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I am gradually losing patience with Linux, but have already completely lost patience with Win 7. I have pretty much decided to put some reasonably friendly form of Linux on any new machines I assemble, and charge extra (at just my cost) if client wants some version of Windows instead. I will put together a document explaining the pros and cons here. The catch is finding the Linux variant that I am comfortable with. I am still not comfortable with what should be the top contender (Ubuntu 10.4). I installed it on a basic new XP-class machine (Athlon XP+2700, 512 Mb, 200 Gb HD). Ubuntu "support" is really not there, in spite of what they say. It amounts to a blog which may or may not have an answer to whatever problem you have. There are issues right after installation. The "download manager" within Ubuntu gives an error message when I try to download and install what it pleases to call "critical updates". As follows: W: Failed to fetch http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/b/base-files/base-files_5.0.0ubuntu20.10.04.1_i386.deb 404 Not Found [IP: 91.189.92.166 80] Now, this to my simple mind indicates an IP address that it cannot find - because that is what it says. Any other interpretation would be appreciated. By the way, the machine connects, I can surf the net OK. A friend suggests downloading from an alternate mirror site. How do you find appropriate sites, and how do you integrate this choice into Ubuntu so that the end user doesn't have to be a geek to navigate the process? But the question remains - why can't the built-in site be found? Why hard-wire the Ubuntu 10.4 to a specific download site? Shouldn't user be presented with a selection of mirrors instead? Why announce "critical updates" and then let user get lost - that sounds like a flunking HS science project approach to me. And this winky dink is supposed to be the latest and greatest Linux for Mr&Mrs Front Porch PCs! |
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The IP is valid and reachable, (I just did a ping and a traceroute to determine that), however the deb file is not there, thus the error. It's not different than a 404 error on a webpage because while you can reach the website, the page there isn't found. Same deal here. You can reach the IP/site, just not the file/page there. This isn't a flaw or fault of the OS, rather it's just a simple case of a missing file in a repository, that's all it is. Ubuntu support is there, just not in the same way it is for Windows. Since you are still looking for a distro, I would highly recommend Linux Mint (a Ubuntu-derivative), which uses differnet repositories and also has a very well-known support community. A friend suggests downloading from an alternate mirror site. You can do that, but you want to make sure whatever repositories you add, can be trusted. How do you find appropriate sites Some software authors have their own Launchpad PPA site, while others use their own website setup, but while these may be safe, you cannot trust them compared to the secure repoistories that Canonical uses. and how do you integrate this choice into Ubuntu so that the end user doesn't have to be a geek to navigate the process? System > Administration > Software Sources > (enter password) and edit your repositories via the Other Software tab and the ADD button. You'll also need to enter in the authentication key via the Authentication tab as well. I highly recommend using the command line method though because it adds the authentication key automatically for you. For example: sudo add-apt-repository ppa:gdm2setup/gdm2setup Remember, everything you do in the GUI is really just an interface for the command line method. Some things are really best done via the command line not only for speed, but because many options are not available via the GUI vs the CLUI. But the question remains - why can't the built-in site be found? The site IS found, it's the FILE that is NOT found. Why hard-wire the Ubuntu 10.4 to a specific download site? It's not hard-wired per se, as you can add repositories, but why use repositories? For the sake of security. All software that comes installed in Ubuntu by default (as well as many others) can be downloaded via secure repositories. These are not just secure sites, but also each software in these sites has a development team, a package management team, which oversee the coding, packaging, the quality assurance of their software. Shouldn't user be presented with a selection of mirrors instead? You can add other repositories, but you need to know which ones you are adding, why, and what the ramifications of doing so are or may be. If you go add some repositories for unstable/testing/developmental software and you integrate the software from those repositories into your system, your own system may become unstable. Thanks - but why isn't that file there? I am working from a fresh download of Ubuntu 10.4. A later answer tells me how to access the needed file, which now has a different name (!) and I will try it. That this is not a "flaw or fault of the OS" frankly indicates a philosophical difference bvetween myself and many Linux supporters. It is in my opinion a flaw in the support of the OS in the first place. In the second place, aren't "critical updates" to address some inadequacy or problem (alias "flaw") in Ubuntu? I appreciate your answer and the others. I may try Mint as suggested.
