Joho the Blog
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July 21, 2003
I am sorely tempted to allow my Windows instinct to take over and do a clean reinstall of linux. I know it's the wrong impulse. I just don't know what the alternative is. My linux desktop continues to lock up, rejecting mouse and keyboard input. This is reproducible. Switching to Ximian hasn't helped. It's clearly a software issue because the system responds to ctl-alt-f3, so it's still getting keyboard input. And the mouse cursor moves; none of the buttons work, however. So, last night I thought I'd try the kde desktop instead. But I seem to be stuck in a loop. If I use redhat-config-packages and select "kde," it tells me that I need two "cups" apps. I know Ximian installed cups stuff, and printing to a printer hanging off an XP machine actually works. (Cups has something to do with printing.) If I then deselect kde from the package manager and try to install the cups stuff from the RedHat CD, it fails because it conflicts with the Ximian cups stuff. I suppose I could uninstall the Ximian cups stuff by hand and then hope that cups reinstalls from the CD, but I am just about certain to miss some files and miss some file that keeps track of the files because I Don't Know What I'm Doing™.So, just starting over seems like a good idea Someone stop me before I get all windowsy on linux's ass. Posted
by D. Weinberger at July 21, 2003 09:08 AM
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Comments
Hmmm...sounds like your pretty close to doing a distro jump. I'm having some problems with Redhat at the moment. It says there's 21 updated packages avalible in its updating system, and indeed I've downloaded and installed them yet...it still says there's 21 packages avalible. I've gone through it four times. Hey Redhat, isn't this supposed to work? Linux still isnt anywhere close to the "just working" stage that Windows approaches.
CUPs is the new Unix printing server/system but as to why KDE is requiring it for install...I don't know. The Windows philosphy of just reinstall might not be a bad one here. Go with a complete reformat and maybe double check your mouse/keyboard selections.
Posted by: Chris | July 21, 2003 12:29 PM
David,
Hey I did the nuke and reinstall thing on my Mandrake 9.1 install. Taught that bad boy a lesson...
I missed some of the chapters in this saga - is this the machine from the closet or a new one?
Posted by: rick | July 22, 2003 12:55 AM
Rick, it's a rebuilt closet job, but it has a new mobo (1.7g) and hard drive (30g). Old RAM (128mb) and graphics card (creative annihilator, 16mb).
Posted by: dweinberger | July 22, 2003 08:52 AM
Ah, a hybrind mutant... Anyway, I see you're doing the reinstall dance...
BTW, The KDE 3.1 environment is quite friendly in the Mandrake distro. Good luck
Posted by: rick | July 22, 2003 12:58 PM