Ubuntu 12.10 Archives - Complete, Concrete, Concise https://complete-concrete-concise.com/category/ubuntu-2/ubuntu-12-10/ Practical Information Without The Bloat Tue, 30 Oct 2012 03:15:40 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9 Ubuntu 12.10 – How to Completely Uninstall/Remove a Package/Software/Program https://complete-concrete-concise.com/ubuntu-2/ubuntu-12-10/ubuntu-12-10-how-to-completely-uninstallremove-a-packagesoftwareprogram/ Tue, 30 Oct 2012 03:15:40 +0000 http://complete-concrete-concise.com/?p=2517 This tutorial shows how to completely remove or uninstall a package in Ubuntu 12.10. These instructions should work for other versions of Ubuntu, it’s derivatives (Edubuntu, Kubuntu, Lubuntu, Xubuntu, Ubuntu Studio, Myhtbuntu) and other Debian based Linux distributions – but no guarantee is made. This tutorial is definitely on the advanced rather than basic side […]

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This tutorial shows how to completely remove or uninstall a package in Ubuntu 12.10. These instructions should work for other versions of Ubuntu, it’s derivatives (Edubuntu, Kubuntu, Lubuntu, Xubuntu, Ubuntu Studio, Myhtbuntu) and other Debian based Linux distributions – but no guarantee is made.

This tutorial is definitely on the advanced rather than basic side of things, but if you are careful, it shouldn’t be a problem.

WARNING ! ! !

There is a small but real risk of data loss or making other programs or Ubuntu unusable.

It is advisable to ensure you have a backup before proceeding.

I am somewhat over emphasizing the risk, but anything can happen – there might be a power failure in the middle of uninstalling and this might leave your system in a funky state, or you might select a critical system file for deletion and this leaves your system unusable.

I don’t expect anything bad to happen, but I make no guarantees.

Note: the risk is about the same as applying software updates (old packages are removed and new packages are installed).

You can jump directly to the How To part here.

You would think that uninstalling a package would be as easy and straightforward as installing it – either enter sudo apt-get remove --auto-remove <package name> at a command line or click Remove in the Ubuntu Software Center. Unfortunately, it is not:

The Problem

There are three types of packages: (1) simple, (2) with dependencies, (3) complicated.

Simple packages install only a single program file and that’s it. They are completely self contained and don’t depend on anything other than the core operating system being present. These types of packages are rare.

stella (an Atari 2600 emulator) is an example of a simple package.

Packages with dependencies need other files in order to work. When installing one of these packages, Ubuntu Software Center or apt-get determine what other files are needed and automatically installs them for you. Unfortunately, when you uninstall the package, the dependency files are usually left behind. Sometimes they can be removed by using the command sudo apt-get autoremove, but that is an exception rather than the rule.

stellarium (a 3D planetarium / sky simulator) requires an additional file (stellarium-data) to be installed in order to work. When you uninstall it, it leaves behind stellarium-data. The good news is that stellarium-data can be uninstalled using sudo apt-get autoremove.

abiword (a word processor) requires additional files (about 16) to be installed. One of these is ttf-lyx (a font). When you uninstall, abiword it will automatically uninstall some of the files, the remainder can be removed using sudo apt-get autoremove, but the file ttf-lyx must explicitly removed.

Complicated packages (also called metapackages), typically, do not install any files. Instead, they are a collection of dependent packages. These are the hardest to clean up, since you have to uninstall each dependent package (along with its dependencies) separately.

lubuntu-desktop (a desktop environment based on the lxde interface) is an example of a package that installs several dependent packages. Each of those packages installs other packages and files. All told, about 189 files get installed. When you uninstall lubuntu-desktop, it only removes lubuntu-desktop (about 30kB). Using sudo apt-get autoremove removes nothing else. All the extra files which were installed because lubuntu-desktop said it depended on them remain behind and they use up about about 321 MB of disk space.

These include packages like abiword, leafpad (a text editor), lubuntu-core, lxde-common, along with many, many other packages.

Note:The 30 kB and 321 MB are not typos, uninstalling lubuntu-desktop leaves behind about 99.99% of everything it installed.

Not only are various packages left behind after an uninstall, but also configuration data used by the removed package, directories (folders) and user data – all of these have to be manually removed.

Why Can’t Everything be Uninstalled?

My best guess is because it is a low priority:

  • Users want applications to install easily and work. In the (fairly distant) past, installing applications in Linux was a pain – users would install an application and it wouldn’t work, then they would discover they needed to install some other package to get it working, and then there were package incompatibilities (still a problem in Linuxland) and so on. Nowadays, most Linux distributions do a very good job in packaging applications for easy installation.

  • Hard disks are big. If you have a 500GB hard disk, will you really notice if 3MB or 50MB or even 1GB of data are cluttering it up? Probably not, the files cached by your Internet browser’s likely occupy more space on your hard disk.

  • It is not sexy. Who cares if a programmer wrote a really neat uninstaller? Probably no one. Programmers are more interested in “cool” apps. And since it is possible to manually uninstall all the unnecessary applications, there is no incentive to write a proper uninstaller.

  • Uninstallation should be a “rare” activity. Although, I think users are very likely to want to try out applications and uninstall them if they don’t like them or find it is not what they wanted.

  • It is hard. If the user uninstalls something shortly after installing it, this is not too much of a problem because nothing much is likely to have happened on the system. But if the user chooses to uninstall something 2 years after they installed in – then there are numerous problems: (1) other applications may have been installed that depend on some of the same files (this makes deciding which files to uninstall complicated), (2) it is likely that updates and upgrades have been applied over time (the files and dependencies may have changed. Consider a program that originally depended on a file called cutting-edge-library, but later the developers switched to using mature-and-stable-library instead – this poses problems to the uninstallation program.

  • Finally, if the uninstaller breaks an application the user wants to keep, the user is going to be unhappy, so it is better to be very conservative when uninstalling.

All the information needed to uninstall an installed package is available (sometimes it takes a little poking around). The only information not available is which files and folders are created by an application – so cleaning up all the config data, application folders and user data is harder.

This is a long standing problem with Linux – many projects have been started (and abandoned) whose purpose was to clean up leftover files on the computer.

How to Completely Remove a Package

Quick Instructions

1) Open the aptitude log file (/var/log/apt/history.log).

2) Locate the files that were installed.

3) Remove the files using sudo apt-get remove --auto-remove <file names>

NOTE: it is a good idea to ensure that you are not removing any extra files. This might happen if you (or someone else) has installed other packages or updates.

4) Locate and remove configuration files and data associated with the package. Most often, they will be found in /home/ and /home/.config/ directories.

