On 13 October 2010 10:28, Melv Bailey <melvbai...@googlemail.com> wrote: > Hi > > My first post and its only as a result of frustration with Ubuntu. > > I would like to post here a post I posted in the Ubuntu forums which got > no repsonse other than "load the NVidia driver" (not the point of the > original post, and how since I had a totally black screen with a mouse > pointer). > > Quotes > ------- > Sorry if this seems a bit of a rant but there is now another new version > Of Ubuntu that STILL does not address the fundamentals of running on a > range of hardware that is fine for Windows. > > This has caused me a problem since 8.04 (7.10 is the last version I have > run sort of successfully without having to jump through VGA driver hoops > but I did have to jump through wireless drivers hoops and didnt solve them). > > I know VGA drivers seem to be a massive problem for Linux, but there > does not seem to be a way to solve it. How do you install other drivers > when the default drivers dont work - why is there no VGA mode option at > boot time like (dare I say it) Windows. Why does it load with VGA > drivers it knows wont work (and if it does not know, why does it not > know, Windows does). I have tried the live CD on a laptop (old ATI > mobile graphics) and a PC with NVidia 6800 both give me black screens > with a mouse pointer. Earlier versions of Ubuntu give me various results > from tiny images multiple times to psycodelic stripes. The laptop runs > WinXP fine, and Win7 in VGA mode. The PC runs WinXP and Win7 perfectly > with Aero (incidentally Win7 is faster). > > I am a Windows programmer/customer support technician with 22 years of > PC experience (started as a hardware technician) all of it enduser > facing so know their capabilities (or lack of). I keep trying to dabble > in Linux but dont get very far in the little time I have (family) so I > dont have hours of spare time to solve problems that should not exist). > I know I can google and can find various commandline ways to force other > drivers on (but only after I have installed it - and the live CD is > meant to be a trial), what hope is there for the novice you are trying > to encourage. It seems from the many blogs and forums my experiences are > far from rare. > > Maybe I am missing some startup option but Ubuntu has done its best to > hide them. The funny little icon at the bottom meaning to press a key to > get some startup options, and noapci, nomodeset, etc are of course terms > that even the most novice of users would understand arent they! > > Maybe if you have the latest dogs bo**ocks hardware Ubuntu will work (I > and most of the people I know dont, especially not our business users) > but Linux is "advertised" as being better than Windows because it is > able to run on older and less able hardware, however I cant even get it > to run on Harware that is more than able to run Windows 7. I have never > yet failed to get a picture when installing Windows - any version, any > PC of minimum spec for the version. It may only be 640*480 4 colour but > at least I can see to sort it out, with Ubuntu you're truely "in the dark". > > My years of enduser experience tells me that the CD will of hit the > bottom of the bin before Windows has got back to the desktop, for people > who fail to see a working (even if limited) desktop when trying the live CD. > > Tell me I am doing it all wrong and simple by doing .... it will work on > anything. > ---- > Remember Ubuntu is aimed at the masses who have little computer > experience. I know lots of people who could install any version of > Windows and end up with a working desktop (maybe not optimum but > working). Very few of those people could solve this one, and would not > even install Ubuntu if the Live CD didnt "work". > ------ > End of Quotes > > I have now tried the live CD on a Phenom X2 PC with integrated AMD 785G > graphics and I did get to the desktop, so I installed. However after > the successful install when I restarted the monitor just showed "out of > range" and that was that. This is a current chipset, not an old machine. > I then tried the live CD on a NEC Powermate PC with SIS integrated > graphics and just get "out of range" on the monitor. > > This gives a 4 out of 4 failure rate. Why does Ubuntu try the be clever > and set some weird video mode - what wrong with 1024*768 16bit colour > that all these machines can run. Or if it insists on doing this why is > there no boot option to force VGA mode like Windows for times when > things go wrong. > > In view of the amount of posts regarding problems installing and getting > working, and with more than 90% of solutions requiring the commandline > and editing files (with vi they have no chance!) Ubuntu and Linux will > never reach the masses. Also remember only very few will seek an > answer, most will bin and forget. > > I am not trolling here, I keep telling my bosses that any development > changes with our software (small commercial EPOS systems) must keep the > door open to produce a Linux version in the future, but I am beginning > to think that Linux will never be ready for the masses. > > I would like other peoples opinions on this. > > Rant over, it did turn out as one didnt it. > Mel
I am just returning here to the OP's original post, that he complains he did not get any sensible response to. I would like to say first that I am trying to be helpful and not having a dig at anybody. I would like to suggest to the OP that he tries again with a new thread describing exactly what problem he has now on the machine he is trying to get going with Ubuntu. Also please describe the hardware and particularly the graphics card. I don't know whether he would be better off here or on the ubuntu-users list. Then we can start again to see if we can help him. @John Matthews, I am afraid I have lost track of the thread and am not sure whether you actually have a specific technical problem with Ubuntu at the moment. If you have then perhaps you could try the same thing and we can see if we can help you too. Colin Colin -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
