Linux

Ok already complained about linux in the past (defaulting a super low resolution such that the ability to change the resolution was off the screen and impossible to access, and instructions to use a command line argument that is not recognized). But it has come up again. And not just cause it was crashing the entertainment system on a recent flight.

Wanted to play with some software that only worked in linux. Ok, I have some time, lets play with this. Try ubuntu since it's supposedly simple. Download an image, find a batch to install it to a USB disk to boot/run directly from there without screwing my regular hard disk. No problem doing all that in windows. So, I can now boot into ubuntu. First things first, lets connect to the internet.

Windows:
*Plug in ethernet cable.
*Observe indicator connecting to internet.
*Open firefox and browse the web.

Ubuntu:
*Plug in ethernet cable.
*Observe indicator connecting to internet.
*Open firefox and find you can't browse the web.
*Check the network thing and confirm that it says you are indeed connected.
*Try and again fail to browse the web.
*Use a windows machine to read the Ubuntu help.
*Follow the troubleshooting which tells you to ping something. Try pinging something and watch it fail because as you already knew, you're not connected.
*Continue reading the Ubuntu internet connection troubleshooting, only to find it says nothing beyond "if you can't connect, there is a problem." Absolutely brilliant troubleshooting, I think my friend's 1 yr old could have helped me more.
*Continue using a windows machine to search for ideas.
*Try another suggested solution of editing a certain file.
*Discover that file doesn't exist.
*After reading more about how simple Ubuntu is, follow suggestion to enter the perfectly obvious command "sudo lshw -C network". Again, I think I heard my friend's 1 yr old muttering something like this, though he was hitting his forehead with a plastic firetruck at the time. I think I understand why. Nothing about how to interpret the information displayed by this command or what actions to take.
*Finally give up, it's not worth it even as a "project", go back to windows.