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submitted 3 days ago by cm0002@mander.xyz to c/linux@programming.dev

Ubuntu has taken another step that, honestly, leaves me scratching my head. While most distributions try to offer as many convenient GUI tools as possible to help users manage every part of their system, Ubuntu… apparently sees things a bit differently.

I say this because Ubuntu 26.04 LTS (scheduled for release on April, 23) will no longer ship the long-standing “Software & Updates” graphical tool by default on fresh desktop installs, following a change proposed in Launchpad as bug 2140527.

The adjustment replaces the software-properties-gtk package in the desktop seed with software-properties-common, effectively removing the visible GUI while keeping the underlying repository management tools in place.

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[-] kadu@scribe.disroot.org 40 points 3 days ago

After experiencing Canonical's recruitment process, which they claim to be extremely proud of, I can only imagine that if the other departments operate with a similar mindset the entire company is a non-sensical hell.

this is why you should Debian

[-] grue@lemmy.world 9 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

I usually use [K]ubuntu because I always try to install Debian first, but it ships with kernels so outdated that it rarely "just works" on the not-particularly-weird hardware I throw at it. That's understandable when it's missing drivers for my AMD 9070 XT GPU on launch day, but not so much when it's missing drivers for the Intel AX101 wifi chipset that got released 3.5 years before. (I've also experienced weird installation failures with Debian related to the partitioning and/or bootloader, but I don't remember the details of those right now. Point is, Ubuntu is -- unfortunately -- more reliable to install without tweaking or troubleshooting, in my experience.)

[-] caseyweederman@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 day ago

Hmm.
When is the last time you tried Debian, and what version was it?
If I'm recommending it to people, I'd like to be able to warn them about potential hurdles.

[-] grue@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

A week or so ago, with whatever version was current as of a week or so ago. I was about to install Linux on my kids' mini PCs, fired up the Debian live environment, and noticed that WiFi didn't work. Switched to Kubuntu and the WiFi did work, so proceeded to install with that.

Technically, I suppose it's possible that the actual installed kernel might've worked even though the live environment didn't, but I didn't want to take that chance. Plus, I needed networking in the live environment before install anyway, so I could copy a backup of the factory Win11 install to my other computer, just in case.

[-] caseyweederman@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 day ago

Hm. Did you see an option for "non-free firmware"? It should be included as an option since Debian major version 11.

[-] grue@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

It's an Intel wifi chip. It shouldn't need non-free firmware!

[-] caseyweederman@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 day ago

You're right about that. I wonder how it can be fixed so that other people don't hit the same issue.

[-] grue@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

The other day, the extent of my investigation was to find this forum thread, dismiss it as "kernel too old" (even though the thread was from 2023, LOL), and move on to Kubuntu. Looking more carefully, it seems like my Debian 13.3.0 image (debian-live-13.3.0-amd64-kde.iso) should've shipped with a kernel new enough to include it (6.12, compared to "6.1 or 6.2" which is when the Intel employee in the forum thread said it was added), so now I'm not so sure what the real problem was.

It also just occurred to me that I should've jumped up to Debian Testing before resorting to Ubuntu (I wasn't thinking too hard about it and just used the same flash drive as I had recently used to install it on my parents' PC, which I really did want to be on Debian Stable). Oh well.

Regardless though, I think the main fix is "ship a newer kernel in the next version of the distro" and it'll take care of itself over time.

[-] caseyweederman@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 day ago

I wonder if Forky would have worked.

[-] poinck@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago

Then Fedora may be an option for you. They have a KDE spin.

Besides that, Debian is my default distro nowadays; everything just works for me.

I was using Gentoo previously for many years, because I didn't require out-of-the-box back then.

[-] grue@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

I'm too lazy and set in my ways to switch away from apt.

(I also used Gentoo, many years ago when I could actually be bothered.)

[-] chronicledmonocle@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

I am an apt boi as well, but I recently switched to Fedora KDE spin. God has it been a breath of fresh air to have decently updated packages WITH stability on my desktop and laptop.

I'm still Debian all the way for server and "LTS" computers, like my HTPC, but Fedora is killing it overall.

[-] grue@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

I mean, Kubuntu has "decently updated packages WITH stability," too. It just has Snap that annoys me, but that probably annoys me less than command 'apt' not found would.