Detailed Instructions

Finding Out Which Packages Were Installed

These instructions are for Ubuntu 12.10, using the Unity interface and the Terminal application.

I expect the instructions to be similar for other environments, but no guarantee is made.

Instructions for opening a terminal can be found here.

Opening the Installation History Log File

All installation and uninstallation operations that happen using apt-get or Ubuntu Software Center (or any of the aptitude family of functions) are stored in /var/log/apt/history.log. Examining the contents of this file allows us to determine which packages were installed.

1) Click on the Home Folder icon:

2) Click on File System:

3) Double-click on the var folder:

4) Double-click on the log folder:

5) Double-click on the apt folder:

6) Double-click on the history.log file – this should open it with gedit, the default text editor in Ubuntu 12.10:

A Quick Overview of the history.log File

The history.log file contains all the operations performed on your system using apt-get (or any of the aptitude family of programs)

Each block of operations contains:

  • a Start-Date and End-Date (red) for the operation
  • the operation performed (blue)
  • additional information about the operation (green)

In our case, we are interested in the Install information.

Finding the Installation Data

7) Search for the package you installed. If it was the last package you installed, then it will be at the end of the file. The records are stored with the newest operations towards the end (bottom) of the file and the oldest at the beginning (top) of the file.

Note: the history.log file is archived monthly. If you don’t find the required install information in history.log, then check the history.log.<number>.gz files:

Double clicking the .gz file will open it with Archive Manager. Inside Archive Manager you double click on the file to open it with gedit

In the sample below, you can see I installed lubuntu-core on 29-Oct-2012:

Start-Date: 2012-10-29 21:52:00
Commandline: apt-get install lubuntu-core
Install: lightdm-gtk-greeter:i386 (1.3.1-0ubuntu1), libobrender27:i386 (3.5.0-4, automatic), lxsession:i386 (0.4.9.1~git20120828-0ubuntu1, automatic), openbox-themes:i386 (1.0.2, automatic), libfm-data:i386 (1.0.1-0ubuntu1, automatic), libfm-gtk-bin:i386 (1.0.1-0ubuntu1, automatic), obconf:i386 (2.0.3+20110805+debian-1, automatic), lubuntu-default-settings:i386 (0.29), lubuntu-icon-theme:i386 (0.34, automatic), lxsession-data:i386 (0.4.9.1~git20120828-0ubuntu1, automatic), lubuntu-artwork:i386 (0.34), plymouth-theme-lubuntu-text:i386 (0.34), pcmanfm:i386 (1.0.1-0ubuntu1, automatic), lubuntu-core:i386 (0.45), libfm-gtk-data:i386 (1.0.1-0ubuntu1, automatic), libgif4:i386 (4.1.6-9.1ubuntu1, automatic), libfm-gtk3:i386 (1.0.1-0ubuntu1, automatic), lubuntu-lxpanel-icons:i386 (0.34, automatic), lubuntu-artwork-12-10:i386 (0.34, automatic), openbox:i386 (3.5.0-4), libglade2-0:i386 (2.6.4-1ubuntu2, automatic), gnome-icon-theme-full:i386 (3.6.0-0ubuntu2, automatic), elementary-icon-theme:i386 (2.7.1-0ubuntu6, automatic), lxmenu-data:i386 (0.1.2-2, automatic), libfm3:i386 (1.0.1-0ubuntu1, automatic), lxshortcut:i386 (0.1.2-3, automatic), lxpanel:i386 (0.5.10+git20120823-0ubuntu1), libid3tag0:i386 (0.15.1b-10build3, automatic), libimlib2:i386 (1.4.5-1ubuntu1, automatic), libmenu-cache1:i386 (0.3.3-1, automatic), libobt0:i386 (3.5.0-4, automatic), plymouth-theme-lubuntu-logo:i386 (0.34)
End-Date: 2012-10-29 21:57:50

8) Cut and paste the Install data into an editor. You can start a new document in gedit by clicking on the Create a new document icon:

9) Edit the data to remove all unnecessary text.

The data has the following form: <package name>:i386 (something in parentheses),

Only the package name is important. The :i386 (something in parentheses), needs to be deleted.

So libopenal1:i386 (1.13-2, automatic) becomes libopenal1 after removing the extra information.

If you have a lot of text to edit (as in this example), you might consider using a text editor that offers regular expression matching – like LibreOffice Writer – for search and replace.

Using LibreOffice Writer 3.6.2.2, you can use one of the following regular expressions (I think they are complete, but they might miss the odd expression):

Use this if you are running the i386 version of Ubuntu:

:i386 \([0-9\~\.\+a-zA-Z\-, ]*\),?

Use this if you are running the amd64 version of Ubuntu:

:amd64 \([0-9\~\.\+a-zA-Z\-, ]*\),?

Let me know if you encounter a case where the regular expression doesn’t work.

Press Ctrl + H to launch the Find and Replace dialog in LibreOffice Writer.

  1. Click on the More Options button (it will change to Fewer Options).
  2. Click on the Regular expressions box.
  3. Enter the regular expression into the Search for field.
  4. Click on the Replace All button.

10) Add the following to the start of the edited package list: sudo apt-get purge --auto-remove . You should have something that looks like this:

sudo apt-get purge --auto-remove lightdm-gtk-greeter libobrender27 lxsession ...

I recommend use of the purge option over the remove option because purge removes some of the configuration data.

You can always use sudo apt-get remove --auto-remove instead.

Note: if you are using LibreOffice Writer make sure that it does not autocorrect what you are entering.

Two very common problems are:

  1. the ‘s’ in sudo gets changed to UPPERCASE. The Linux command line is case sensitive, so Sudo is not the same as sudo.
  2. the double minus (–) gets converted in a single DASH (–).

    3. Either error will cause the uninstall script to fail.

11) Cut and paste this package list with the apt-get command from step 10 into a Terminal to completely uninstall the package.

To paste into a terminal, you need to right-click in the terminal and select the Paste option from the popup menu. Using the traditional shortcut Ctrl+V will not work.

Detailed instructions on how to open a terminal can be found here.

It should look something like this (the exact list of files will depend on what you are uninstalling):

12) Press the Enter key and enter your password (this is your login password):

NOTE: when you type your password, nothing will happen on the screen. This is normal. As a security feature, Linux does not echo back any indication of the characters you are typing in.

Note: You will only be asked for your password if this is the first time in this terminal session that you are using sudo apt-get.

13) Press the Enter key after entering your password and apt-get will respond by showing which files are going to be uninstalled:

If you want to uninstall the files, then press the Enter key. If you don’t want to uninstall the files, type the N key and then press the Enter key.

Note: if this was not the last package installed. Or if updates have been installed, I STRONGLY advise you to double-check the files being uninstalled to ensure they do not include any extra files.

