Chapter 6. Support and Typical Problems | The Official Ubuntu Book

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Summary

DESPITE THE FACT that the Ubuntu developers work tirelessly to make the Ubuntu user experience as fluid and problem-free as possible, there are always going to be bugs, glitches, and errors in software. This is nothing unique to Ubuntu; it is a characteristic that is applied to all software. Anything created by humans is subject to error.

One of the many benefits of the Open Source development process is that errors and bugs are typically reported, found, and fixed in a far shorter time frame than is the case with proprietary software. This ensures that the software included with Ubuntu is far more solid and stable than some proprietary alternatives.

Although bugs are typically fixed quickly, there is still the case of user error. Even if a piece of software is completely bug-free, it can be used incorrectly, be misconfigured, or otherwise not work as expected. This is perfectly normal, and the aim of this chapter is to discuss some of the most common problems faced by users and explore how to fix or otherwise resolve these issues.

This chapter is presented in a cookbook format, presenting each problem followed by a concise solution. If you have read through the other chapters in the book and not found the solution in this chapter, the next option is to try the superb Ubuntu Forums at www.ubuntuforums.org/. In recent years, the forums have proved to be a goldmine of useful information. Not only do they include discussion about problems and issues that other people have, they are also laden with community-contributed how-to articles that cover a wealth of different areas.

Tip: Before You Begin

As is the case with most books, there simply isn't room to cover everything in great detail. Part of the challenge when you face a problem is in identifying what the cause is, which you can then explore using the forums, IRC, Web searches, and more. In many of the problems below, we will point you to other resources that provide more information about fixing the problem.