The Merits of Control-Alt-Backspace, or Geeks vs. Reality
For the release of Jaunty, the Ubuntu developers decided to disable the control-alt-backspace shortcut for killing the graphical X session. This move prompted a lot of complaining from advanced users. Although I personally sympathize with these people, their grievances reflect the all-too-common tendency of a minority of geeky users to rise up in arms about trivial features, impeding the progress of things that matter.
As a comparatively advanced Ubuntu user, I quite liked the control-alt-backspace feature, which came in handy for logging out of Gnome quickly or dealing with X crashes. In Jaunty, I now have to go to the trouble of clicking the logout button when I want to end my session, or switching to a virtual terminal and restarting GDM if the X server freezes. This is a bit frustrating, and Canonical’s claim that control-alt-backspace was disabled for the benefit of users who accidentally pressed those keys seems silly, since a user would really have to go out of her way to kill X unintentionally using that shortcut.
That said, being an advanced user also means I’m more than capable of restoring the control-alt-backspace functionality if I want to. A quick Google search yields links to several pages with instructions for changing the default behavior, all of them relatively easy to implement. So while I find the decision to disable this feature silly and mildly frustrating, it doesn’t really bother me.
It also shouldn’t bother normal users, who never use the control-alt-backspace feature. Normal users–unlike elite hackers who cringe with every extraneous keystroke and click of the mouse–don’t mind clicking the logout button. They also don’t understand the difference between X and the underlying system; when X freezes, even if the kernel is in perfectly stable shape, normal users hard-reboot their machines anyway. They don’t know any better, and they shouldn’t be expected to.
Geeks vs. Reality
Since normal users will be unaffected by the removal of a feature that they didn’t use in the first place, and since advanced users can easily reenable that functionality if they choose, this should be a non-issue. But for a geeky minority, Canonical’s decision to disable the shortcut is a gross offense, since it’s perceived as an attempt by Ubuntu developers to dictate how to use computers, rather than allowing users to decide for themselves.
Such complaints are pure hyperbole, for the reasons discussed above. Canonical isn’t dictating how personal computers should be used; it’s merely trying to improve the experience of new users, albeit in a somewhat silly way.
Geeks who complain about the absence of advanced features represent a serious impediment to the evolution of Ubuntu into a platform that can truly be used by the masses. Those who suggest–as one user did–that unintentionally pressing control-alt-backspace and losing work as a result is “part of the learning process” are clearly out of touch with reality. For normal people, computers are a vehicle for getting work done, not a medium for exploration and learning by trial and error.
As Ubuntu developers work on making Ubuntu more accessible to normal people, they should not be distracted by complaints from the minority of narrow-minded advanced users who fail to understand how most individuals use computers. If you want to be an elite hacker, you can compile your own kernel with all the obscure features you love. But Ubuntu isn’t, and shouldn’t aspire to be, a platform for geeks.
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Ubuntu should have a setup option when you install.
– Enable advanced features
– Disable advanced features
Or something that can be run after the install to re-enable options that will likely be disabled in the future also.
Easy, win-win.
There are some people like the blind gnu/Linux users who really need this feature.
http://playingwithsid.blogspot.com/2009/04/enable-ctrl-alt-backspace-in-jaunty.html
I agree with your conclusion. Nevertheless I understand that some experienced users will miss it.
I’m one of those normal users…I have never used control-alt-backspace.
People that use the keyboard for everything and the mouse for nothing will know that it happens that one accidentally presses Ctrl-Alt-Backspace. (Ctrl-Alt is a common keyboard modifier, and Backspace is also a commonly used key). Which in turn used to cause data-loss. That behaviour was unacceptable.
The following would be an ideal resolution IMHO:
When the user presses Ctrl-Alt-Backspace, the system would display a dialog (“curses” style, without using X) asking “Do you want to immediately kill the current session?” with the options “Yes, kill it” and “What? Heck no, get me back to where I was”.
Ctrl-Alt-Bk was really useful to the ones that know it exist. It was harmless to the ones that do not know it, but it may be also useful to newbies when they find a problem and ask some experienced user. Some examples:
– I have some problems configuring a video card. I tried different drivers that hangs X, text mode does not work either (Ctrl-Alt-FX) so I can only press the reset button and risk my filesystem.