WARNING ! ! !

This should work perfectly if the package you are uninstalling is the LAST package you (or anybody else) installed on your system. In other words: No one has installed anything else – not even updates – since this package was installed!

If other packages have been installed, if updates have been installed, then there is a RISK that those packages or updates may have a dependency on one or more of the packages you are uninstalling.

If you uninstall a package that some other package depends on, then that package will no longer function correctly.

Examining all package dependencies is very complicated. Proceed at your own risk – backups are strongly recommended.

Double Checking Your Uninstall Script

If the package you are uninstalling was not the last package installed, there is the risk that you will accidentally uninstall a package that some other application depends on.

Why Double Check?

For example, you install abiword. Abiword depends on the package ttf-lyx and it will be installed it if it is not already installed.

Later, you install cadabra. Cadabra also depends on ttf-lyx, but since it is already installed, it will use the installed copy instead of installing a new copy.

If you uninstall abiword using the technique above, it will explicitly uninstall ttf-lyx (which is also needed by cadabra – which was installed after abiword).

This will cause apt-get to uninstall cadabra because cadabra depends on ttf-lyx.

To avoid this problem, it is necessary to double check that you are not removing any extra files.

Since apt-get displays the files it is going to uninstall, it is a simple matter of checking that no additional files were added to the uninstallation:

Uninstalling Configuration Data

I don’t recommend doing this unless you know exactly what you are looking to delete.

The last thing left to do is to delete / remove all the configuration data.

Unfortunately, this is hard to do since there is no record of what files and folders the (now uninstalled) application put on your computer.

A good place to start is in your /home directory and your /home/.config/ directory.

However, data, files, and folders could be squirreled away all over the place.

As you can see from these screenshots, it is not necessarily obvious what folders and files need deleting:


The post Ubuntu 12.10 – How to Completely Uninstall/Remove a Package/Software/Program appeared first on Complete, Concrete, Concise.

]]> Ubuntu 12.10 – Installing GNOME Desktop https://complete-concrete-concise.com/ubuntu-2/ubuntu-12-10/ubuntu-12-10-intalling-gnome-desktop/ Tue, 23 Oct 2012 20:17:05 +0000 http://complete-concrete-concise.com/?p=2450 These instructions are for installing the GNOME Desktop in Ubuntu 12.10 running the Unity Desktop. Installation instructions may be the same or similar for other versions of Ubuntu or for other Linux distros, but no guarantee is made. If you are changing desktops because you are totally lost / confused by Unity, I suggest reading […]

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These instructions are for installing the GNOME Desktop in Ubuntu 12.10 running the Unity Desktop.

Installation instructions may be the same or similar for other versions of Ubuntu or for other Linux distros, but no guarantee is made.

If you are changing desktops because you are totally lost / confused by Unity, I suggest reading this tutorial and giving Unity a chance. The mentioned tutorial is for Ubuntu 12.04, but should be the same or very similar for 12.10. Eventually, I will have an updated tutorial for 12.10.

Of course, if you really hate Unity, then GNOME Desktop is an alternative desktop.

Some images may be clicked for full sized versions.

What is it?

GNOME Desktop is GNOME Shell bundled with a number of additional applications.

GNOME Shell is not the same as the classic or traditional desktop most users are familiar with. It is a desktop that requires 3D hardware capability (if it is not available, then the system loads the GNOME Fallback Session). GNOME states that most 3D graphics cards manufactured after 2007 (or so) should be suitable.

Who is it for?

This is for those users who want the GNOME 3 desktop along with all the extra program files bundled with it.

If you just want GNOME Shell without all the additional packages and programs, choose to install GNOME Shell instead.

If you are not interested in the GNOME 3 desktop and want a more traditional/classic desktop environment I recommend installing GNOME Session Fallback.

If you want a true GNOME 2 (traditional/classic) desktop experience, then you need to install MATE.

MATE is a fork (a development branch that has split from the main branch) of the original GNOME 2 project to preserve it.

GNOME 2 is no longer supported or developed – it has been superseded by GNOME 3.

MATE is the new GNOME 2.

Note: most people want GNOME Shell or GNOME Session Fallback. Installing GNOME Desktop will install a lot of extra applications that you will probably never use.

A better solution is to install GNOME Shell or GNOME Session Fallback and later install those additional applications you want.

What it looks like

The straight-out-of-the-box look of the desktop is:

While it might look similar to the traditional/classic desktop, it is not. Clicking on the Action item (or tapping the Windows or Super key) will bring up a Unity style pane with some decorations on the side:

GNOME Desktop will install 542 MB of files and data to your hard disk.

Contrast this with 84.5 MB for GNOME Shell or 35.5 MB for GNOME Session Fallback. Do you really want those ~460 MB of extra programs installed?

From the Command Line

If you are comfortable with Linux and know how to use the command line and apt-get then the command is:

sudo apt-get install gnome

Detailed instructions for accessing a command line can be found here.

Note: during installation, you are likely to get a message box asking which display manager you use. It is safe to use either one.

gdm is installed with gnome.

lightdm is the display manager shipped with Ubuntu.

Basically, the difference between the two is that your login screen will look different.

Afterward, you need to restart your system.

From the Ubuntu Software Center

Launching the Ubuntu Software Center

1) Tap the Windows (Super) key to bring up the Dash panel:

Note: tapping the Windows keys means pressing it as though you intend to type it. It does not mean holding down the key (holding down the key does something else).

Ubuntu calls this the Super key

2) Type Ubuntu Software Center into the search field:

Note: as you type, search results will be displayed in the Dash Panel below.

You can stop typing when Ubuntu Software Center is the leftmost item in the panel.

3) Press the Enter key. This will select and launch the Ubuntu Software Center

Note: pressing the Enter key automatically selects the top, leftmost item in the Dash Panel. This is why it is not necessary to type everything.

Note: if, for some reason, you switch focus or change focus from the search field, then pressing Enter will not work and you will need to select the icon using your mouse (or navigate using your keyboard). This is definitely an issue Ubuntu needs to address with the Dash.

4) Type gnome into the Ubuntu Software Center search field. This will bring up related entries.

5) Click on the entry The GNOME Desktop Environment, with extra components – this will highlight it in orange:

6) Click on Install:

If you receive the following error message:

See this article for a possible solution.

Note: I haven’t encountered this error with Ubuntu 12.10, but I believe it is still possible.

7) Enter your password and click Authenticate:

8) After installation is finished, click on the System icon in the upper right corner of the desktop and select Shut Down… from the drop down menu:

Note: it may be enough to just log out and log back in using the new desktop, but it doesn’t hurt to restart either.

