Regression: usb-creator replaced using abstracted device names by using device paths. This should not be the default.
| Affects | Status | Importance | Assigned to | Milestone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| usb-creator (Ubuntu) |
Confirmed
|
Low
|
Unassigned | ||
Bug Description
Binary package hint: usb-creator
A usability regression was presented in Karmic which complicates the use of usb-creator. This bug limit the functionality of a core application used for Ubuntu installation, and affects many users.
This bug report asks that usb-creator move back to its previous behavior of using an abstracted device instead of listing device paths (/dev/sd[a-z][1-9] alongside /dev/sd[a-z]). For the majority of users on the Ubuntu Desktop abstraction should be the default.
There are two use-cases/reasons why this change was introduced in Karmic:
1) .img files for Ubuntu Mobile requires the images to be written directly to the device, and not a partition.
2) Some USB disks come formatted as a single vfat filesystem without a partition table.
The first is a corner case and this needs to be discussed with the Design and Mobile Team.
The second is less important, as formating needs to be standardized when (re-)formatting the disk (See Bug #296160 for more details).
Steps to reproduce:
1) Open usb-creator in Jaunty and create a usb startup disk.
2) Open usb-creator in Karmic and create a usb startup disk.
3) Compare usability, intuitiveness and ease of use.
Result: Jaunty (previous release - Ubuntu 9.04) wins hands down.
Expected: With development, software should strive to become easier and simpler. This is not true of this change which was made for a the Mobile team and not for a large number of desktop users.
Conclusion:
The reason that the title ends with "This should not be the default" is because there is (all be it, minority) a use case for writing directly to a device. For this one use case we need to have an "Advanced mode" which switches from Abstracted Devices to Device Paths (Device/
ProblemType: Bug
Architecture: i386
Date: Tue Jan 12 17:27:11 2010
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 9.10
NonfreeKernelMo
Package: usb-creator (not installed)
ProcEnviron:
PATH=(custom, user)
LANG=en_US.UTF-8
SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcVersionSign
SourcePackage: usb-creator
Uname: Linux 2.6.31-17-generic i686
| komputes (komputes) wrote | #1 |
| komputes (komputes) wrote | #2 |
| komputes (komputes) wrote | #3 |
| Mathieu Trudel-Lapierre (cyphermox) wrote | #4 |
| Changed in usb-creator (Ubuntu): | |
| status: | New → Confirmed |
| importance: | Undecided → Low |
| tags: | added: regression-potential |
| summary: |
- Feature request: redesign usb-creator to use abstracted device names - instead of device paths by default + Regression: usb-creator stoped using abstracted device names for device + paths. This should not be the default. |
| description: | updated |
| summary: |
- Regression: usb-creator stoped using abstracted device names for device - paths. This should not be the default. + Regression: usb-creator replaced using abstracted device names by using + device paths. This should not be the default. |
| description: | updated |
| Daniel Richard G. (skunk) wrote | #5 |
| tags: |
added: regression-release removed: regression-potential |
Confirmed: we do have screenshots to describe the state of usb-creator between the two releases.
I've opted to mark this as Low rather than Wishlist since it would seem to me like this is a regression (hence the regression-
Thanks komputes!