Are Linux distros becoming more unstable?

[orin76]

I've been a Suse linux user (not guru/enthusiast) since 2005 and I've noticed that with each subsequent release, the OS has become more and more user friendly and more mature as a desktop OS. All this without compromising on the stability that is expected from Linux.

With that in mind I have been disappointed in OpenSuse 11. It has proven to be relatively unstable. I have experienced occassional system lock ups (can't even SSH into the machine), X windows crashes and NTFS access problems on the same hardware that ran Opensuse 10.3 without a hitch.
2 weeks ago I decided to migrate to Ubuntu and while it's user interface was far more enjoyable to use than Opensuse, it also seems a little unstable. As I write this post on my Windows desktop, my Ubuntu laptop is frozen after I logged out of Gnome. This is the third such lock-up today. Even Vista wasn't this bad when I first installed it.

I've only mentioned the most annoying problems here. There are many more little issues that are normal with any new version of an OS and I have therefore ignored them. It just feels to me that this time round some major things that worked perfectly in previous releases have been broken in the "upgrade" and that is unusual.

Is this just a glitch or a sign of things to come? Is this something that's only happening to Suse/Ubuntu or is the quality control in the Linux world starting to slip?

 

[MyWorld]

I think the driving factor for this is the fact that some distros came to the fore (Gentoo, Arch, etc.) that were bleeding edge, if something got released today you could pull it from the repository the next day.

This has put some tremendous strain on some of the binary distros and they began releasing unstable testing releases.
Generally, if you wait for the final release it should be pretty stable and tested, but one should also remember that there is increasing pressure on the devs to deliver bleeding edge.

Bleeding edge was never a factor a few years back, but today you are going to loose a HUGE following if your distro cannot trade blows with the rest.

 

[sn3rd]

Which version of Ubuntu are your running that's so unstable?

I don't think Linux is becoming less stable. But there are certain aspects of it that would appear so. The reasons are because
1) In order to make things more user friendly, more things need to be added that unfortunately don't work as well on ALL hardware -> crashes
2) OpenSUSE is Novell's "beta", so it's expected to be unstable. Granted, maybe 10.3 was more stable, but that's like saying win98 is more stable than win2000

All stable releases of Linux I have ever tried have been rock solid

 

[orin76]

Which version of Ubuntu are your running that's so unstable?

I don't think Linux is becoming less stable. But there are certain aspects of it that would appear so. The reasons are because
1) In order to make things more user friendly, more things need to be added that unfortunately don't work as well on ALL hardware -> crashes
2) OpenSUSE is Novell's "beta", so it's expected to be unstable. Granted, maybe 10.3 was more stable, but that's like saying win98 is more stable than win2000

All stable releases of Linux I have ever tried have been rock solid

As I mentioned in my original post, I expect a certain level of instability in OpenSuse (Novel does use it as a testing ground for SLES apps). I just think the level of instability is approaching Windows ME levels in some instances

As far new functionality, I'm all for that, just please don't break things that were already working!

I'm not attacking Linux. I'm just raising a concern that Linux might be making the same mistake Microsoft did when they release software that is not quite mature in their final releases.

P.S. I'm currently running Ubuntu 8.04 (I think it's code named Hardy)

 

[wcoetzee]

from now on I'm quoting this thread every time someone says win is unstable or **** like that even though i never get bsods or find its unstable

 

[orin76]

from now on I'm quoting this thread every time someone says win is unstable or **** like that even though i never get bsods or find its unstable

LOL

The advantage Linux has though, is that I can spend a few hours/days/weeks searching the net and eventually I will be able to find a work-around to get my system stable. I could even fix the code myself (if I was sufficiently talented and bored ).With MS, you have to wait for the guys at Redmond to decide that your problem is worthy of their attention.

 

[wcoetzee]

LOL

The advantage Linux has though, is that I can spend a few hours/days/weeks searching the net and eventually I will be able to find a work-around to get my system stable. I could even fix the code myself (if I was sufficiently talented and bored ).With MS, you have to wait for the guys at Redmond to decide that your problem is worthy of their attention.

are you talking about posting a fixable problem on there knowledge base or waiting for a fix on a known problem

i have worked with win as a frond end\ server technician for 13 years and never had to wait for a fix, normally fixed it myself. its normally 3rd party software problems.

 

[.Froot.]

I've never had any major issues with any Linux version hanging, be that Mandriva, openSuse, Suse, RedHat, [K]Ubuntu, Gentoo or any others I've tried and tested. Sure, if it was an unstable release or a bug in an application, then the hangup is open for discussion, but never anything related directly to the distrobution.