9) Click on Restart:

Selecting the Desktop

After the system has restarted, it is necessary to select the new desktop from the login screen.

It is only necessary to select the desktop the first time after installation. Ubuntu will remember your your selection for future logins.

You can even install multiple desktops and switch between them.

10) Click the icon in the top right of the Login box:

11) Select GNOME (you also have the option of selecting GNOME Classic which is just the Session Fallback version):

12) Click on OK:

13) Login as normal:

Notice the icon in the upper right hand corner has changed to a different icon. Some, not all, desktop environments will display an icon there.

This provides a quick way to know which desktop environment you are logging into.

The post Ubuntu 12.10 – Installing GNOME Desktop appeared first on Complete, Concrete, Concise.

]]> Ubuntu 12.10 – Installing GNOME Shell https://complete-concrete-concise.com/ubuntu-2/ubuntu-12-10/ubuntu-12-10-installing-gnome-shell/ Tue, 23 Oct 2012 15:00:04 +0000 http://complete-concrete-concise.com/?p=2438 These instructions are for installing the GNOME Shell in Ubuntu 12.10 running the Unity Desktop. Installation instructions may be the same or similar for other versions of Ubuntu or for other Linux distros, but no guarantee is made. If you are changing desktops because you are totally lost / confused by Unity, I suggest reading […]

The post Ubuntu 12.10 – Installing GNOME Shell appeared first on Complete, Concrete, Concise.

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These instructions are for installing the GNOME Shell in Ubuntu 12.10 running the Unity Desktop.

Installation instructions may be the same or similar for other versions of Ubuntu or for other Linux distros, but no guarantee is made.

If you are changing desktops because you are totally lost / confused by Unity, I suggest reading this tutorial and giving Unity a chance. The mentioned tutorial is for Ubuntu 12.04, but should be the same or very similar for 12.10. Eventually, I will have an updated tutorial for 12.10.

Of course, if you really hate Unity, then GNOME Shell is an alternative desktop.

Some images may be clicked for full sized versions.

What is it?

GNOME Shell is just the basic GNOME 3 desktop environment. It includes GNOME Session Fallback as part of the installation.

GNOME Shell is not the same as the classic or traditional desktop most users are familiar with. It is a desktop that requires 3D hardware capability (if it is not available, then the system loads the GNOME Fallback Session). GNOME states that most 3D graphics cards manufactured after 2007 (or so) should be suitable.

Who is it for?

GNOME Shell is for those users who want a GNOME 3 desktop without installing extra packages and programs.

GNOME Shell includes GNOME Session Fallback as part of the installation, if you are not interested in the GNOME 3 desktop and want a more traditional/classic desktop environment I recommend installing GNOME Session Fallback because it will save you some disk space.

If you want a true GNOME 2 (traditional/classic) desktop experience, then you need to install MATE.

MATE is a fork (a development branch that has split from the main branch) of the original GNOME 2 project to preserve it.

GNOME 2 is no longer supported or developed – it has been superseded by GNOME 3.

MATE is the new GNOME 2.

Note: even if you install GNOME Shell only intending to use the GNOME Session Fallback, the extra files installed will not affect your systems performance except for the amount of disk space used.

In general, I think it is good practice to minimize the number of unneeded files on your system

What it looks like

The straight-out-of-the-box look of the desktop is:

While it might look similar to the traditional/classic desktop, it is not. Clicking on the Action item (or tapping the Windows or Super key) will bring up a Unity style pane with some decorations on the side:

GNOME Shell will install 84.5MB of files and data to your hard disk.

From the Command Line

If you are comfortable with Linux and know how to use the command line and apt-get then the command is:

sudo apt-get install gnome-shell

Detailed instructions for accessing a command line can be found here.

Note: during installation, you are likely to get a message box asking which display manager you use. It is safe to use either one.

gdm is installed with gnome-shell.

lightdm is the display manager shipped with Ubuntu.

Basically, the difference between the two is that your login screen will look different.

Afterward, you need to restart your system.

From the Ubuntu Software Center

Launching the Ubuntu Software Center

1) Tap the Windows (Super) key to bring up the Dash panel:

Note: tapping the Windows keys means pressing it as though you intend to type it. It does not mean holding down the key (holding down the key does something else).

Ubuntu calls this the Super key

2) Type Ubuntu Software Center into the search field:

Note: as you type, search results will be displayed in the Dash Panel below.

You can stop typing when Ubuntu Software Center is the leftmost item in the panel.

3) Press the Enter key. This will select and launch the Ubuntu Software Center

Note: pressing the Enter key automatically selects the top, leftmost item in the Dash Panel. This is why it is not necessary to type everything.

Note: if, for some reason, you switch focus or change focus from the search field, then pressing Enter will not work and you will need to select the icon using your mouse (or navigate using your keyboard). This is definitely an issue Ubuntu needs to address with the Dash.

4) Type gnome shell into the Ubuntu Software Center search field. This will bring up related entries.

5) Click on the entry GNOME Shell – this will highlight it in orange:

6) Click on Install:

If you receive the following error message:

See this article for a possible solution.

Note: I haven’t encountered this error with Ubuntu 12.10, but I believe it is still possible.

7) Enter your password and click Authenticate:

8) After installation is finished, click on the System icon in the upper right corner of the desktop and select Shut Down… from the drop down menu:

Note: it may be enough to just log out and log back in using the new desktop, but it doesn’t hurt to restart either.

9) Click on Restart:

Selecting the Desktop

After the system has restarted, it is necessary to select the new desktop from the login screen.

It is only necessary to select the desktop the first time after installation. Ubuntu will remember your your selection for future logins.

You can even install multiple desktops and switch between them.

10) Click the icon in the top right of the Login box:

11) Select GNOME (you also have the option of selecting GNOME Classic which is just the Session Fallback version):

12) Click on OK:

13) Login as normal:

Notice the icon in the upper right hand corner has changed to a different icon. Some, not all, desktop environments will display an icon there.

This provides a quick way to know which desktop environment you are logging into.

The post Ubuntu 12.10 – Installing GNOME Shell appeared first on Complete, Concrete, Concise.

]]> Ubuntu 12.10 – Installing GNOME Session Fallback https://complete-concrete-concise.com/ubuntu-2/ubuntu-12-10/ubuntu-12-10-installing-gnome-session-fallback/ Tue, 23 Oct 2012 12:39:02 +0000 http://complete-concrete-concise.com/?p=2420 These instructions are for installing the GNOME Session Fallback in Ubuntu 12.10 running the Unity Desktop. Installation instructions may be the same or similar for other versions of Ubuntu or for other Linux distros, but no guarantee is made. If you are changing desktops because you are totally lost / confused by Unity, I suggest […]

The post Ubuntu 12.10 – Installing GNOME Session Fallback appeared first on Complete, Concrete, Concise.

