Mageia 5 RC comments

[Egg]

Just a couple of comments: not bugs or complaints!
When installation (from DVD) is completed, the repositories are set to DVD only. This could well confuse newcomers, and it would be better if the normal repositories were included.

As in https://forums.mageia.org/en/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=9762, the boot options are restricted to just Mageia 5. This would appear to a newcomer that Mageia has wiped all other installations.

[janpihlgren]

I agree!

[benmc]

" the boot options are restricted to just Mageia 5",

would you consider creating a bug report for this, if you haven't already?

[ChuangTzu]

Noticed the same thing regarding the DVD only.

Also, had a problem with grub2 only when installing from the DVD. It would install fine, but upon updating the system and rebooting, the grub screen would freeze in an endless loop. Rescue CD and reinstalling bootloader did not change anything. Reinstalled from LiveCD for 4.1 and everything works great.

Anyone else notice a problem with grub or grub2 with the DVD install?

[akbrian]

What I notice is that every automatic update of grub as a result of a new kernel in my updates wipes out the line;

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="nokmsboot"

from /etc/default/grub , which the ATI proprietary driver requires.
This results in booting to a blank screen till I manually fix it.

[doktor5000]

Since I've added nomodeset there for the same reasons for the nvidia driver (shortly after beta1 installation) it has never been removed on updates.

This is what it looks like here:

Code: Select all

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="splash nomodeset"

[akbrian]

^ I prefer to not have a splash screen, so don't have "splash" on that grub line. I'm using grub2.

Edit: Now I notice you use nomodeset instead of nokmsboot. Do you have a line somewhere that also has nokmsboot? or does nomodeset perform the same function as nokmsboot?

[doktor5000]

Do you have a line somewhere that also has nokmsboot? or does nomodeset perform the same function as nokmsboot?

No and yes. nomodeset disables the facility of the kernel that wants to use kernel modesetting, and hence it will not try to load any free graphics driver automatically after the bootloader is finished.
For more details see e.g. http://askubuntu.com/questions/207175/w ... modeset-do or https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Ke ... de_setting
That option was called "nokmsboot" in earlier Mageia releases IIRC. See also https://bugs.mageia.org/show_bug.cgi?id=8540

[aldQueiroz]

Hi, Folks.
It's been a long time without posting --- well, I almost do not have time to use my desktop with Mageia at home!
Yesterday, I made a long needed upgrade in my desktop, replacing the old 80 GB HDD for a brand new 500 GB (both ones Toshiba! After several troubles I had with Western Digital hard drives, I'm done with them!... But that's another topic); 80 GB HDD was completely full, and the 12 GB '/' partition was at 100% usage; I was trying to (re) install my printer (just back from repair) and could not install required CUPS packages!
Well: I downloaded Mageia 5 RC ISO and, for the first time, I decided to 'burn it' not in a DVD but in a 4GB pen drive ; after two 'excruciating' hours running IsoDumper, finally got it written in the pen drive.
Yesterday was holiday here, and I spent almost the whole day with the new system installation task. The installer itself, running from the pen drive, as expected 'seems' faster than running from DVD (although stupidly slow to burn the ISO ...!); but it ain't changed nothing since the Mageia 4 installer; it seems that only some graphic mode bugs was fixed... The process is the same, the configuration 'traps' are the same (eg: text input mode It is not set along with language, but with the locale -- which doesn't sound logic ...), package selection limitations, the same! As in previous versions, after installation is complete, I am forced to uninstall/install a lot of things, among those I never use (which only take up disk space and loading time at startup ...) and those who I like/need most (not included under default selection, as Thunderbird email client). But that's pretty easy. What really annoys me is to figure out that from version 4 to 5, Mageia appears have changed only desktop wallpaper, at least in KDE -- the Desktop Environment I'm familiar with. Mageia 5 RC comes with KDE 4:14 - Huh ?, but wouldn't Mageia 5 come already with 'Plasma 5' of KDE? ... I did not see any difference! And worse, after doing some KDE desktop cosmetic changes (wallpaper, window style, icons ...), from one session to another all customization I made was lost! Another recurring annoying thing is sticky keys configuration (Shift, Ctrl), which also does not keep my settings from one session to another ... And yet, another strange behaviour discovered: the screen is darkened after only 1 second without type or move the cursor -- some 'save energy saving' (?) set without my call!
I also observed another recurring error when I try to download/install more themes for icons, windows, etc. -- the themes are listed, selected, downloaded (when the file is available and is not a link to another site ...), but not installed! I think these KDE erratic behaviour must be related to file/folders permissions. A similar problem occurred with KDM in Mageia 3, which did not recognize the use of user icons, but this has been solved so far.
But the last straw of my brief experience with Mageia 5 RC was the failure to install Samsung's Unified Linux Driver, which I need to make my printer/scanner do work... The installing script runs on terminal as root: './install.sh', and until Mageia 4, it ran normally. In Mageia 5 RC, I received the message: "ERROR: VENDOR undefined, execution aborted," and was so even ...! (I opened another topic about it: viewtopic.php?f=24&t=9854)
So my verdict for now is: using Mageia 5 RC does not worth it, yet... Too much things to fix, and definitely I don't have time for it...! Better keep on with Mageia 4, until the next release be more mature. That's my humble opinion...
Cheers!

