http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=419049

But more recently the blame game involves the Debain developers and the Samba/CIFS developers.

Sander Merchal has been active on both the Debian and the Ubuntu forums about a fix for this issue, and is exasperated by the apathy that perpetuates it:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=5894163&postcount=81

You’ll see that his post refers to a bug report on Debian last year:

http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=431966

As you can see from the ubuntuforums thread, the issue was first raised there in 2006. I don’t know how long before that it was first identified – may be someone who knows more than me can say. But three years is surely long enough for this to go on.

I entirely agree that Ubuntu, though not yet mainstream, is now more readily available to ordinary (i.e. not linux geeks) computer user. That’s surely why this kind of irritation is so damaging in terms of PR.

Anyway, all I really wanted to do was point out that the fix you suggest (Max Durden’s excellent script) appears no longer to work in Karmic, owing to changes introduced to the boot (and unmount) processes. :-(

Appreciate the input, link and background info. :) – Thanks.

We are not saying Ubuntu is “Mainstream” (I even said “…not more mainstream because…”). We were suggesting why it’s not more mainstream. I indicated that more mainstream people are adopting it, that this is a growing trend.

If the disagreement between the kernel and network manager developers is a true scenario, then this is disgusting. Personally I find it shameful (and unprofessional) when two parties cannot come to some kind of compromise and get an issue fixed. It makes everyone else suffer and if the disagreement is true, it makes both parties look like egotistical idiots.

Here’s the 20 page Ubuntu forums thread about attempted fixes and workarounds:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=293513

The fundamental problem is a long-standing disagreement among Debian kernel and Network Manager developers about whose ‘fault’ it is, which paralyses all action. Users continue to suffer the consequences. Mainstream? Hardly!

This is because I don’t only do things that the average mainstream user does. This was an issue I spawned when I re-created the network. I prefer to get into the network engineering aspects, play with hardware, software and get Linux to do interesting things.

Ubuntu is not more mainstream because people think Linux is hard, and believe it when they are told so. My father is almost 90 and he switched from Windows to Ubuntu with no problem adjusting, there are a group of kids down the street who use Ubuntu (mainly for gaming), they say it’s great. I’ve had business clients try it and they stuck with it. They all seem like mainstream people to me. :)

Again, it’s because of the assumptions of people, fortunately the notion that Linux is not for the “mainstream” is changing.

:) ;)

Nevertheless, I still like my Ubuntu machine