 

[orin76]

I've never had any major issues with any Linux version hanging, be that Mandriva, openSuse, Suse, RedHat, [K]Ubuntu, Gentoo or any others I've tried and tested. Sure, if it was an unstable release or a bug in an application, then the hangup is open for discussion, but never anything related directly to the distrobution.

One person can install an OS on PC A and have no problems, but the same person installing the OS on PC B might have nothing but problems. There are just so many variables when it comes to hardware configurations, BIOS settings etc. that may/may not affect how an OS behaves. I'm just concerned because Opensuse 10.3 on PC A worked almost 100% (no OS works 100% IMHO except maybe VMS), but Opensuse 11 and Ubuntu on the same PC give problems even when fully updated.

 

[orin76]

are you talking about posting a fixable problem on there knowledge base or waiting for a fix on a known problem

i have worked with win as a frond end\ server technician for 13 years and never had to wait for a fix, normally fixed it myself. its normally 3rd party software problems.

I'm talking about Joe Blogg's (not some MCSE Windows guru) ability to get relatively easy info on almost any problem experienced by a group of linux users. I'm not a Microsoft trained IT specialist, I'm also not Linux specialist/admin and I find it easier to solve problems in Linux as opposed to Windows.

I'm not saying Microsoft doesn't have protocols with regards to solving user problems, but that those protocols are geared more towards Microsoft professionals in the enterprise, not the average Joe sitting at home.

 

[Tux]

Opensuse 11 with KDE4 = Linux version of Windows ME

 

[orin76]

Opensuse 11 with KDE4 = Linux version of Windows ME

Been there, done that, burnt the T-shirt and switched to gnome instead. Bad mistake. The only gnome desktop I've enjoyed is on Ubuntu. I think maybe I'll re-install Opensuse, but with KDE 3.5 instead.

 

[Tux]

Been there, done that, burnt the T-shirt and switched to gnome instead. Bad mistake. The only gnome desktop I've enjoyed is on Ubuntu. I think maybe I'll re-install Opensuse, but with KDE 3.5 instead.

was what I did. Rolled back to OpenSuse10.3/KDE3.5 and Ubuntu

 

[MyWorld]

KDE 4 is a development release, and by now I would have thought you people would have realized this?

They released it into the wild to give programmers a base to work with to help them port applications to KDE 4, it was never intended for the end-user. They speak of the 4.3 release being the end-user release, and we are a long way from that yet (+/- 6 months).

To say "Linux" is unstable because of KDE 4, is like saying windows is unstable because of ctrl+alt+del.
Use Gnome, XFCE, Openbox, FLuxbox, E16, E17 (careful with this one, it is gorgeous but under heavy development) and a host of other window managers.

Want to test how stable it is? Use Fluxbox, if you ever get a crash, then they messed up big time with the distro!

 

[icyrus]

The nice thing about linux is there are a number of distro offering different levels of new features vs stability so a user can choose was is most important to them.

Personally I think Ubuntu is releasing major versions too quickly in order to keep there cutting-edge reputation at the cost of overall system stability.

Using debian or RHEL might prove a more stable experience for a user that can live without the flash and gimmicks.

 

[wcoetzee]

I'm talking about Joe Blogg's (not some MCSE Windows guru) ability to get relatively easy info on almost any problem experienced by a group of linux users. I'm not a Microsoft trained IT specialist, I'm also not Linux specialist/admin and I find it easier to solve problems in Linux as opposed to Windows.

I'm not saying Microsoft doesn't have protocols with regards to solving user problems, but that those protocols are geared more towards Microsoft professionals in the enterprise, not the average Joe sitting at home.

MS knowledge base on the MS website is a very easy way to search for solutions
but i rarely need is

 

[Snowolf]

let me put you in my boots.
I have a old fujitsu siemens amilo pro 2030 laptop that is very buggy, been sent back to fujitsu or who ever the service center is twice already.
its out of warranty and crashes once a day or so with windows XP. i have even formatted it several times and reinstalled with no luck. I took a chance and installed ubuntu 7.10 then 8.04 and the pc as buggy as it is hardly locks up. go figure...

 

[.Froot.]

Told you Linux is very very stable

 

[wcoetzee]

let me put you in my boots.
I have a old fujitsu siemens amilo pro 2030 laptop that is very buggy, been sent back to fujitsu or who ever the service center is twice already.
its out of warranty and crashes once a day or so with windows XP. i have even formatted it several times and reinstalled with no luck. I took a chance and installed ubuntu 7.10 then 8.04 and the pc as buggy as it is hardly locks up. go figure...

locks up under xp = hardware faulty
hardly locks up under linux = faulty hardware and just means that linux is not using the full capabilities of your laptop hardware