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These instructions are for installing the GNOME Session Fallback in Ubuntu 12.10 running the Unity Desktop.

Installation instructions may be the same or similar for other versions of Ubuntu or for other Linux distros, but no guarantee is made.

If you are changing desktops because you are totally lost / confused by Unity, I suggest reading this tutorial and giving Unity a chance. The mentioned tutorial is for Ubuntu 12.04, but should be the same or very similar for 12.10. Eventually, I will have an updated tutorial for 12.10.

Of course, if you really hate Unity, then GNOME Session Fallback is an alternative desktop.

Some images may be clicked for full sized versions.

What is it?

GNOME Session Fallback is the most basic version of GNOME you can install. The 3D features and requirements of the standard GNOME Shell are not present.

It is the closest you can get to the original GNOME 2 desktop. The GNOME 2 desktop is the one most users would recognize as the familiar or traditional desktop.

If you want a true GNOME 2 desktop experience, then you need to install MATE.

MATE is a fork (a development branch that has split from the main branch) of the original GNOME 2 project to preserve it.

GNOME 2 is no longer supported or developed – it has been superseded by GNOME 3.

MATE is the new GNOME 2.

GNOME 3 (aside from the Session Fallback) requires 3D hardware capability (according to GNOME, most 3D graphics cards manufactured after 2007 (or so) meet these requirements). However, the GNOME 3 desktop is different from the original or classic desktop most users are familiar with.

GNOME Session Fallback is automatically installed when you install GNOME Shell or GNOME. It is provided in the case that your graphics card does not meet the minimum 3D hardware requirements or drivers for your graphics cards do not support 3D hardware acceleration.

Who is it for?

GNOME Session Fallback is for those users that want a more or less traditional style desktop and don’t want to minimize the amount of extra files they install on their system.

While you can install GNOME Shell and GNOME, these will occupy more space on your hard drive. Installing them will not affect your systems performance except to where it comes down to free disk space.

In general, I think it is good practice to minimize the number of unneeded files on your system

What it looks like

There are two versions: GNOME Classic and GNOME Classic (No effects) – the difference between them is quite subtle.

The straight-out-of-the-box look of the desktop is:

Gnome Classic displays the four desktops in the lower right corner as a small grid.

GNOME Classic (No effects) displays the four desktops in the lower right bar as individual panes.

Otherwise, I don’t see any other differences between them.

GNOME Session Fallback will install 35.5MB of files and data to your hard disk.

From the Command Line

If you are comfortable with Linux and know how to use the command line and apt-get then the command is:

sudo apt-get install gnome-session-fallback

Detailed instructions for accessing a command line can be found here.

Note: during installation, you are likely to get a message box asking which display amanger you use. It is safe to use either one.

gdm is installed with gnome-fallback-session.

lightdm is the display manager shipped with Ubuntu.

Basically, the difference between the two is that your login screen will look different.

Afterward, you need to restart your system.

From the Ubuntu Software Center

Launching the Ubuntu Software Center

1) Tap the Windows (Super) key to bring up the Dash panel:

Note: tapping the Windows keys means pressing it as though you intend to type it. It does not mean holding down the key (holding down the key does something else).

Ubuntu calls this the Super key

2) Type Ubuntu Software Center into the search field:

Note: as you type, search results will be displayed in the Dash Panel below.

You can stop typing when Ubuntu Software Center is the leftmost item in the panel.

3) Press the Enter key. This will select and launch the Ubuntu Software Center

Note: pressing the Enter key automatically selects the top, leftmost item in the Dash Panel. This is why it is not necessary to type everything.

Note: if, for some reason, you switch focus or change focus from the search field, then pressing Enter will not work and you will need to select the icon using your mouse (or navigate using your keyboard). This is definitely an issue Ubuntu needs to address with the Dash.

4) Type gnome-session-fallback into the Ubuntu Software Center search field. This will bring up related entries.

5) Click on the entry GNOME Session Manager – GNOME fallback session – this will highlight it in orange:

6) Click on Install:

If you receive the following error message:

See this article for a possible solution.

Note: I haven’t encountered this error with Ubuntu 12.10, but I believe it is still possible.

7) Enter your password and click Authenticate:

8) After installation is finished, click on the System icon in the upper right corner of the desktop and select Shut Down… from the drop down menu:

Note: it may be enough to just log out and log back in using the new desktop, but it doesn’t hurt to restart either.

9) Click on Restart:

Selecting the Desktop

After the system has restarted, it is necessary to select the new desktop from the login screen.

It is only necessary to select the desktop the first time after installation. Ubuntu will remember your your selection for future logins.

You can even install multiple desktops and switch between them.

10) Click the icon in the top right of the Login box:

11) Select either GNOME Classic or GNOME Classic (No effects):

12) Click on OK:

13) Login as normal:

Notice the icon in the upper right hand corner has changed to a different icon. Some, not all, desktop environments will display an icon there.

This provides a quick way to know which desktop environment you are logging into.

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]]> Ubuntu 12.10 – How to Uninstall VirtualBox Guest Additions https://complete-concrete-concise.com/ubuntu-2/ubuntu-12-10/ubuntu-12-10-how-to-uninstall-virtualbox-guest-additions/ Sat, 20 Oct 2012 07:32:45 +0000 http://complete-concrete-concise.com/?p=2391 These instructions are for removing VirtualBox Guest Additions from Ubuntu 12.10 running under VirtualBox version 4.2.2. They may be the same or similar for other version combinations and other Linux distros, but no guarantee is made. Assumes you know how to open a terminal. Instructions for opening a terminal can be found here. Uninstalling VirtualBox […]

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These instructions are for removing VirtualBox Guest Additions from Ubuntu 12.10 running under VirtualBox version 4.2.2.

They may be the same or similar for other version combinations and other Linux distros, but no guarantee is made.

Assumes you know how to open a terminal. Instructions for opening a terminal can be found here.

Uninstalling VirtualBox Guest Additions

1) Open a terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and enter the following commands:

NOTE: everything at the command line is case sensitive, so make sure you get the UpPeR and lOwEr case letters right.

cd /media
cd <username>
cd VBOXADDITIONS_4.2.2_81494
sudo sh VBoxLinuxAdditions.run uninstall

Note: <username> is the name of the user who installed the VirtualBox Guest Additions. This is a new change in Ubuntu 12.10 – in previous versions of Ubuntu, this additional directory level did not exist

VBOXADDITIONS_4.2.2_81494 depends on which version of VirtualBox Guest Additions you have installed. The way I enter it is to: (1) type cd VB, then (2) press the Tab key to auto-complete the name

After entering your password, the VirtualBox Guest Additions will be uninstalled:

Note: Linux does not echo back your password. When you type your password, it looks like nothing is happening on screen. This is normal.

