One Hundred Papercuts

Bug #389909
Comment #7

Comment 7 for bug 389909

Revision history for this message

Martin G Miller (mgmiller) wrote on 2009-07-02:

>KDE/smb4k also use broadcast and bypass settings from "name resolve order".
So you are saying that trying to browse a network with seperate LANs and AD deployed using KDE would also be slower than trying to browse the same network with Gnome?

If that is true, then given the current state of DNS redirection by ISPs, Gnome is optimized for large company networking by default. This is creating problems for new users who are using simple home networking. This includes many small companies like my own that are on simple networks as well.

How about asking either at install time or the first time the network browse gui is used, if the machine is part of a large corporate network with seperate LANs and AD or if it is just part of a simple, typical home network? The resolve order can then be set appropriately. If you want to get really slick about it, there can be a button ("Network Configuration") in the network browse gui that allows you to switch between the 2 options.

The following is a true new user experience that I was involved with:
After his 3rd virus attack that cost him a weeks downtime and over $5000 to fix, I talked a colleague into changing his office machines (a total of 6 workstations) over to Ubuntu. As in my own case, his file server has to remain on Windows because of proprietary business applications. He uses a professional IT person to keep his network healthy. His expertise is primarily Windows, but he is also a Unix Admin. Shortly after doing the install he was having a lot of problems with network browsing and found that even sharing a printer connected to one of the Ubuntu workstations was totally unreliable. He added a desktop icon to restart samba, which he suggested the owner keep pushing over and over until the network finally responds. This kept happening several times a day. Everyone involved decided Ubuntu was creating usability problems and they were considering switching back. Once I told his IT guy about the resolve order change, all problems vanished. Had I not fixed this problem, there would have been another small company and IT person spreading the word that Ubuntu is "not stable, not ready, etc."

>KDE/smb4k also use broadcast and bypass settings from "name resolve order". 
So you are saying that trying to browse a network with seperate LANs and AD deployed using KDE would also be slower than trying to browse the same network with Gnome?

If that is true, then given the current state of DNS redirection by ISPs, Gnome is optimized for large company networking by default.  This is creating problems for new users who are using simple home networking.  This includes many small companies like my own that are on simple networks as well.

How about asking either at install time or the first time the network browse gui is used, if the machine is part of a large corporate network with seperate LANs and AD or if it is just part of a simple, typical home network?  The resolve order can then be set appropriately.  If you want to get really slick about it, there can be a button ("Network Configuration") in the network browse gui that allows you to switch between the 2 options.

The following is a true new user experience that I was involved with:
After his 3rd virus attack that cost him a weeks downtime and over $5000 to fix, I talked a colleague into changing his office machines (a total of 6 workstations) over to Ubuntu.  As in my own case, his file server has to remain on Windows because of proprietary business applications.  He uses a professional IT person to keep his network healthy.  His expertise is primarily Windows, but he is also a Unix Admin.  Shortly after doing the install he was having a lot of problems with network browsing and found that even sharing a printer connected to one of the Ubuntu workstations was totally unreliable.  He added a desktop icon to restart samba, which he suggested the owner keep pushing over and over until the network finally responds.  This kept happening several times a day.  Everyone involved decided Ubuntu was creating usability problems and they were considering switching back.  Once I told his IT guy about the resolve order change, all problems vanished.  Had I not fixed this problem, there would have been another small company and IT person spreading the word that Ubuntu is "not stable, not ready, etc."