Hi, current Kubuntu 18.04 LTS has a major issue. It concerns the default updater program "Plasma discover". It crashes randomly mostly when there are a couple of updates. Sometimes it crashes silently and unnoticed. Sometimes it crashes and cannot be closed. The issue is that serious that the current Kubuntu Bionic Beaver LTS ISO (install media) could not be updated after first installation since it's now 'far away' from recent state. Most systems have to apply more than 400 updates now after first installation of the OS and it results to an aborted update process and (I tested myself) to an unbootable system (blank screen)!!! The KDE team has not yet fixed the issue at Kubuntu. There can't be an issue that is more important to be fixed IMHO. At Neon it's reported to be fixed already. It surely prevents people who are interested to try Kubuntu from installing it. Because after they run the plasma discover updater it highly probably renders the system useless. Workaround for people making a clean installation: - Install Kubuntu from current ISO. -After its first boot from metal the plasma discover update program prompts that there are new updates available. For me yesterday there were around 400. -DO NOT START THE UPDATE PROCESS FROM DISCOVER -Kill the updater: Press ctrl+alt+esc. The cursor turns from an arrow to a skull. Now press the X of the discover window to kill it. We do it old school using command line: - Open a terminal window (console) and enter: Code: sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get dist-upgrade Confirm with your password and later press 'y' to confirm the update process. It'll take some time and lot of text stuff is running through the window. Finally it ends/stops at command prompt. Enter Code: exit to close the terminal and reboot your system. Workaround for people running Kubuntu already to prevent the ticking time bomb to explode, lol It's been too late for me. But it hasn't for you.... Change the update behavior of plasma discover: Use it ONLY to notify you for updates until it is fixed. How to: Launch Discover -> Wait for Discover to finish its automatic checking for updates, which it will always do after being launched -> Click "Settings" in the bottom left corner of that main page -> Click the little drop-down-menu button in the upper right corner of the resulting "Settings" page -> Click "Software Sources" on that button's drop-down menu -> Enter the administrator password in the resulting dialog that pops up -> Press the Enter key -> Click the "Updates" tab on the resulting "Software Sources" pop-up -> See the "Automatic Updates" section of that pop-up and select only notify me. Whenever you get notified run the update via command line above. If you have used discover to update and it crashes or freezes and it cannot be closed do NOT try to reboot the system. Sometimes discover behaves weird and does not even ask for sudo password. Kill the task as described above: Press ctrl+alt+esc. The cursor turns from an arrow to a skull. Now press the X of the discover window to kill it. And now run the command line to complete the screwed update process. Alternatively you can just uninstall discover sudo apt-get remove plasma-discover And reinstall it later when they have released a working version. Just apply the command line whenever you want to check for updates... This is the first time for me a Linux distro stopped booting after an update. I could repair it, though. No data loss. But I decided to go for a new clean install. I hope this thread will prevent that others are running into the same trouble. I cannot get why that has not got the needed attention over at Kubuntu forums there is just a tiny thread... I am sure this issue will people make saying that Kubuntu sux since it probably renders the PC useless after they have applied (or tried to) the huge bunch of updates after first installation.. Yen
Thank you very much for this valuable info. I was just about to try Kubuntu again, I guess you saved me a lot of trouble. I'll keep your full post for later reference, I actually prefer the manual update process anyway
It's already worth to have posted that then! I had mint cinnamon before. I have to say they know where the shoe pinches (if it does) and have a proper priority concept. And it's well tested before release. I know KDE had been a mess years ago and it seems they still suffer from disorganization.... They have still issues I would consider as being major. The tearing bug and now 'Discover' the most important app, the default updater itself...lol... Since Linux has become my productive system I actually cannot afford to run that...but I love KDE and give it another chance.... I just wanted to book a flight...and there were new updates available . I started discover and confirmed with PW to let start the updates.....hmm about 32. One of it was a Nvidia update..the rest I cannot remember... It must have been crashed, but it reported no new updates, so I thought anything was OK... At next reboot blank screen. Had to boot previous kernel with default driver. Then sudo dpkg --configure -a. Could get it from 640x480 retard resolution back to FHD again... I saved my data and decided to make a clean installation...I came to there where discover had to apply 400 updates and again blank screen. Then I did what I have posted. Kubuntu works well IF you consider a few things, but essential things. And that is weak for a LTS release, IMHO Mint made a more reliable impression and was a good friend...