[doktor5000]

What really annoys me is to figure out that from version 4 to 5, Mageia appears have changed only desktop wallpaper, at least in KDE -- the Desktop Environment I'm familiar with. Mageia 5 RC comes with KDE 4:14 - Huh ?, but would Mageia 5 comes already with 'Plasma 5' of KDE?

Plasma 5 is available from the repos, but is not usable as a complete desktop yet. Also keep in mind that most of the KDE apps have no been ported to Frameworks 5, among them e.g. dolphin.
Hence we offer the latest stable KDE version, what's wrong with that? If you remember the disaster with the move to KDE 4.0 which was never meant for production usage you should be grateful ...
Check https://wiki.mageia.org/en/Mageia_5_Errata#KDE on how to install plasma 5.

[aldQueiroz]

Plasma 5 is available from the repos, but is not usable as a complete desktop yet. Also keep in mind that most of the KDE apps have no been ported to Frameworks 5, among them e.g. dolphin.

Ah!, ok, understood. I read something that Mageia 5 would offer KDE's "Plasma 5" (or whatever it's called now...!); I agree with you, instability of system comes first, instead of only 'novelty' !
Nevertheless, there's still some odds behaviours, as I mentioned: the two most intriguing are 'losing desktop set' from one session to another, and that 'screen darkening' without any call ...
I would like very much to contribute more with Mageia -- with more than complaints! But, unfortunately, I still lack programming skills, and time... So, I have to keep only as enthusiastic user by now.

Thanks, and regards to all!

[Egg]

using Mageia 5 RC does not worth it

Can't agree with that. I've been using it for a month now without problems other than some minor irritations during the install: perhaps the troubles that aldQueiroz has are peculiar to his computer.
Which applications to include at install time will always be a personal choice, and there is little difference between removing unwanted applications and adding wanted applications. The list of applications included in the install can never be right for everybody.

[aldQueiroz]

using Mageia 5 RC does not worth it

Can't agree with that. I've been using it for a month now without problems other than some minor irritations during the install: perhaps the troubles that aldQueiroz has are peculiar to his computer.

That's why I said such conclusion is "my humble opinion", Egg; the system is functional, but, as you mention, it still does have "some minor irritations during the install", and other peculiars irritations after install is done, even if such hassles are from KDE idiosyncrasies and/or my personal applications choices...
As a friend -- a Linux user as well -- told me once, "whenever we upgrade the system we're subject to solve old bugs and find new ones"!
For me, in this moment, I prefer to wait a little longer for Mageia 5 official release, and keep on using Mageia 4 until there.

Regards!

[filip]

For me, in this moment, I prefer to wait a little longer for Mageia 5 official release, and keep on using Mageia 4 until there.

Thanks for thorough report aldQueiroz. Reporting the bugs on our bugzila would greatly increase the possibility for bugfixes of official release & it's updates.

[aldQueiroz]

Ok, filip. Once I've got some free time at home, I'll try to report the issues I found at bugzila. May I should install Mageia 5 at a virtual machine and make more tests with it.
Regards!

[filip]

May I should install Mageia 5 at a virtual machine and make more tests with it.

Great. We can all benefit from that !