Regressions Of GNU\Linux

Change is not always for the better. This page chronicles bullshit that has come down the Linux pipeline.

Udev requires reboots after Ubuntu 14

When I started using Linux distributions one of the things I noticed was how well updates were handled, compared to proprietary software. No forced reboots, no update screens that leave the user waiting. You can use your computer while it's updating. This statement ("Linux never needs to reboot when it updates") changed with udev requiring a reboot in Debian 8 or 9 occasionally.

Predictable Network Interface Names

Someone has controversially decided that it is better for systems to have obtuse and confusing ethernet and wireless interface abbreviations such as enp0s25 instead of eth0. Remember this makes things simpler, and easier for people (but who?).

In reality, most people get the shaft, and perhaps 10% (a small proportion) of users benefit. This raises the bar for entry level people to get started. Adding unnecessary complexity to Linux.

Apt instead of Apt-get

This is a tentative, based on whether they remove support for apt-get. If that is the end goal, then this will be a valid regression, until then, they live side by side. I don't need apt, when apt-get does the job. Needless changes. There must be something more important to do than this.

Debian 10: iptables has been replaced with nftables, after nearly 20 years

"Those are some great firewall rules you've configured there. It would be a shame if someone was to make them obsolete."

It started with Ipchains in 1998. In 2000, there was the last stable release of ipchains, which means if not by then, shortly after iptables took over. It's been 19, 19 years since then. Suddenly now, a new firewall is needed. Is this necessary for most people? Doubtful. Again, a small minority will benefit. Most will get the shaft. Imagine if you couldn't buy a certain tool at the store. Say, hand saws are no longer sold. You now are forced to buy an electric jigsaw. Is this necessary? Can't we have both? Who thought changing a fundamental part of the software was a good idea? They could not had good intentions, if only for how much work they will force admins to do, with any update. Another good reason to abort Debian. Systemd is the first.

From Wikipedia https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nftables

A command to drop any packets with the destination IP address 1.2.3.4

 nft add rule ip filter output ip daddr 1.2.3.4 drop

The syntax of iptables is different:

 iptables -A OUTPUT -d 1.2.3.4 -j DROP

More complex. Fail.

With one fell swoop, thousands of iptables scripts were made useless.

ifconfig replaced with ip

ifconfig, is simpler to use, and easier to view for basic nic information, or setting an ip (ifconfig eth# 192.168.1.2 netmask 255.255.255.0). ip is unnecessary complexity for most use cases. This raises the bar for entry level people to get started. Adding unnecessary complexity to Linux.

/etc/resolv.conf depreciated

All you should need for DNS is a pointer to a DNS server. Put that in /etc/resolv.conf. The simplicity of that is a threat to more obtuse OS, therefore there will be an effort to complicate it. This raises the bar for entry level people to get started. Adding unnecessary complexity to Linux.

Ubuntu

Dropping Support for i386

Some distributions are dropping 32-bit support. With one fell swoop, hundreds of thousands of laptops made before 2006 and 2007 became less useful.

Setting up Networking has become more complicated

What was (/etc/networking/interfaces):

auto eth0
iface eth0 inet static
        address 192.168.1.230
        netmask 255.255.255.0
        nameserver 1.2.3.4

Now is (w/netplan.io)

network:
  version: 2
  renderer: networkd
  ethernets:
    eth0:
      addresses:
        - 10.10.10.2/24
      gateway4: 10.10.10.1
      nameservers:
          search: [mydomain, otherdomain]
          addresses: [10.10.10.1, 1.1.1.1]