Ejecting the VirtualBox Guest Additions CD

Having uninstalled the VirtualBox Guest Additions, there is not much point in keeping the Guest Additions media installed.

2) Click on the Home Folder icon on the Unity Launcher:

3) Click on the Eject icon next to the Guest Additions:

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]]> Ubuntu 12.10 – How to Lock Your Screen / Computer https://complete-concrete-concise.com/ubuntu-2/ubuntu-12-10/ubuntu-12-10-how-to-lock-your-screen-computer/ Thu, 18 Oct 2012 11:10:24 +0000 http://complete-concrete-concise.com/?p=2376 These instructions are for Ubuntu 12.10 running the Unity interface. They may be the same for other version combinations, but no guarantee is made. Sometimes you have to leave your computer but don’t want to leave your session open for someone else to start using. One option is to log out, the other is to […]

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These instructions are for Ubuntu 12.10 running the Unity interface. They may be the same for other version combinations, but no guarantee is made.

Sometimes you have to leave your computer but don’t want to leave your session open for someone else to start using.

One option is to log out, the other is to lock your session. Logging out is rather drastic and requires you to save all your work. Locking the screen allows all your work to remain as is until you unlock the screen.

Keyboard Shortcut

1) Press Ctrl + Alt + L to lock your screen.

NOTE: pressing Ctrl + Alt + L means: simultaneously hold down the Ctrl key and Alt key, then press the L key as though you intend to type it.

DO NOT press the Shift key because Ctrl + Alt + Shift + L is different from Ctrl + Alt + L.

It does NOT matter if your Caps Lock key is on or off.

Your screen should change to something like the following (your choice of desktop background, username, etc, will affect the specific appearance):

Using the Mouse

1) Click on the System icon in the top right corner of the screen:

2) Select Lock Screen from the drop down menu.

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]]> Ubuntu 12.10 – How to Display / Show Hidden Files or Folders https://complete-concrete-concise.com/ubuntu-2/ubuntu-12-10/ubuntu-12-10-how-to-display-show-hidden-files-or-folders/ Thu, 18 Oct 2012 10:56:30 +0000 http://complete-concrete-concise.com/?p=2372 These instructions are for Ubuntu 12.10 running the Unity interface and using Nautilus as the default file browser – this is the default Ubuntu 12.10 configuration. It may work for other version combinations, but no guarantee is made. The default settings in the Nautilus file browser prevent you from seeing certain files and folders. These […]

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These instructions are for Ubuntu 12.10 running the Unity interface and using Nautilus as the default file browser – this is the default Ubuntu 12.10 configuration.

It may work for other version combinations, but no guarantee is made.

The default settings in the Nautilus file browser prevent you from seeing certain files and folders. These files begin with a period (.) and tend to be configuration files and folders (directories).

The Unix / Linux convention for hiding a file or folder is to prefix the name with a period (.).

Sometimes it is necessary to be able to see them in order to be able to edit them or delete them.

1) Open the Nautilus file browser. The default icon on the Unity Launcher opens your Home folder:

By default, configuration files and folders are not shown:

2) Type Ctrl + H to display hidden files and folders.

NOTE: typing Ctrl + H means: while holding down the Ctrl key, press the H key as though you intend to type it.

DO NOT press the Shift key because Ctrl + Shift + H is different from Ctrl + H.

It does NOT matter if your Caps Lock key is on or off.

Any hidden files or folders will be displayed along with the other files and folders.

NOTE: there may not be any hidden files or folders to display.

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]]> Ubuntu 12.10 – How to Disable / Turn Off Amazon Ads in the Dash https://complete-concrete-concise.com/ubuntu-2/ubuntu-12-10/ubuntu-12-10-how-to-disable-turn-off-amazon-ads-in-the-dash/ Thu, 18 Oct 2012 07:00:36 +0000 http://complete-concrete-concise.com/?p=2362 This tutorial shows how to disable advertising from Amazon being displayed in the Dash. The instructions are for Ubuntu 12.10, it should be the same or similar for other versions, but no guarantee is made. One of the changes made in Ubuntu 12.10 is to display advertising from Amazon in the Dash Panel when you […]

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This tutorial shows how to disable advertising from Amazon being displayed in the Dash.

The instructions are for Ubuntu 12.10, it should be the same or similar for other versions, but no guarantee is made.

One of the changes made in Ubuntu 12.10 is to display advertising from Amazon in the Dash Panel when you enter searches:

1) Launch the Dash by tapping the Windows (Super) key:

Note: tapping the Windows keys means pressing it as though you intend to type it. It does not mean holding down the key (holding down the key does something else).

Ubuntu calls this the Super key

2) Type privacy into the Dash search field:

3) Press the Enter key. This will launch the Privacy management dialog.

NOTE: pressing the Enter key will select the first Dash entry. If Privacy is not the first entry, then use the keyboard arrow keys or mouse to navigate to the appropriate icon.

4) Click on the On / Off slider located to the right of: “Include online search results.” This will toggle the setting to Off

5) Close the dialog. You can close it by clicking on the red X in the upper left corner of the dialog or you can close it by pressing Alt + F4.

Note: pressing Alt + F4 means holding down the Alt key while tapping the F4 key as though you intend to type it.

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]]> Ubuntu 12.10 – How to get a Command Line, Shell, or Terminal https://complete-concrete-concise.com/ubuntu-2/ubuntu-12-10/how-to-get-a-command-line-shell-or-terminal/ Thu, 18 Oct 2012 10:47:49 +0000 http://complete-concrete-concise.com/?p=2369 These instructions are for Ubuntu 12.10 using the Unity interface (although, hints are provided at the bottom of the article for those who have installed a different desktop). Linux (of which Ubuntu is a flavour) and it’s inspiration Unix, have a strong emphasis and tradition of doing everything via typed commands. Often, when searching the […]

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These instructions are for Ubuntu 12.10 using the Unity interface (although, hints are provided at the bottom of the article for those who have installed a different desktop).

Linux (of which Ubuntu is a flavour) and it’s inspiration Unix, have a strong emphasis and tradition of doing everything via typed commands.

Often, when searching the Internet for a solution to a problem, you often find terse (possibly cryptic) answers along the lines of:

Test if you can reach Google with ping -c 4 google.com

or

To recursively change your file permissions just: chmod 755 -R /opt/lampp/htdocs

In order to run those commands, you have to open a shell or command line or terminal (they are all synonymous, but shell is the preferred term in Linux and Unix circles).

