The Ubuntu Experience: Adventure in Motion

Ubuntu still rocks

Oh, heavens, I'm not done with Linux. In fact, I'm using that box to listen in on NASA JPL's Curiosity teleconference while reading the headlines and posting here on the reinstalled OSX. It's actually quite convenient in that sense. I never found a good RSS reader to match Safari's, and I didn't really want to run WINE in order to get the Windows version going on the Dell. So the old G5 tower is great for Sciforums and RSS, while Ubuntu handles all my Flash and other processes the obsolete Apple can't.

As far as basic use goes, Ubuntu is more than simply up to the task. With more advanced command line and scripting functions, well, it's not like I'm making any huge effort to pick that up. I don't make New Year's resolutions, but perhaps it's worth setting some sort of Linux command fluency goal for myself this year.

 

Paint me pink and call me Nancy

Well, hey! That worked very well. I knew that I could right-click and paste from the menu on the command line, but, like Syz, the keystrokes for copy and paste eluded me.

Thank ye.

 

Ubuntu: Update Manager Issue?

Ubuntu: Update Manager Issue?

Ubuntu 12.04.01 Update Manager (ver.?) issue:

• In recent days, I've been getting a warning via the notifier in the upper right-hand corner saying the update package is out of date. I've updated the software repeatedly over the last four days, and presently, the warning is gone. However: This coincides with a /tmp mount failure after an update, and the system presently suffers a known issue (trying to find that page) in which Recovery Mode (partially) freezes during the read/write mounting process. Moving on, it turns out, is easy enough, insofar as you hit CTRL-C and the system resumes booting. Then, of course, you have to reboot regularly, and the system runs fine, except for the updater warning.

• Aside from the warning (red triangle exclamation in notifier, with drop-down explanation), which is not present at the moment, the Update Manager is not changing its last update timestamp.

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It's been counting, starting at thirteen days, ever since the /tmp mount failure. And, yes, I finally managed to update the system until the Update Manager coughed out no more results.​

Is this unique to my system, or has anyone else encountered it?

Additionally, no matter how stupid I feel asking, well ... I didn't pay close enough attention until the mount failure caused me to think about it. The command line df gives me use statistics for:

— /dev/sda6 (primary drive, mount point /)
— udev (mount point /dev)
— tmpfs (mount point /run)
— none (mount point /run/lock)
— none (mount point /run/shm)
— /dev/sda1 (a storage partition, Ext3 format, mount point /media/[drivename])​

So here's the stupid question: Didn't I previously have something mounted at /tmp, thus implying that the mount failure is still in effect?

Like I said, I hadn't thought about that one way or another until after the /tmp mount failure.

I know, I know, I know. Call me a moron if you must. After all, I have now managed to lose track of my own tech issue.

I'm not worried in the long run because the system seems to be operating just fine. And I can certainly imagine that the /tmp mount failure is connected to, and possibly the source of the Update Manager issue. But, of course ... I can no longer determine the status of that issue.

Time for a cold reboot, and see how fast I can read the information blazing by.

Meanwhile, if you happen to have some input other than side-splitting laughter, I'm happy to hear it.

Thanks.

 

Ah, the Internet

Ah, the Internet — re: Update Manager Issue?

The issue is settled and resolved. Obsolete PPAs in the non-canonical update source list turned out to be the problem. In this case, a leftover scrap from a brief flirtation with the Opera web browser not removed by the USC uninstall process.

Ah, the internet. If you just enter enough search terms, you can find what you're looking for. I feel stupid for not having done this weeks ago.

 

(Insert Title Here)

Indeed, /tmp exists on the root partition. The cat data output is as follows:

Code:

# /etc/fstab: static file system information.
#
# Use 'blkid' to print the universally unique identifier for a
# device; this may be used with UUID= as a more robust way to name devices
# that works even if disks are added and removed. See fstab(5).
#
# <file system> <mount point>   <type>  <options>       <dump>  <pass>
proc            /proc           proc    nodev,noexec,nosuid 0       0
# / was on /dev/sda6 during installation
UUID=b4622849-7fe7-4e28-be24-0c981af1c779 /               ext3    errors=remount-ro 0       1
# swap was on /dev/sda5 during installation
UUID=4dd03533-bed2-45ab-b39e-bec4f6fab00c none            swap    sw              0       0

The system runs fine, and has since the reboot after the read/write mounting failure. The issue with the Update Manager turned out to be entirely unrelated, and future occurrences can be resolved via CLI or GUI. If I'm going to bother complaining about the USC failing to scrub the Opera PPA, I might as well start learning to code right now. Frankly, now that I know how to resolve the issue for myself, it's probably easier to just deal with it if it comes up again.

Not that there's any reason to not learn more about how to make Linux work, but neither is there any rush. To wit, when I saw that I needed to learn some sort of string or script markup to use Frescobaldi, I just downloaded the drag-and-drop MuseScore, which works well enough. All I'm trying to do with that is pen some exercises for my daughter's piano practice. As a matter of need, it's a lot quicker to get such results GUI style.

 

Cinnaminty!

Cinnaminty!

Ah, Linux. Let me count the ways ....

Code:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:gwendal-lebihan-dev/cinnamon-stable
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install cinnamon

Now it's time to play with themes and tweak the appearance. The window titles are a little silly.

Actually, I decided to play around with Cinnamon because I am preparing to rescue a PC dying under the weight of whatever Microsoft Atrocity it's running. I figured to at least learn a bit about how the environment flows.

I like it. Mayhaps I'll go desktop environment goofy; this is fun.

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Answer Line: Freaky Girl Comin' Your Way

I actually had to look that up.

Nope.

So, to guess where the question comes from, that background is of Anarchy Stocking, a grayscaled screengrab from the opening sequence of Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt, a television show most unsuitable to "Bronies".

As close to civilized as I can get to explain:

By the way, my name's Stocking; I spoof an esteeming heiress, and I got sweet tooth for lollipops—(loli)-goth, I make good. These strips must keep you down; I got no mercy for cheeralism. My friends they all love me cause I kick it real tasty: I get high being nasty.

Garterbelt, you keep slappin' my butt around. Answer line: Freaky girl comin' your way.

(PSG)​

[video=youtube;5KN0_-HgWNo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KN0_-HgWNo[/video]​