Idea #6327: Make actively annoying packages optional

129

Written by christian.convey the 3 Apr 08 at 14:04. Category: Installation.
Related to: Nothing/Others. Status: New

Description

When I logged into Ubuntu 8.04 Beta, my CPU was pegged. Using top, I found it from a process related to Evolution. I think evolution-data-server-2.22.

This is annoying, because I never use Evolution. And with the advent gmail, yahoo mail, etc. I suspect fewer people each day use non-browser mail clients.

Similarly, when Beagle indexing was enabled by default, we once again had a case of imposing a nasty, unexplained CPU burden on users who didn't even want to use the service. Same thing for 'updatedb' for mlocate.

Now, to make things worse: in order to prevent evolution-data-server from hogging my CPU, I tried to uninstall it. But doing so would have uninstalled, among other things, ubuntu-desktop. If I had uninstalled ubuntu-desktop, then I wouldn't automatically receive other packages were later added it. So that wasn't a good option either.

I propose:
1. Do NOT include these annoying packages in the base installation.

2. Having a post-install (for the person doing the install) wizard. Here, prompt the users about installing sometimes-desired but sometimes-actively-undesired packages such as the ones mentioned above.

3. Haveing a post-first-login wizard, run the first time each account is logged into. Have it ask users about whether or not they want Beagle's indexing to be enabled, evoluation-data-server to be enabled, etc. This will both make them aware of these services, and let them avoid the unexplained CPU peggings.

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Attachments

Bug #151536 : [MASTER] E-D-S hangs on login and uses 100% cpu

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Comments

vexorian wrote on the 3 Apr 08 at 14:50

Report it as a bug. It should not do that. It is supposed to stay sleeping most of the time.

vexorian wrote on the 3 Apr 08 at 14:52

No package depends on ubuntu desktop.

vexorian wrote on the 3 Apr 08 at 14:56

Sorry, I missed the part about how ubuntu desktop is necessary for upgrades, you could install ubuntu-desktop before doing an upgrade, though

Just saying, none of these services is supposed to slow down the system, this is a bug, and must be reported, you are a beta tester exactly to avoid this. At this moment none of those processes is clogging my CPU and I am on feisty.

christian.convey wrote on the 3 Apr 08 at 16:03

To those who say that pegging the CPU is a bug, I have two responses:

1. updatedb is equally bad in my opinion, and it does/has bogged the system down more with disk IO than with CPU hogging. And updatedb is a mature program. So in my mind the issue is broader than a single program's misbehavior.

2. For system security, reliability, and performance, I think it's generally preferable to avoid installing and running unnecessary programs. Even when they're usually well-behaved.
I thought that having a post-first-login wizard struck a fair balance between those who would and who wouldn't want the software running.

loonyphoenix wrote on the 3 Apr 08 at 16:35

I agree that there should be a way to remove some apps you don't need without uninstalling ubuntu-desktop metapackage (for example, I never use games, evolution, tomboy...). You described a good way to do it.

+1

loonyphoenix wrote on the 3 Apr 08 at 16:38

But I think the post-intallation wizard you talked about could be integrated into installation instead. This also touches upon the need for an expert-mode installation.

fwolfste wrote on the 3 Apr 08 at 16:56

I agree that there should be a way to not install and/or start some packages and services that probably some people never use like for me: printing and bluetooth. Especially bluetooth is annoying, since it does not look like i will ever install hardware that enables bluetooth on my desktop- pc.
Baseline: more discriminative installer for those who like it. Otherwise i think the selection of the default stuff is great.

vexorian wrote on the 3 Apr 08 at 19:37

-1 anyways, ubuntu is about sensible defaults, your suggestion is an overcomplication, if you want more flexibility in this regards, you should try debian or something like that.

happy_tux wrote on the 4 Apr 08 at 07:34

At install there could be a "Standard Install" and "Advanced Install" options.
The advanced giving you the option of what packages to install or not. Naturally have it default on the Standard ubuntu install.
I for one, NEVER use the EKIGA phone software. Try to uninstall and similar results of uninstalling ubuntu-desktop happen...

oxigen wrote on the 4 Apr 08 at 10:58

I don't use Evolution either..

mela1 wrote on the 4 Apr 08 at 13:33

looneyphoenix said it all

ludovicc wrote on the 4 Apr 08 at 21:55

I'm not using Evolution (Thunderbird instead), but I've never removed the package because it will remove ubuntu-desktop and I'm afraid to break the upgrades.

I think that the system could be made more modular easily:
ubuntu-desktop is a meta-package for
ubuntu-desktop-core (mandatory!)
ubuntu-desktop-groupware (for evolution and related)
ubuntu-desktop-internet-browser (for firefox)
ubuntu-desktop-internet-phone (for egika)
ubuntu-desktop-games
...

At installation, you can select an 'advanced' option and unselect evolution or firefox or whatever depending on your preferences.

When upgrading the system, all ubuntu-desktop* packages are automatically updated.

That sounds flexible and not so complex to implement, doesn't it?

zzrough wrote on the 12 Apr 08 at 07:34

Honestly updatedb puts my computer completely down for a long time each time. It never happens when you're not using the computer because it is a cron job.

But more importantly, what is the use of (s)locate/updatedb in the default distribution? Who will use these tool in command line, that puts down your laptop when you have tracker that behaves already much better, and which is optional...

slocate must be really removed from the base install.

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