Ubuntu QA:
BlogBrainstormPackage status
Log in
Ubuntu QA
The Ubuntu community has contributed 22700 ideas, 138270 comments, 2629576 votes
Idea sandbox Idea sandbox
Popular ideas Popular ideas
Ideas in development Ideas in development
Implemented ideas Implemented ideas

Contributor madscientist

Provide a simple graphical interface to manage _any_ type of network connection  
Ubuntu

In :  
Priority : Medium
Definition : New (Needs guidance)
Implementation : Unknown
Assignee :
spec
Written by Alan Pope the 28 Feb 08 at 13:50. Global category: Internet & Networking. In development
A single unified tool should be provided which allows the user to connect to a network (or internet) via any supported method. It would also be useful to provide an extension to this tool to manage firewall rules and network connection sharing.

Developer comments
We’re currently designing this graphical interface, with the Internet connection part powered by ConnectionManager.
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/NetworkSettings

—mpt
8497
votes
inprogress
Selected solution (#1): Single Unified Network Tool
Written by Alan Pope the 28 Feb 08 at 13:50.
A single unified tool should be provided which allows the user to connect to a network (or internet) via any supported method. It would also be useful to provide an extension to this tool to manage firewall rules and network connection sharing.
113
votes
inprogress
Selected solution (#2): Add functionality for configuring multiple IP addresses to Network Manager GUI
Written by sanketmedhi the 30 Apr 09 at 13:52.
There should be a functionality in Network Manager to configure multiple IP addresses for the same network interface.

This is mainly to make the system more user friendly especially for non-technical users and in par with other systems.
64
votes
inprogress
Selected solution (#3): Create context-sensitive help for network setup
Written by dbneeley the 28 Apr 09 at 04:57.
A simple, context-sensitive help file could explain what the various fields and options mean in simple terms so that new users can more quickly and accurately understand what they are being asked to do.
83
votes
inprogress
Selected solution (#5): Implement concurrent connections to NetworkManager
Written by neziric the 24 Apr 09 at 14:26.
It would be great if one could be connected to Internet using ppp0 and LAN using eth0 at the same time (or even eth0 and eth1, etc...).
69
votes
inprogress
Selected solution (#6): Add "Automatically connect to VPN..." option to wireless network settings
Written by nickpick the 29 May 09 at 18:54.
Add a drop-down list (or another similar way) allowing the user to select a VPN network he wants to connect to automatically -once the connection with the specified, not just any, WiFi network- has been established.

Example:

+ Automatically connect to VPN...
-- none (default)
-- University_VPN_Example
-- Corporate_VPN_Example
-- Home_server_VPN-Example
42
votes
inprogress
Selected solution (#7): Allow network connection categories
Written by timnwells the 4 Jun 09 at 03:51.
Allow network connections to be put into categories so services/shares can be enabled and disabled based on category. So that I can share directories and media at home but not work or public networks.
55
votes
inprogress
Selected solution (#8): Easy windows domain support
Written by timnwells the 4 Jun 09 at 03:54.
Make it easy to connect to and use the features of windows domains which are common in a lot of offices. Including authentication and shared directories.
Perhaps on the login screen detect the fact that the currently active network connection has a domain associated and allow authentication to that as an option.
41
votes
inprogress
Selected solution (#9): Detect networked media applications
Written by timnwells the 4 Jun 09 at 04:05.
Detect media shares on a network os independantly and allow for streaming from shared media sources such as windows media player/center or rhythmbox/amarok/totem/etc
64
votes
inprogress
Selected solution (#10): Windows 7 "Homegroup" compatibility
Written by timnwells the 4 Jun 09 at 04:11.
Add the ability for ubuntu computers to participate in the new Windows 7 homegroups and have access to the functionality the "Homegroup" provides.
66
votes
inprogress
Selected solution (#11): Sharing Internet and network configuration automatically.
Written by nq6 the 13 Aug 09 at 02:39.
#view the outline of the idea.

Ubuntu - Idea

The new user can not share your internet with other computers or put two computers with Ubuntu in a network easily.

Below is the commands for the user to perform these tasks. This is not simple for a new user. Install packages, use the terminal, set the ip manually, type in the link of the Nautilus Ip of the other machine.

