The Tragedy of Ubuntu
I am no noob to Linux based systems. I have used Linux based systems since 2002. That’s 17 years. I have been using Linux based systems as my sole desktop for about 10 years. I maintain Linux systems at work.
Despite previous experience with the broken nature of Ubuntu, I nonetheless chose Ubuntu MATE as a platform to migrate from Windows 7. Part of the reason for selecting that distro was the explicit focus on MATE, which allowed me to avoid Unity and GNOME and to support a traditional desktop metaphor.
For some reason I thought perhaps Ubuntu MATE would be different this time. Last summer when we started the migration and testing I thought two years into the 16.04 support cycle that all would be calm with no major bugs or irritants.
My experience warned me otherwise. Somehow my memory failed me. I have only myself to blame. I regret my decision.
Throughout the migration I tried hard to be optimistic. I tried hard to overlook the many speed bumps. I tried hard to provide a professional face when users shared their breakage.
I spend far too much time fixing breakage. I never see that kind of breakage on my home systems running Slackware.
I spend hours surfing the web looking for solutions. Repeatedly online I run across a continual stream of breakage from users trying to use Ubuntu desktops. So many warning signs. I failed to heed notice.
Something is just not right with the Ubuntu desktop.
Which is sad and unfortunate. I am certain the Ubuntu developers strive hard to create a good user experience. I am certain that because Ubuntu is allegedly the number one distro for cloud servers that the core of Ubuntu is rock solid. Yet quality assurance with the desktop side leaves more than a little to be desired.
I am exhausted. Beat up. Frustrated. Something needs to change.
Part of me wishes I had not agreed to the migration project. Just update to Windows 10.
Posted: Category: Usability Tagged: Migrate, Ubuntu
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