– Similar thing happens to newbie friend, she calls me but I cannot advice to use Ctrl-Alt-Bk because it is disabled. Explaining how to re-enable Ctrl-Alt-Bk on the phone is not an option.
Ctrl-Alt-Bk was a traditional option used by many long-term users (even if they are not advanced users). Disabling it is just confusing, like disabling Ctrl-Alt-Del for MS-Windows users…
I think this is now a part of Xserver-Xorg 1.6 (which Debian Sid got in April), rather than just specific to Ubuntu.
When I first learned about KDE’s System Activity popup when [Ctrl]Esc] is pushed (back in KDE 3.1 days), I got pretty excited and pushed every button combination that I could think of. [Ctrl][Alt][Backspace] was one of them, and for me this 2 minutes of pushing buttons was certainly a part of the learning experience. Others may never think of this exercise, which is really too bad. A computer most certainly should be “a medium for exploration and learning by trial and error”.
I’m often confounded by the Linux community. They want people to use Linux, but they don’t want Linux to be easy to use. Like Christopher said, this behavior is easily reinstated for you l33t hax0rs.
As for the rest of us normal users, I’m glad to see it done away with. It’s a stupid feature that has little use for end-users; ctrl+alt+backspace is emblematic of how Linux developers are out of touch with end-users. It’s great for saving 0.77 seconds restarting the X session (something that SHOULDN’T need to be done that often anyway), but all it does for most people is confuse them.
And yes, I have accidentally hit ctl+alt+backspace a few times. It’s quite easy when you’re running an IDE where hitting ctrl+alt+something-else is common.
Hooray for common sense. Good luck with
@lefty: don’t you think there’s a better paradigm for learning keyboard shortcuts than blindly pressing every conceivable option? I mean… seriously?
What good can come of disabling C-A-Bkspce? Oh my God…
Achtung alle normal users — UBUNTARDS!!!!
Oh man, I realized it was gone when the ati driver crapped out… had to have fun with magic sysrq instead.
“all-too-common tendency of a minority of geeky users to rise up in arms about trivial features,”
I see things the opposite way. Some idiot hit the keys by accident and made such a loud complaint about it, that he ruined it for the rest of us. I mean come on, who hits Ctrl-Alt-Backspace by accident? It wasn’t hurting anybody by being there so why take it out? You just alienate some of your advanced users for taking out something they like.
And when these people bitch and moan about how we’re making Ubuntu easy to use, you have to ask “Why are you using it??”
If you don’t like Ubuntu’s philosophy, WHY ARE YOU USING IT? Go install Arch Linux or Gentoo or something and tweak things to your heart’s content. There’s a reason Ubuntu’s the biggest, best Linux distribution, and it’s not the nerds.
Anyway, just use Alt+SysRq+K.
As you said in your article, the presence of this feature probably has no affect on inexperienced users. They don’t know any better anyway, and will simply reboot the computer if X freezes. Its presence does not change the user experience for them. Those users are usually mouse jockeys anyway, rather than keyboard junkies.
It does change the user experience for others. It becomes one more item on the list that must be hand configured.
So, is Cannonical’s aim to create a distribution that just works for everyone, or one that just works for the clueless?
GEEKS can use ALT + PRINTSCREEN + K it will do the same
Just another reason not to use *buntu.
I installed Ubuntu my folks and my sister’s PCs, both of whom who are clearly average “non-geek” users who need everything to just work. Unfortunately, my folks did have problems with both soft and hard lock ups where they needed CTRL-ALT-BKSP on numerous occasions. Likewise my sister also has an occasional need for this key combination. The easiest way to explain the linux X server CTRL-ALT-BKSP to a former Windows user is that this is the CTRL-ALT-DELETE of linux — I know — I know — It is not the same, but it serves the same purpose for a truly “average” non-geek user when their GUI becomes unresponsive (or nearly) and is far less destructive than a hard reset.
I am really glad that all it took to re-enable was a entering a few extra lines into x.org
Thanks friends.
(Also, btw where’s Dan Voyles?)
Also, @ Juarez, please understand that this is not a *buntu thing, it is an x.org thing. That is why this is also an issue in the latest Fedora release. However, it is true that the Ubuntu team could have decided to re-enable this feature in their default install (and should have IMHO.)
Use Ubuntu, but if you don’t, please use GNU/LINUX.