There are many different shells, the original Unix shell is called the Bourne Shell (or sh), then came the C Shell (csh) and Korn Shell (ksh). Linux tends to use the Bourne Again Shell (bash). For the most part, they all do the same thing, so you don’t need to worry about which one you are using.

If you want to know which shell you are using, just enter echo $SHELL at the command line and press Enter.

TIP: If you find a command line solution / trick / tip for a non-Ubuntu Linux distribution, there is a good chance (though not 100% guaranteed) that it might work with Ubuntu.

If you get a Permission denied or Are you root? response when you type in the command, try prefixing the command with sudo. Ubuntu requires administrator level privileges for certain commands. sudo temporarily gives administrator privileges (after you supply your password).

Opening a Terminal using a Keyboard Shortcut

This is the default keyboard shortcut for Ubuntu 12.10 (and probably previous Ubuntu releases) running the GNOME / Unity desktop, unless you (or someone else) has changed it, it should work.

This also the default keyboard shortcut if you have changed your desktop environment to GNOME Shell, LXDE, or the Lubuntu Desktop and will work unless you (or someone else) has changed it.

This will NOT work for the XFCE or Xubuntu Desktop unless you (or someone else) has added the keyboard shortcut.

1) Press Ctrl + Alt + T to open a terminal / command line / shell.

NOTE: pressing Ctrl + Alt + T means: simultaneously hold down the Ctrl key and Alt key, then press the T key as though you intend to type it.

DO NOT press the Shift key because Ctrl + Alt + Shift + T is different from Ctrl + Alt + T.

It does NOT matter if your Caps Lock is on or off.

The terminal should look something like this:

Opening a Terminal from Unity

1) Click the Dash icon (or use the keyboard shortcut by pressing the Windows key – don’t hold it down, just tap it as if you were going to type it):

2) Type terminal into the entry field:

3) Click on the terminal icon:

Alternately, you can navigate to the terminal icon by using the arrow keys on your keyboard (if you are using the arrow keys built into your numpad ensure that Num Lock is off) and then pressing the Enter key to select it.

Opening a Terminal if You are not Using Unity

Because there are many different types of desktops available for Linux, it is not possible to list all possible ways to start the terminal. However … the general technique is the same:

1) Open the Main Menu or Applications Menu (or whatever the main menu for your environment is called).

2) If you are lucky, there will be a menu entry for a terminal (it might be called Terminal or LXTerminal or something else with terminal in the name.

3) If you are unlucky, then you will have to look for it in a submenu. It is most likely to be found in a submenu called Accessories or System.

NOTE: You may have more than one terminal application installed or the terminal application may appear in more than one menu location.

How to (Almost) Always Get a Command Prompt

This works with pretty much any Linux distribution (unless they have been specially compiled to disable it).

If you need to access the command line and no terminal application has been installed, or you can’t find it, or the GUI has become unresponsive, you can press Ctrl + Alt + F1 to switch you to a full screen text terminal / command line. To return to your GUI, press Ctrl + Alt + F7.

NOTE: pressing Ctrl + Alt + F1 means: simultaneously hold down the Ctrl key and Alt key, then press the F1 key as though you intend to type it.

The same is true when pressing Ctrl + Alt + F7.

It does NOT matter if your Caps Lock is on or off.

In all Linux distributions (unless specially compiled otherwise), Ctrl + Alt + F1 through Ctrl + Alt + F6 provide access to 6 full screen command line terminals. These 6 terminals are always available, so it doesn’t matter which one you access.

In the same way, Ctrl + Alt + F7 through Ctrl + Alt + F12 provide access to running X Servers. Normally, there is only one and it is found at Ctrl + Alt + F7 – unless you have enabled additional X Servers to be running F8 through F12 will be blank screens.

You will be required to login with your username and password (as with all command lines, your password is not echoed back to you):

Otherwise, it behaves exactly like any other terminal.

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]]> Ubuntu 12.10 – VirtualBox Guest Additions not Working https://complete-concrete-concise.com/ubuntu-2/ubuntu-12-10/ubuntu-12-10-virtualbox-guest-additions-not-working/ Thu, 18 Oct 2012 00:34:46 +0000 http://complete-concrete-concise.com/?p=2380 This applies to Ubuntu 12.10 running under VirtualBox version 4.1.22 (or earlier), 4.2.0, 4.2.2, and 4.2.4 under Windows 7 with Service Pack 1. The issue and solution is likely the same for all versions of VirtualBox 4.1.22 and 4.2.x, regardless of which OS they are running on. Unfortunately, the problem with VirtualBox 4.2.2, and 4.2.4 […]

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This applies to Ubuntu 12.10 running under VirtualBox version 4.1.22 (or earlier), 4.2.0, 4.2.2, and 4.2.4 under Windows 7 with Service Pack 1.

The issue and solution is likely the same for all versions of VirtualBox 4.1.22 and 4.2.x, regardless of which OS they are running on.

Unfortunately, the problem with VirtualBox 4.2.2, and 4.2.4 has no solution at the moment.

This problem is resolved in VirtualBox 4.2.6 and later.

Note: you will need to reinstall the VirtualBox Guest Additions. (the instructions are for Ubuntu 12.04, but the steps are the same)

The Problem

When you install VirtualBox Guest Additions under Ubuntu 12.10, you find that the video drivers don’t work properly: you get no 3D hardware acceleration and the display resolution is fixed at 1024×768 (or 800×600).

If you are observant, when you install the VirtualBox Guest editions you will notice the notification:

Warning: unknown version of the X Windows System installed. Not installing X Window System drivers.

The Cause

This warning occurs because Ubuntu 12.10 and many other Linux distros now use X Server version 1.13.* (or later). Unfortunately, VirtualBox version 4.1.22 (or earlier) only recognizes version 1.12.* or earlier.

The Solution

Upgrade to the latest version of VirtualBox (at least version 4.2 or later).

As of 06-Nov-2012, the latest version is 4.2.4.

I am not sure why VirtualBox does not alert users about this update because the last notification I received was to upgrade from 4.1.20 to 4.1.22. I am sure I received an upgrade notification from 3.2.14 to 4.0.

However, this will not enable 3D hardware acceleration – so Unity will be sluggish and slow. This is a problem with the VirtualBox drivers – it does not fully support X Server 1.13 (it supports it enough to allow running, but not 3D hardware acceleration).

See this discussion thread over at VirtualBox.

There is also a bug report filed here.

Update 25-October-2012

I managed to get 3D hardware support under VirtualBox 4.2.2, but it isn’t pretty – while I have 3D hardware support, I no longer have autoscaling of the display resolution. As well, there are a number of things broken (like software updates) and instability – but I don’t know if the instability is coming from 12.10 or the changes I made to 12.10.

