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Worst Linux Annoyances?
greenrd writes "Ever spent hours trying (and failing) to get a printer driver to work on Linux? Struggled to configure something ever-so-slightly out-of-the-ordinary? What have been your biggest annoyances when using Linux? Three O'Reilly authors are compiling a book on Linux annoyances - and their suggested solutions - and they've started a mailing list here. I can't help but think, though, that such a book will be dated quite quickly. Sure, some problems do languish unfixed for years - but equally, I suspect many of the problems will be fixed before, or soon after, the book's publication date. Still, increased visibility might motivate developers to create fixes or workarounds for some of the problems, so maybe this is an ideal opportunity to get your pet peeve finally addressed!"
loading kernel modules
Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose.
The worst annoyance is SCO. Every time I try to use Linux, there's some SCO attorney standing there asking for $699 !
Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
SCO stands for Santa Cruz Operation
Run it as root, or give it the full path. Mine is /usr/sbin/lsof. While you're there, drop a link to it in /usr/bin for convenience.
you guys.
Yup! One of the defining attributes of a geek is the unwavering conviction that they are absolutely correct, and will go out of their way to start arguments to demonstrate their correctness.
A Government Is a Body of People, Usually Notably Ungoverned
The worst Linux annoyance I've run into is the Linux Zealot. The only answer you ever get from them is "You wouldn't have this type of problem if you ran Linux."
They of course provide no help in solving problems you run into when using Linux, because the system is perfect and any problems you have are obviously user induced.
It's good to use your head, but not as a battering ram.
People are nice to me on irc.debian.org, in #debian. I go there asking pointed questions, with specific error messages/log entries, after I have already fiddled for some time with the system. Sometimes the answer to a problem is not immediately obvious - the advice I get usually broadens my knowledge of the system, which helps solve other problems.
Maybe people who ask questions like "'X' doesn't work, how do I fix it?" receive answers that are less helpful. I've never seen anybody turned away though - Usually people start asking questions to try to identify the source of the problem. Users do not always have contextual information, or know how to get it.
Most people in the know are pretty friendly, but there is only so much they can do - you need to have a certain level of knowledge of the system before they can help you. The rude stereotype when it occurs is probably caused by these people being frustrated, not innately unhelpful.
How do you get to the level of knowledge where they can help you? There is no easy way to do this, I think. I read a lot of man pages, web pages, and some books, and used Linux for various things for a couple of years (still using it). Not a prescription for the faint of heart. You really have to be interested to do that.