#commands to the two computers
sudo apt-get install samba system-config-samba

#commands to the computer that shares the Internet
sudo su
modprobe iptable_nat
echo 1 > /proc/sys/net/ipv4/ip_forward
iptables -t nat -A POSTROUTING -o eth1 -j MASQUERADE

#command to view the other ubuntu in the network - the PC 1
sudo su
ifconfig eth0 192.168.0.2 up
smb://192.168.0.1/

#command to view the other ubuntu in the network - the PC 2
sudo su
ifconfig eth0 192.168.0.1 up
smb://192.168.0.2/

Who has two network devices, you want to share internet and create a network between two PCs, it has to be experienced and know many commands. This is not ideal. The Ubuntu aims to ease.
-16
votes
inprogress
Selected solution (#13): Create something like in Win XP
Written by viejoyoda the 13 Feb 10 at 14:54.
Last time i have to connect two computers with a regular ethernet cable, was really imposible to share internet and folders... finally i have to restart from my windows xp partition and then apply the network configuration assistant, it was like 20 secs. for success!!!
Regular users don't have to manage a cybercafe or protect a meil server or a bank from "attacks", why is it so difficult!
By the way it could be useful to choose between "network-manager" and "wicd". I prefer Wicd.

See the 122 comments or propose a solution (latest comment the 22 Jul 11 at 12:30) >>

Possibility to "bookmark" ideas  
Written by frandavid100 the 29 Feb 08 at 01:50. Related project: brainstorm.ubuntu.com. Implemented
Could there be a way to mark an idea as "favourite" in brainstorm.ubuntu? To star, or bookmark an idea so I can find it more easily later on and see what people have commented?

Developer comments
You are now able to bookmark ideas by clicking on the grey star next to the title!
To consult your bookmarks, go to your dashboard.
382
votes
implemented
Selected solution (#1): Auto-generated solution of idea #439
Written by frandavid100 the 29 Feb 08 at 01:50.
Ubuntu Brainstorm was updated in January 2009. Since the idea #439 was submitted before this update, its rationale and solution are not separated. Please vote accordingly, and if you have the necessary rights, please separate the rationale from the solution. Thanks!

See the 9 comments or propose a solution (latest comment the 22 Mar 11 at 08:00) >>

Make /bin/sh = bash (solves zillions of issues)   forum
Written by probono the 1 Mar 08 at 16:56. Global category: System. New
Although not officially a standard, it has been common practice by most distributions that the /bin/sh link points to /bin/bash.

Ubuntu broke this common practice and links /bin/sh to dash.

This breaks A LOT of 3rd party apps, and causes A LOT of unneccessary trouble and support incidents.

If Ubuntu wants to promote dash, it should change all shell scripts to include a dash shebang. But it should NOT mess with the default /bin/sh link.

DON'T say "it's the script writer's fault when he uses /bin/sh and requires bash". We all know that. Nevertheless, a serious distro should not mess around with things that have become common practice even if wrongly so.

The end result of the current situation is that many things mysteriously work "everywhere but on Ubuntu".

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/dash/+bug/61463
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/dash/+bug/71887
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/dash/+bug/141481

Examples of bugs caused by this:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/dash/+bug/92189

[....]
70
votes
up equal down
Solution #1: Auto-generated solution of idea #2225
Written by probono the 1 Mar 08 at 16:56.
Ubuntu Brainstorm was updated in January 2009. Since the idea #2225 was submitted before this update, its rationale and solution are not separated. Please vote accordingly, and if you have the necessary rights, please separate the rationale from the solution. Thanks!
3
votes
up equal down
Solution #2: Complain if the script has bashisms
Written by Endolith the 30 Aug 09 at 18:51.
Dash is good for speeding up execution time, but if the script contains bashisms, complain about them on the command line.

"The script /somewhere/somescript.sh identifies itself as a shell script, but contains commands that aren't compatible with dash, Ubuntu's default shell interpreter. Often this can be fixed by simply changing the first line of the script to #!/bin/bash."
3
votes
up equal down
Solution #3: Ubuntu should at least call out dash in its scripts
Written by sqrammi the 11 May 10 at 16:26.
I agree with Ubuntu that depending on bashisms is a bad thing. However, knowingly breaking thousands of existing packages all of a sudden, all to prove a point or enforce an ideal, is hardly forgivable.

I think Ubuntu should have kept the sh -> bash link, and made all of *their* scripts use a #!/bin/dash (or even institute a new standard of /bin/posixsh for strictly POSIX shell scripts), at least for a while, before pulling the rug out from everyone else.

I still 'dpkg-reconfigure dash' and select bash on all of my systems to this day. The world has still not caught up with you yet, Ubuntu!

See the 31 comments or propose a solution (latest comment the 18 Jan 11 at 22:29) >>