(19 Aug '10, 02:31)
David Ecklein
"That this is not a "flaw or fault of the OS" frankly indicates a philosophical difference bvetween myself and many Linux supporters" You are taking what I said completely out of context. I said "This isn't a flaw or fault of the OS, rather it's just a simple case of a missing file in a repository, that's all it is." As you said "A later answer tells me how to access the needed file, which now has a different name (!) and I will try it." Again, it's like I said, it was a missing file, which is still not a flaw or fault of the OS.
(19 Aug '10, 14:00)
Ron ♦
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I personally made the switch to Linux Mint version 9 on an XP-class machine and it has been a very pleasant surprise to me at how well it works for not only a casual user but also for a "power" user. The only issues I only ever run into is at work we have to through proxy servers and based on how the rules are written they have a PAC file but they also have a proxy port setup. Sometimes certain web apps can only be accessed inside the VPN assuming the PAC file is loaded. BUt, I don't foresee that as a problem for you. I run Ubuntu 10.4 at home with no problems but to be candid, I spend so much more time at work that Linux Mint is really getting a workout with me and it's passing all the tests. :) As mentioned above, I will try Mint. I just put together machines, and hope that people who get them are satisfied, and do not bother me with questions I can't answer. I just hope they don't have problems with "VPN" or "PAC file", whatever that is. Thanks for your response!
(19 Aug '10, 02:38)
David Ecklein
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hi i AM linux user and i am being using linux for more then 6 year now and tried on almost all the linux distro available and ubuntu is best desktop linux OS with thousands of software packages and weekly security update and thousands of different variants OS based on ubuntu. believe me pal its the best operating system you can have. coming to your problem you would have easily find the solution for this problem if you have visited the ubuntu community.issue is when i clicked the link. file it is suppose to point is removed are updated to higher version "base-files_5.0.0ubuntu20.10.04.1_i386.deb" to "base-files_5.0.0ubuntu20.10.04.2_i386.deb" if you try this below link in the browser you will download http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/b/base-files/base-files_5.0.0ubuntu20.10.04.2_i386.deb just double click the file it will install and there you go. or open up the terminal and run "apt-get update" it will reload the new links and updated package list.then in the menu start system-->administration-->update manager and it will show you the update of software and security update just click "install updates" button to install the updates I searched but did not stumble on the obscure information you impart here. Worth a try, thanks so much! But please consider my situation. If I just loaded Ubuntu, and wasn't curious enough to click on the "Update Manager", I would not have noticed the problem (not a "flaw" apparently to the cognoscenti) before he machine was out of my hands. The end user would have encountered it and no doubt would have been pestering you and the others - or me. I certainly wouldn't have any idea what was going on.
(19 Aug '10, 02:49)
David Ecklein
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To all who responded to my "update manager" frustration - thanks again! In the interim I experimented with openSUSE at a friend's suggestion, with other bad luck. So I zeroed the disk and reinstalled Ubuntu 10.4 to try "zeio33"s suggestion. This time the update manager did not give me the error message! Which probably means that the missing file was replaced. Does it happen often that the update manager says you need a file when it is missing from the source? There is certainly a "flaw" in the Ubuntu support - no one can expect a complex system itself like an OS to be free of flaws (this update was over 250 files!), but the support should do better, I would think. Meanwhile, though giving a conditional pass to Ubuntu due to ubiquity, I will carry the Diogenes lantern on the lookout for other options, at least for a while. |
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I'm having the same problem as far as getting the "Failed to fetch http://archive.getdeb.net/ubuntu/dists/isadora-getdeb/apps/binary-i386/Packages.gz 404 Not Found Some index files failed to download, they have been ignored, or old ones used instead." I've tried all the suggestions found here and still no luck, i even get the same message when trying to run through terminal. On trying the "apt-get update" it comes back saying "E: Could not open lock file /var/lib/apt/lists/lock - open (13: Permission denied) E: Unable to lock the list directory I'm somewhat new to using linux and am probably missing something stupid. Anyone out there have any suggestions? |
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chzwhz, assuming we're still talking about Ubuntu, I had the same problem; to fix it, try adding sudo at the command line: sudo apt-get update then enter your pw as requested that should get you past the lock file message, and it will update the package list then open the update manager as described by zeio33 above; it will show available updates for your system, click to button to install them |
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