Dedoimedo review of MX-18

[manyroads]

Hello all...
I have to say, I am most impressed with the analysis & introspection.

[hhkr]

Pretty good review, I like it so much I put it up on 2 new machines. Still fiddling with things but I like it a lot.

[paulfsams]

(Tongue in cheek) Well, heck,
Like Dedoimedo, I don't like the sidebar, so I changed it to the top. For a long time I wanted my panels on the bottom, but, dang it, now I prefer them on top, my trifocals have caused me to make adjustments. It is true, the live image did not preserve my network settings, so it took me a few second to enter my password again. Clementine? I have no complaints about it, I don't use it. I prefer Audacious, which was was in the repository. But! I did have to install it myself, and I had to click and enter a password, my arthritic fingers did so. It's true, the plasma desktop looks nice, but, I like XFCE4 better. I'm older and set in my ways. I like drag and drop, it's easier for me. I also notice that the panel icons, and the folders in thunar are single click by default. Therefore I was denied the opportunity to go into the settings to set them for single clicking. I will say though, that since single click was what I like, but you took away something for me to complain about. I read Dedoimedo's reviews and have gotten used to his style. Just wait until he is 65 years old like I am.

[Jerry3904]

I prefer Audacious, which was was in the repository. But! I did have to install it myself, and I had to click and enter a password, my arthritic fingers did so.

You should always check Package Installer first, where that app requires a single click on your part!

[KBD]

I've read his articles for years. What got me started with him, besides his being a member of a security forum that I was a member of long ago, was his ranting against regressions in Linux distros.
I don't know about these particular ones in MX, but if you look at the Linux world in general, he has a strong point.

I agree in general with his complaints about regressions in Linux. It's why I've focused more and more on Debian and Debian-based distros. Ubuntu and Ubuntu-based distros seem continually filled with regression, some of which is constant kernel updates, and that is the one place I've seen regressions on my own hardware with MX. It seems too often in the Linux community distros and devs are too obsessed with the 'latest and greatest' instead of fixing bugs and focusing on stability--so I'm fully on board with that complaint. Thankfully MX has continually proved to be one of the most stable, only suffering from problems with newer kernels and Firefox's rapid updates without bug fixing which is not an MX issue.

[BitJam]

debian's implementation of network-manager defaults to only allowing the user that creates the network connection to connect to it later. since our live-USB uses the "demo" account and an installed system is not likely to have a "demo" account, the user isn't allowed to connect, by default. the connection settings themselves do copy over.

the solution is what ubuntu does...default to allowing "all users" to connect to a defined wifi connection. If you do this manually on a live system and then install, the installed system will connect upon reboot.

Q1: Would it be possible (and sensible) to make allowing "all users" to connect the default on the live-iso? Maybe root is allowed anyway because both demo and root need net access so this issue doesn't arise until an install.

Q2: If "no" to Q1, would it be possible or easy to change the Network Manager user from "demo" to the new account created by the user during install?

There is always a trade-off between security and convenience but this feature seems to add a lot of inconvenience for a modicum of security. But maybe there are failure modes I'm unaware of.

[paulfsams]

I prefer Audacious, which was was in the repository. But! I did have to install it myself, and I had to click and enter a password, my arthritic fingers did so.

You should always check Package Installer first, where that app requires a single click on your part!

I have finally learned that! My first instinct is still synaptic, but, I'm working on that. Yes, the Package Installer is great.

[antiX-Dave]

debian's implementation of network-manager defaults to only allowing the user that creates the network connection to connect to it later. since our live-USB uses the "demo" account and an installed system is not likely to have a "demo" account, the user isn't allowed to connect, by default. the connection settings themselves do copy over.

the solution is what ubuntu does...default to allowing "all users" to connect to a defined wifi connection. If you do this manually on a live system and then install, the installed system will connect upon reboot.

Q1: Would it be possible (and sensible) to make allowing "all users" to connect the default on the live-iso? Maybe root is allowed anyway because both demo and root need net access so this issue doesn't arise until an install.

Q2: If "no" to Q1, would it be possible or easy to change the Network Manager user from "demo" to the new account created by the user during install?

There is always a trade-off between security and convenience but this feature seems to add a lot of inconvenience for a modicum of security. But maybe there are failure modes I'm unaware of.

I do recall this in the past and I think one of the policy files in /usr/ had to be altered for the default to be save for all users. Cannot recall the details but I am sure they would be in the forums somewhere

[dreamer]

We do all of that and more: the Most Extensive Live-usb on the Planet!

Nice useful info, thanks. My plan is to free my software from being tied to specific hardware. I'm tired of maintaining multiple installations. Internal disk space can be used as storage space for files that aren't important.

If this works out I feel I'll be one step closer to the future

What does this have to do with Dedoimedo? Not much. Dedoimedo expects a lot from the live session. If the live session isn't good enough, he might lose his mind. It has only happened once as far as I know. He was unhappy with Linux Mint 17.3 Rosa and reviewed it without even installing it. Network related problems are the worst, but he is a technical guy and sometimes he goes to great lengths to fix things.

If and when any distribution starts its live test session with so much as a tiniest network-related glitch, be it Samba, printing, a copy operation or anything or that sort, I will terminate the testing immediately and report back with the most scathing review and a perfect zero score.

My day is ruined now, thank you. Rosa, 0/10. Total fail. Next please.

https://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/lin ... -rosa.html

[dreamer]

The difference between 0 and 10 is spelled "Xfce"!

Linux Mint 17.3 Rosa Cinnamon - score 0
Linux Mint 17.3 Rosa Xfce - score 10

No matter what I tried, Rosa Xfce handled it gracefully, with speed and elegance. This warrants a perfect score. It's been a while, but we're back in the game. 10/10. Rosa Xfce, YOUR next distro.

https://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/lin ... -xfce.html