[-] chronicledmonocle@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

Snap and the stink of Canonical are the reason anything Ubuntu is not an option for me

By sheer coincidence, I just made an install image yesterday and will be switching soon

nice, Debian is more stable and you will have an easy switch, use the graphical install.

[-] Encephalotrocity@feddit.online 4 points 3 days ago

This is what really pisses me off about the Linux community. Everyone says the same thing about every distro, except Arch. That shits apparently for hardcore CLI only programmers or something.

Mint's whole paradigm is an OS that emphasizes stability and usability and you claim Debian is more stable even though it's the cutting edge base of an entire distro tree while Mint is 2 years behind it's Ubuntu base to ensure functionality? Make it make sense.

[-] lagoon8622@sh.itjust.works 7 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

You're a little confused about how this stuff works. Debian is not cutting-edge.

E: btw "not cutting-edge" is neither inherently positive, nor inherently negative

[-] Overspark@piefed.social 7 points 3 days ago

Well Mint is based on Ubuntu (unless you get the Debian Edition) and Ubuntu is based on Debian sooo...

Basically the majority of Linux distros are based on either Debian, Fedora or Arch. IMHO it's usually best to go with one of the originals, not the derivatives. Although I will admit Ubuntu has made Debian a lot better over the years, but that's only because they took the bits from Ubuntu that actually made sense and ignored the rest.

[-] _haha_oh_wow_@sh.itjust.works 1 points 3 days ago

I was just thinking about swapping from Mint to Debian the other day actually...

[-] orionsbelt@midwest.social 2 points 2 days ago

you can try linux mint debian edition. i love it so far <3

[-] _haha_oh_wow_@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 days ago

I might have to check that out, thanks!

[-] CardboardVictim@piefed.social 6 points 3 days ago

What's the recruitment process like?

[-] kadu@scribe.disroot.org 27 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

There's an opening for a position you're interested in, so you fill one of these long "everything is in your CV, but you need to retype on our formulary again" registrations.

A week later, they contact you via email. A very enthusiastic person, signing by their own name and no automated HR shenanigans claims to have enjoyed what they saw and you're through to the next step. There's some corporate "we are an amazing workplace for excepcional people" fluff, but nothing terrible, so let's proceed.

You now have a week to type and send a document that is got nothing to do with the position or your technical skills. You need to type a biography, you need to describe how you were in high school, were you social? You need to show proof of your high school grades, then college, you need to give a biographical memoir of your life. But sure, it's Canonical right, great for your career so you proceed.

So then a technical interview comes up. You have a time limit to fill it out, but the questions won't be actually deep enough to test your skills - they would just veto somebody with zero idea of what's going on, so it becomes tedious. A child with an AI Chatbot can probably score enough.

So then you move on to an IQ test, with baffling things such as tests of reaction time (if I ever needed fast reaction times in my field of study, ring the bell because a zombie apocalypse just ruptured our office building).

You're tired of the bs, but they email you three times in a row telling you about the deadlines for completion. Now somebody wants to speak with you, and guess what, they haven't checked your CV, or your biography, or your results from the tests, so get used to explaining everything again.

You'll have quite a few meetings like this, always moving up to the "higher ups" that are equally unaware of who you are, until you reach a VP. And then they put you on hold... so hope things work out, because they actually can leave you in hold forever, answer that the position is actually no longer available, or finally hire you. They have KPIs that incentivize having "candidates being evaluated" which means keeping you on limbo at the end of the process is a great result on their dashboards. Oh, and don't trust the "oh we loved you, you're in, let's sign next week" because the probability of not signing is still high.

[-] CardboardVictim@piefed.social 14 points 3 days ago

I'm at a loss for words. I don't think I could write better satire that's still believable.

That's just terrible, dang.

[-] rozodru@piefed.world 10 points 3 days ago

wait you have to verify your grades...from high school!?

shit I'd turn it around on them and say "I could verify my grades from high school for you but first I'd like you to verify how you believe every update you release won't some how break a majority of users Ubuntu installs"

[-] kadu@scribe.disroot.org 10 points 3 days ago

wait you have to verify your grades...from high school!?

Yep. More than once.

[-] eleitl@lemmy.zip 1 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

I'm glad I never applied.

this post was submitted on 12 Feb 2026
92 points (96.0% liked)

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