New User Expriences, the good and the very bad - bad first

Support & Help Requests
1

I'm an above average computer user; certainly not an IT guy, because I have other topics that I spend my time knowing about.

These comments are based on my second MATE install that I just did tonight.

1)At the beginning of both installs I used the same ISO. The first time I used a Corsair 8G USB thumb and some software from a working Win7 OS (I can not recall the software I used to make the USB bootable). Tonight I used a DVD-R and Win7 ImgBurn software. In neither install did I see the need to error check the source ISOs.

First time I used the "Do Something Else" method to create the partitions on my second SSD. I don't remember having any problems with the install. However, a couple of days ago, I was using Gparted to figure out what was going on with my Corsair 8G thumb drive. Gparted noticed problems with my main partition file on Ubuntu Mate and supposedly made some fixes.

This time I was NOT able to use the "Do Something Else" method to create the partitions. After spending quite some time on the issue, I was out of ideas and went back to just using the settings to reinstall over the old version.

There really is no reason to not make this as easy as Microsoft does; sorry for that, but true. Default settings should "SELECT a drive", "WIPE all partitions", and"SELECT the WHOLE drive as the partition" size for the main OS. Afterwards partition software should NOT balk at the partition installation.

  1. The mouse. REALLY??? I did some Google searches and it seems this may be a 15 year old problem!!! 15 years and it still is not right??? WTF is up with that? Exactly how hard would it be to include a setting for the lines of text moved per each mouse wheel click?

I do get that all mice are probably different. That is why there should be a CALIBRATE mouse routine. Have the user move the scroll wheel the same amount a number of times and then ask the user how many lines they want the window to scroll.

This sadly, should have been fixed 10 years ago.

3)Nvidia Driver issue. First install of Mate I was able to change the drivers in the settings menu. Of course the newest driver sucked and crashed the machine. Tonight, I can click to change the presented circle of the video driver to use, and the button to use that driver highlights. However, when I click to use the driver nothing happens other then the circle that was used just highlights again. GRRR!

I WAS using an older Nvidia driver in the same version of MATE earlier without issue; so I KNOW that it CAN work. The problem that I have now is that without the Nvidia driver the monitor, actually a TV on HDMI, can no longer play any sounds from the computer.

It USED to work, why is it broken now?

Sigh. I LIKE the interface. I LIKE how little resources it uses.I LIKE how fast it boots. I LIKE how stable it seemed to be. I LIKE how little I have to worry about viruses.

So why is it so HARD to get Ubuntu to fix the minor quirky stuff that makes up so much of the experience of using it?

JH

2

Sorry to hear about your experience. What hardware are you using? What kind of mouse?

3

I think I have a fairly typical system.

Asus Z77 MB, 2x4GIG Dual Channel, 60G Corsair SSD, Nvidia GT 640, Logitech G700, USB keyboard and HDMI monitor/TV.

I just did a THIRD install tonight. The “/” was STILL NOT OBVIOUS, as it should be set to default upon partition creation.

It was NOT OBVIOUS that checking 3rd party drivers were important for Nvidia video cards; a little more text in this area would be a HUGE help for new users.

I got the sound back, with the new video card drivers, but I DID remember that I had to go back into the sound settings and try and test each one to find the one that works.

I HAVE had to do the same thing with Microsoft in the PAST … so this is not something I am sorta used to, but I don’t think it should HAVE to be this way.

After the Nvida drivers were installed, ALL and EVERY and I mean ALL, the window headers are HUGE, and I mean HUGE HUGE HUGE, taking up most of the screen.

So much so that I had to revert back to my Win7 OS just to post here.

I WANT Ubuntu Mate to work for me, but so far, not so much. I have to do my very best GoogleFU and still don’t have it where it needs to be.

With Win7 I just put the disk in the drive and it just works.

And, for years now (maybe decades), with Win…er maybe even 95???, I could easily adjust the mouse scroll wheel for lines of text moved per wheel movement.

I really do not understand the lack of mouse controls in this modern version of this OS.

JH