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Latest Comments by CatKiller
System76 patches APT for Pop!_OS to prevent users breaking their systems
11 Nov 2021 at 2:42 am UTC

Quoting: F.UltraNot sure how Pop handles this but the full ISO from Debian and Ubuntu contains packages so until you do "apt update" you can install the older versions of packages from the disc, this is done in case you don't have Internet access.
True, but apt can already use the cached list if it can't contact particular online repository servers. So in the case of no Internet access it would simply try the update, not connect, and then use the existing list.

System76 patches APT for Pop!_OS to prevent users breaking their systems
11 Nov 2021 at 2:14 am UTC Likes: 1

Quoting: F.UltraI just wish they would get out of their "nobody should ever have to use the terminal mindset. The terminal is perhaps the thing that I love the most about Linux...
It lets me do anything on any of my computers from my phone without getting out of bed.

The change to apt that might make a difference (there's no sufficient hurdle that they could have put in front of someone like Linus to prevent this issue) would be to check when the last update was run before installing anything: if the package list is too old (say, if it hasn't been refreshed that day) then automatically update it before trying to install anything. I think Manjaro does something like that? There's no reason why it would be desirable for the package list to be stale, and people aren't generally on dial-up any more, so ensure that the list of versions and dependencies is fresh.

System76 patches APT for Pop!_OS to prevent users breaking their systems
11 Nov 2021 at 1:54 am UTC Likes: 5

Quoting: F.UltraBut there are more things to come
On the bright side, after they recorded the third video Linus said that once he'd settled in it was actually really easy to use, and Luke has switched his work laptop to Linux - not as part of the challenge, just because he prefers it for getting things done.

System76 patches APT for Pop!_OS to prevent users breaking their systems
11 Nov 2021 at 12:53 am UTC Likes: 4

Quoting: AussieEeveeA normal user is not going to run a command in the terminal to fix something that should not have broken

He ran the command in the terminal to break it. If he'd stuck with the GUI he would not have broken it.

It was a temporary packaging bug (fixed within a couple of hours, as I understand it). Yes, it's unfortunate that it happened, but turning that into removing xorg was Linus' choice. He literally typed in "yes, do as I say!" when his computer told him that removing xorg was potentially harmful and "should NOT be done unless you know what you're doing." From the command line, which you say normal users won't use.

System76 patches APT for Pop!_OS to prevent users breaking their systems
10 Nov 2021 at 11:20 pm UTC Likes: 8

There was nothing that Pop could have done here, except having 100% bug-free software 100% of the time, which is impossible.

If Linus has updated his package list, he wouldn't have had the problem. If Linus had just waited till the next day, he wouldn't have had the problem. If Linus had asked for help, he wouldn't have had the problem. The GUI prevented him from breaking his system. Those are the solutions for the new user that Linus claims that he wants to emulate.

Instead, he went into the command line and ran a command, read the output that said it would break everything and should not be done unless the user knew exactly what they were doing (which, obviously he doesn't), and typed out a specific phrase to do it anyway. Those are the actions of someone who's already said that they want an excuse to use Arch and wants some controversy to drive engagement and therefore revenue, rather than the actions of a new user that genuinely wants to use Linux.

Even after he'd broken everything, he managed to get to a console login. If he'd asked anyone for help at that point, or simply wanted to fix it himself, he could have used sudo apt install pop-desktop to get back to where he was. But he got his "engaging" content, and he got his excuse to run something Arch-based, so he didn't bother.

Valve delays Steam Deck, now starts shipping February 2022
10 Nov 2021 at 9:03 pm UTC Likes: 2

Quoting: Purple Library GuyA couple extra months could make a significant difference.
It does mean that 5.16 (with lots of handy dandy stuff for Van Gogh and the Deck) will be out before it launches, rather than probably out before it launches. So that's probably made someone a lot more relaxed.

System76 creating their own desktop environment written in Rust
9 Nov 2021 at 11:41 am UTC Likes: 1

If they can get other distros to help share the maintenance burden, that will make things a lot easier. The Ubuntu devs have also expressed dissatisfaction with Gnome's approach, and they're Pop's upstream, so they would be a good asset if they could be persuaded to join in. Of course, Ubuntu devs are going to be concentrating on their next LTS release right now and really won't want to swap out desktops just at the moment, and the Pop devs might be wanting to use their new DE to differentiate themselves from their upstream anyway. There was a third distro, too, that was grumpy with Gnome, but I can't remember which one right now.

Liftoff: Micro Drones races off into Early Access on November 30
5 Nov 2021 at 7:37 pm UTC

Quoting: poisondYou'd need 2 gyro controllers or use a stick+gyro because you manually control thrust+yaw+pitch+roll in acro mode.
I just gave it a try with a steam controller, gyro for pitch+roll, stick for thrust+yaw. Absolutely zero chance I'd be able to pull it off ^^
The idea of gyro in a game controller (other than the Wii) is that it's a supplement to other controls, doubling up something else, rather than a sole means of control. To allow fine control that would otherwise be clamped by the dead zone.

Liftoff: Micro Drones races off into Early Access on November 30
5 Nov 2021 at 6:15 pm UTC

Quoting: poisondI use it for training and I don't think I'll even attempt fly a race quad with gyro _ever_. If somebody manages to fly in acro/airmode with gyro - respect.


Do quad controllers (until the Deck is released) generally have gyro? Gyro in game controllers is increasingly becoming a thing to overcome the dead zone problem: no dead zone makes controls too twitchy, and too large a dead zone makes controls imprecise; tuning that to work well for everyone is a tricky task.

Are there people playing this without owning a quadcopter?
I expect that's their plan; quadcopters are pretty niche, but the gaming market is huge.

Liftoff: Micro Drones races off into Early Access on November 30
5 Nov 2021 at 4:39 pm UTC

I hope they'll implement robust support for gyro controls.