[PLUG] Screwed

[John Jason Jordan]

Got home from the Clinic. Booted up, went to update my Breezy to
Dapper. Started with Update Manager, but it said a couple dozen
packages could not be updated unless I used "sudo apt-get dist-upgrade"
from the command line. I decided to use that option.

It downloaded a gig of new files (25 minutes at home), then started the
upgrade. A few moments later it stopped. It said that the configuration
file /etc/login something or another needed to be changed and did I
want to (choose several options). I selected "D" which was "tell me
more about the options" since I did not understand a word of what they
said. This caused the terminal to spew out a couple pages, none of
which was any more comprehensible. At the bottom of the screen it said
"END." Well, when you're in a man page and it says "END" you hit Ctrl-z
to get out, right? So that's what I did. Whereupon it announced that
the "sudo apt-get dist-upgrade" process had terminated by user input.

Tip to programmers: Give the user an effin' CLUE. Some of us were not
born knowing how to run Linux from the command line.

So there I was sitting at a command prompt. The upgrade had started,
but not gone far. What to do? I decided just to restart the upgrade. So
I arrowed up and gave it the "sudo apt-get dist-upgrade" line again.
This restarted the process, and it seemed to proceed sort of from where
it left off, except I couldn't tell exactly where it left off. At least
it definitely did not re-download the files. It quickly got to the same
configuration file problem. This time I wisely selected Y (select the
developer's file). It proceeded to spew out pages and pages of stuff it
was doing. It all looked good, except that every once in a while I
noticed "Warning: Unable to delete old directory /x/x/x/. The directory
is not empty." This happened a couple dozen times over the next hundred
pages that flowed through the terminal window.

Finally it got sort of to the end, and announced that there were unmet
dependencies. Lots of them. It suggested "sudo apt - something" (can't
remember now) that would resolve the dependencies. I did so. It seemed
to fix some things, but a few refused to be fixed. Finally I decided
I'd done all I could do. I shut down and rebooted.

When it came back up there were pages of error messages during the boot
process, X wouldn't start, and I was staring at a command line. I
fiddled around a bit, then finally gave up. There are three old Breezy
selections on the Grub boot menu, and each has a recovery mode option.
I tried them all, but no hope. The recovery mode options just dump me
at a command line. That would be wonderful if I had any idea what to do
at the command line. I tried the "sudo apt-get dist-upgrade" line
again, but it did no more than it had done before when the GUI was
still running, i.e., nothing other than announce there were unmet
dependencies.

I am currently booted into the new Dapper installation on the new 8 GB
partition. Someone (at a Clinic, IIRC) told me that application
configuration files were located in hidden . folders in the user's home
folder. This new Dapper installation automatically mounts the old hda2
Breezy partition, so I dragged OO.o's . folder from there into the /home/jjj/
folder here, then fired up OO.o. Yay! It worked. Then I installed
Sylpheed and did the same for its . configuration file. Yay! The mail
folders are missing, but all my accounts are here. So I can send this
to the list and see any responses. (I could also do it from my Windows
desktop, but that would be caving in to the empire.)

Right now I am thinking of just taking the Ubuntu-64 Dapper DVD that I
burned and use it to do a new install over my old Breezy hda2
partition. I do have the USB hard disk with a complete copy of that
partition that I made at the Clinic this afternoon, grace of Aaron's
rescue CD. I could grab the . configuration files off it. Or maybe,
just maybe, a new installation in that partition would leave the old
files there. Any suggestions welcome. Meantime, this new Dapper uses
the nVidia drivers so I can watch movies. It's 9:00 and that's how I'm
going to end this frustrating Sunday. Tomorrow morning I'd decide what
to do about my hosed Breezy installation.