For those who want to experiment I did the following:

  1. Added the precise repositories to the software sources (because the quantal repositories don’t contain the older versions of X Server)
  2. removed the quantal repositories (because it is a pain to have to explicitly state each and every version of a piece of software. I hoped that the quantal repositories removed, apt-get would automatically figure out the dependencies for me)
  3. updated the software sources
  4. uninstalled xserver-xorg-core (this will uninstall a bunch of files)
  5. installed xserver-xorg-core, xorg and ubuntu-desktop (and any other files it complained about)
  6. rebooted
  7. reinstalled Guest Additions
  8. rebooted

I am sure there is a more precise way of doing this, but there are a lot of files and dependencies to take care of and my simplistic approach obviously didn’t work quite so well.

I think the only solution for user’s running 12.10 under VirtualBox is to wait until VB comes out with a version properly supporting X Server 1.13.

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]]> Ubuntu 12.10 – Should you Upgrade to Ubuntu 12.10? https://complete-concrete-concise.com/ubuntu-2/ubuntu-12-10/ubuntu-12-10-should-you-upgrade-to-ubuntu-12-10/ Fri, 12 Oct 2012 21:03:46 +0000 http://complete-concrete-concise.com/?p=2357 Canonical released version 12.10 of Ubuntu OS on October 18, 2012. My opinions are based on final release downloaded and installed with updates on October 18, 2012. This article is an update of an earlier one based on experiences with Ubuntu 12.10 Beta 2. Short Recommendation No. Longer Recommendation Wait a few weeks. Detailed Recommendation […]

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Canonical released version 12.10 of Ubuntu OS on October 18, 2012.

My opinions are based on final release downloaded and installed with updates on October 18, 2012.

This article is an update of an earlier one based on experiences with Ubuntu 12.10 Beta 2.

Short Recommendation

No.

Longer Recommendation

Wait a few weeks.

Detailed Recommendation

Canonical (the developers of Ubuntu) release a new version of Ubuntu every six months and support those releases for 18 months.

NOTE: since at least 12-October-2012, various parts of the Ubuntu website have had problems with site security certificates. I’ve been running into fewer and fewer of them. If your browser warns you about it, it is safe to proceed to the site despite the security certificate warning.

Every two years, Ubuntu releases a Long Term Support (LTS) version of Ubuntu. Those releases are supported for five years.

Ubuntu 12.04 is the latest LTS version of Ubuntu and the version I recommend. Ubuntu 12.10 is a short term release.

Why have releases every six months with short term support?

By releasing a new version of Ubuntu every 6 months, Canonical can incrementally add features to the OS. Sometimes, the features are only partially implemented or of limited use. A good example is Unity in Ubuntu 11.10 – only the Dash and some lenses were functional, the HUD (which makes Unity far more useful) was not present until Ubuntu 12.04.

It also allows them to get more feedback from users and see how the new features are working out.

Interim releases can also add support for new hardware devices that were not previously available.

You Need a 3D Hardware Accelerated Graphics Card

With Ubuntu 11.10 and Ubuntu 12.04, Canonical developed both a 2D and 3D version of the Unity interface. This is a lot of effort to maintain.

With Ubuntu 12.10, they removed the 2D version of Unity. Before jumping for joy that Unity is gone from Ubuntu, I should point out that Unity 3D is still there AND it is the only desktop (unless you install something else). Ubuntu 12.10 is now using LLVM Pipe to render 3D graphics on the CPU (if no suitable 3D accelerated graphics card is found).

This makes Ubuntu 12.10 a poor choice for older systems because (1) graphics cards pre-2007 (or so) are unlikely to have the necessary 3D hardware support (this is a GNOME issue, not Ubuntu), (2) older CPUs are not as powerful as modern ones, so tasking them to handle the 3D graphics will slow your system even more.

You will receive a warning when upgrading that your graphics card is not powerful enough:

You get Advertising from Amazon when using Dash

By default, the Dash interface (what you use to search your computer for programs or files) now includes advertising from Amazon.

This has generated a great deal of controversy. Fortunately, it is easy to turn off by going to your privacy settings:

Unity is a work in progress and it seems to be trying to give a uniform computer experience. I am not crazy about having advertising directly on my desktop – maybe it will urn out to be a good thing, but I am not holding my breath.

Doesn’t Work Properly with VirtualBox Versions Prior to 4.2

This may not be a big issue for some (most?) users, but I was initially running Ubuntu in VirtualBox 4.1.22. The VirtualBox Guest Additions for enabling advanced display features (changing display resolution and 3D hardware acceleration) was not working. VirtualBox versions prior to 4.2.2 don’t support X Server version 1.13 (which is what Ubuntu 12.10 – and other newer Linux distros – use).

The solution is to upgrade to the latest version of VirtualBox (currently 4.2.2 as of 19-Oct-2012). (I find it strange that VirtualBox did not notify me that a new version was available after 4.1.22.)

Unfortunately, this will not enable 3D harware acceleration (which is still broken in VirtualBox 4.2.2).

Update 06-Nov-2012 : 3D Hardware acceleration is still broken in VirtualBox 4.2.4

Update 20-Dec-2012 : 3D Hardware acceleration is finally working in VirtualBox 4.2.6

Compiz Crashes

Compiz is responsible for handling the underlying graphical display. This problem may be related to using LLVM Pipe instead of 3D hardware acceleration on a graphics card.

This crash is happening less frequently with the release version of Ubuntu 12.10 than with the Beta 2 release, but even once is still too frequent.

This error occurs whether you are using 3D hardware acceleration or LLVM Pipe.

Mysterious Internal Errors

Added this when it occurred on 23-Oct-2012

Error Reporting Errors

Added when this occurred on 29-Oct-2012

Odd Behavior at the Login Screen

This will only affect people who have several desktop environments installed.

If you have several desktop environments installed, the updated login page has a bug that makes it impossible to select a desktop environment if the options scroll off the display (although, hitting the Tab key and then the Enter key seemed to work to accept the selection)

In this case, the selection arrow (located on the bottom and right hand side of the selection menu) is off screen and not at all accessible:

Summary

Like my initial impressions of Ubuntu 11.10, Ubuntu 12.10 has that “not quite ready for prime time” feel about it (because of the Compiz instability and the funky login screen problem).

Of course, Ubuntu 12.10 is an interim release and should not be looked at as a long term OS solution, so, if things aren’t quite right then it isn’t really an issue – eventually, they will be addressed.

Unless you absolutely have to have the latest version, I would recommend sticking with Ubuntu 12.04.

Even if you have to have the latest version, I would still recommend sticking with Ubuntu 12.04 for a few more weeks to give Ubuntu a chance to iron out any issues that might still be lurking in 12.10.

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