the Kernel version Linux 3.19.0-22-generic which I received after a dist-upgrade after installing kubuntu.
Funny thing is with that kernel and the nouveau driver, I got this on boot: click for funny non-fullsized photo of the linux kernel and/or nouveau telling me to end its life.
I restarted with the old kernel, installed the nvidia drivers (VERSION 346 is the only one not breaking desktop environments, the other one found is 304, which seems not to work with my graphics card).

NEWS: I got Kubuntu 14.04.2 LTS running right now, everything perfect, no crashes until now. NVIDIA drivers: 331
Not exactly news: Still have tearing issues, but that wasnt a big surprise, every Linux Distro had this issue, guess I have to live with that. But its still weird that the KDE Vsync options seem useless.
Also my second time running linux on the build in 24GB SSD, blazing fast, I love it. Now even with separate /home partition.

[xennex81]

I always live with the fear that my system won't boot and I will not have a clue in the world how to fix it (since you can't fix 99% of problems that happen) which is why I always dread updates (so many users get broken system after updates).

[vinnywright]

Still have tearing issues, but that wasnt a big surprise, every Linux Distro had this issue, guess I have to live with that. But its still weird that the KDE Vsync options seem useless.
Also my second time running linux on the build in 24GB SSD, blazing fast, I love it. Now even with separate /home partition.

for the tearing ,,,,try this

kdesudo kate /etc/profile.d/kwin.sh

put this in it

[COLOR=#FF0000]export KWIN_TRIPLE_BUFFER=1[/COLOR]

save and exit you can reboot and test just this first if you like ,,,,,,,,,if it was not good enuff then do this ...........

kdesudo kate /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-nvidia.conf

and put this in it

 
Section "Device"        
        Identifier "My GPU"
        Driver "nvidia"
        Option "TripleBuffer" "True"
EndSection

unless you allready have a xorg.conf then just add the

  Option "TripleBuffer" "True"

to it.

reboot ,,,check it out ,,,,,,,,,


finaly if you have a strong enuff GPU (I'm on a GTX 860M with 4Gig RAM) you could try system settings>desktop effects>advanced tab>and under OpenGL Options tearing prevention(VSync)>try "full screen repaints"

VINNY

[vinnywright]

I always live with the fear that my system won't boot and I will not have a clue in the world how to fix it (since you can't fix 99% of problems that happen) which is why I always dread updates (so many users get broken system after updates).

I do my updates on the CLI and have done this on every *buntu install I have on every box I have or have had for 6 years now with this

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

and do not recall EVER having a broken system from the upgrades ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,maby the linux gods have smiled upon me for some time now ,,,,,,,,,,,,but I doubt it.

VINNY

[xennex81]

I do my updates on the CLI and have done this on every *buntu install I have on every box I have or have had for 6 years now with this

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

and do not recall EVER having a broken system from the upgrades ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,maby the linux gods have smiled upon me for some time now ,,,,,,,,,,,,but I doubt it.

VINNY

Your experience is not the conclusive evidence. You've seen occasions of unbootable or not loading systems on these here forums, so you're not even being honest. You're lying in an attempt to dissuade (or persuade) and covering up your (or another's) experience by providing false data.

Me too has never had a lock-up thus far, but I've had a (a) system that wouldn't install (Ubuntu Server 14.04.2), (b) system that wouldn't boot (Kubuntu 14.04.2) and those were unfixable to me. It just didn't happen to a running 14.10.

Just a moment ago on this forum people were saying that in case of trouble, they just reinstall the system because it's faster than looking for a solution. That's not the way of having a dependable system and it is real experience (and preference). In any case,

I was sharing my experience and opinion as well, and you don't have to belittle that.

As a matter of fact only recently there was a user and a topic about a system not booting due to a kernel update (supposedly, if I recall correctly). He had to boot a previous kernel to boot anywhere.

But now you're trying to universalize your experience by saying that you place high doubts about mine ("I doubt it") and you're not doing people a service here. The user was asking for recognition as to his (long-standing) Linux experience, and you're trying to make him feel like an alien as if no one recognises his feelings. Well, I do. I'm always afraid of my system being irreversibly damaged due to factors that are out of my control. That is all I was saying. And it's a real feeling. And you don't have to belittle that (as if it's not a real or realistic feeling). Even now, there is a "desktop went black" topic......

[DoYouKubuntu]

I have been using a version of Linux for over ten years, continuously, and before that I used early (1980s-1990s) Linux distributions.

That's mighty impressive! So you were using Linux...BEFORE it was invented? Cool trick. And here I am thinking I'm pretty cool still having my 1991 3.5" diskette with the original release of Linux on it.

[Qqmike]

--deleted-- let the mods handle it