Linux has a couple of major releases coming out in the not so far off future and of course, being Ubuntu and Mint it has me a bit excited. The unfortunate thing of the matter is that the Ubuntu 12.04 release is supposed to launch on the 24th which also just happens to be my anniversary. I am thinking the idea of me going off by myself for the evening is not going to be kosher with the other half, so I had a plan late last eve.
The plan was that with only a few days before the release yesterday, the beta 2 release should be pretty close to stable at this point and I could probably get a jump on things since I had not installed any betas before (as has often been the case in the past). The install as an upgrade was the choice, since I had a copy of 11.10that I was not using much anyway (note: 11.10 is one of two versions you can upgrade from). Trust me, as a tester of software for a fortune 500 company in what seems like a previous life, I understand what beta can truly mean and was willing to take that risk, which would seem is a good thing.
A few little tweaks and then the download for the new version was kicked off. About 30 minutes after that, I noted the download was complete and installation was starting. I was already looking forward to trying things like the new improvements on Unity that have at least suggested a lot of folks actually like it now. I was also thinking I could still throw Cinnamon on it (since it was uninstalled during the early installation process). I noted with dismay that the installation was going to take approximately an hour and 20 minutes, much too late for me to stay up to complete.
Fast forward up to a few minutes ago when almost with the giddiness of a kid on Christmas morning I got back to the computer to see it was installed and a restart was required. Restart was selected and directed it back to the right place through Grub. And dismay was my immediate reaction, the login screen did not have the drop down to select the desktop at all. My immediate thought ran something like I have to boot the first time all the way and maybe set some options.
My dismay turned quickly to complete grumbles as I realized I had no mouse or keyboard. In other words, it would appear that USB is not firing up correctly at all. My system has nothing but USB connections for such things like keyboards and mice. Maybe it just did not load this time, so a quick reboot, and indeed the same thing. So, I am left with no way to really get into the system, which means the time last night was a waste.
Now, realizing it was a beta 2 release, I will hold off judgment at this point but I do have to admit, with only 4 days left it does not look promising. The good news though, Mint 13 is due out next month sometime and as of my last information there was still discussion going on as to Cinnamon or Mate being the primary desktop, though both have support planned for them.
** – Image is a version of the iconic Ubuntu Logo.