I find it hard to believe that their beta testers didn't discover this problem sooner. Sounds similar to using Windows 10, where every user is considered to be a beta tester. LOL. EDIT: Kubuntu 18.04 LTS has been out since April 26. How embarrassing.
Actually I'd say you're right. It's embarrassing. But being an admin myself at the company where we're running different special setups of operating systems I have to say that there is...I call it ungrateful constellation. Discover the updater in question runs well if there are only a few updates and I am sure it depends which parts have to be updated. When LTS had been released and people have installed it close to release date it worked well. At my own first installation, too. I did not change any hardware and I did not change the way of installation. Then the killing bunch of updates had been provided....a bunch which discover could not handle. The updates themselves are fine and are working via terminal command. The day before yesterday then when I did a clean installation the gap of LTS ISO and current state increased compared to my very first installation date. It included now also the latest parts to be updated. (I suspected that discover would fail again but wanted clear results) The result was: Discover screwed now when attempted to update my clean installation to current state. When I blame the KDE team then I do it for not considering that discover (the updater) is the most important app in a distro. Everybody runs it after first installation. And everybody runs it when prompted for new updates.
Hello @ Yen - I did a Google search and found that the problems with the KDE Discover Update Manager are nothing new. Since early 2016, it appears that Discover had been going through a continuous cycle of "it's broken - we fixed it - it's broken -we fixed it - it's broken again". I can only guess that the KDE/Kubuntu developers thought that abandoning apt and trying to re-invent the wheel seemed like a good idea at the time, but are now struggling to keep up with the problems they've created. I guess for some people, there is only one way to learn something, and that's the hard way. BTW, the main reason I stopped using openSUSE was that damned KDE Wallet. On openSUSE 12.3 you had a choice of whether to use it or not, but on openSUSE 13.2 they took away the choice of opting out and forced you to use it. I always struggled with getting it to work right and finally gave up, choosing to try Linux Mint instead. Never looked back . . .
An OS that is rendered useless after running the updater plasma discover after clean installation from ISO forces people to change. And that is now the current situation. Ancestor(v) has returned to Mint again he's told me. I am updating Kubuntu via terminal for now. But should there be a new issue again I'll be back to mint as well. It's a shame since I actually like Kubuntu. Their team still has issues concerning organizations and priorities.
For new install I usually start from mini version of ubuntu. Then select kubuntu-desktop in tasksel. This way you get everything latest, so no immediate update is required. Then install aptitude and remove plasma-discover-common (no more this ugly thing), I usually remove apport and apt-xapian-index as well (they are very buggy). Install build-essential and kubuntu-restricted-extras. I like to add krusader, vlc, mpv, intel-microcode or amd64-microcode (depends on the cpu). Now we are good to go. About 20 minutes in total.
Would be nice to know. 1904 has changed a lot. There is an updated version of Discover included besides of kernel version being now 5.00 and KDE Frameworks 5.56, Plasma 5.15.4. The bugs at Discover are/were multiple, though. (Password screen vanishing, broken updates at special cases, uninstall of apps issues, etc,etc...) But I researched a bit and there is no info (good or bad?) Since I stick to LTS 18.04.2 as a productive OS and there won't be complete fixes (I assume) I always still use apt commands to keep the OS up to date. For package managing I use Muon. I cannot afford to try backports of Discover if available.
As a long time kubuntu user I rarely ever use discover for anything, I'll open it once in a while if I need to edit sources but it's historically been a pos so I avoid it. Just do all updates, searches and installs from the command line. Sudo apt-get update sudo apt full-upgrade sudo apt install gparted (or whatever program you want to install) apt search Thunderbird (or whatever program you want to search for) sudo apt autoclean exit reboot shutdown now Just a few commands for new users to get started with.
Muon is much better than Discover. In fact I remove Dscover. It looks pretty, but Muon is much much better. With all that I use apt-get update && apt full-upgrade.
i have no idea if this is the right place to ask but i run like two vm's of kubuntu on my hper v and is trying to use it to run Eve online but once i start the game my mouse won't let me click in the game is there any kind person in here that wouldn't mind helping a melon like me out
A 3yr old distribution 18.04, I agree. I'm now successfully using 21.04. Without issue. The latest LTS is 20.04