I am worried. There are some parts that, although they are not deal breakers, are fundamental to GUI Linux systems. Like the stripes to a Tiger, teeth and sharp claws, there is a three finger salute to say bye bye to a misbehaving X server and start over again clean. Its like Windows with no start button or vi that cuts and pastes like notepad.
Anyway, I can think this is a little too much considering that it was the same argument back in the DOS days when people complained that ctrl-alt-del was too dangerous…bla, bla, bla.
Although I find this argument quite amusing, there are more hilarious things going on in this world that have a much greater comedic value like this post on Linux Magazine: Microsoft Patent: More Money for Less Functions http://www.linux-magazine.com/online/news/microsoft_patent_more_money_for_less_functions.
I’ve gotta agree with pizzapanther and others. Was there really that much of a problem with these “accidents” that they had to break a standard, well-known key combo? And it affects usability for the blind, as does the removing of the shutdown option from the system menu. I used to be a firm believer in going for the latest release, but I now see lots of merit in recommending that casual users stick with the LTS unless you *know* you need something from a newer release.
This is NOT Ubuntu though Ubuntu sucked up this swill from zXorg. Nvidia and especially ATI drivers are unstable this was an easy way to get newbies back to a desktop. The alleged documentation you provide is worthless since this has been ripped out of the xserver and shoved into xkb. There is NO GUI to reverse it and simple file edits won’t work.
Since Fedora is the only distribution that’s provided a solution I will probably dump jaunty and go with them until the drivers stabilize. I will have to tell the few friends I suckered into using Ubuntu to down grade until I can find something they can work with.
With Win7 coming out I may lose them to it.
I want Ubuntu to be for the mAsses I do not want it be so brain damaged geeks abandon it because if we do it will die.
I don’t understand this at all. On one hand, you admit that it’s pretty much impossible to accidentally hit ctrl-alt-bkspc, that it’s a feature that “advanced users” find very useful, and that you yourself find this decision “silly and mildly frustrating.” Then you completely go off the rails and say “Geeks who complain about the absence of advanced features represent a serious impediment to the evolution of Ubuntu into a platform that can truly be used by the masses.”
I’m sorry, what? It’s a feature that non-advanced users pretty much never see, it’s something that advanced users like, it’s not hurting anyone, it’s helping me, but somehow my dissatisfaction with this decision makes me a “serious impediment to the evolution of Ubuntu?” How’s that again?
-p.daniels
Ubuntu is not for geeks, if you want Linux without training wheels then use Fedora, Debian, Slackware, Gentoo etc etc.
This change is sensible for Ubuntu’s target audience, having an “enable advanced features” button is silly for a distro like Ubuntu, if you know enough to press yes to that question you shouldn’t be using Ubuntu!!
#1 The argument:
As has been noted by a few other users, this is not an Ubuntu thing… it is a larger Xserver change. Please make sure you know what you are talking about before you go posting a shot at power users.
#2 The utility:
While this was a combination occasionally pressed by mistake, it was an important command for moving past system lockups. There are many times I have helped users through a problem with their system by starting with this combo. Making users drop to a command line or use a more convoluted kernel command it is worse for normal users.
#3 The conclusion:
Ubuntu, “I am what I am because of who we all are”. This is not a distro for power users or for newbies, it is a distro for everyone. Power users are the backbone of the community, and should be catered to appropriately. Yes there are times when a minority must be disgruntled for the good of the community, but this entire article misses the point.
I must say…those who claim to be “normal” users in the Linux world really aren’t apparently. I don’t believe Linux should work like Windows but this is one of the few cases where it makes sense. People know alt-ctl-del. I first learned of alt-ctl-bk by trying to do alt-ctl-del. Most new Linux users will do the same. This is what a “normal” user is going to expect. It seems to me that a “power” user would not care because they know how to get around this anyway. I just think the thinking on this is totally backwards.
And I’m sorry but even with heavy keyboard usage I do not see hitting alt-ctl-bk happening much more than alt-ctl-delete. I’m having a hard time believing that this is a wide spread problem. If anything its probably the “power” user than runs across this problem because the “normal” user is tied to their mouse. Once again this thinking seems totally backwards to me.
Just another reason not to use *buntu.
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/X/Config/DontZap
You can fix it. Quickly. Easily.
Ubuntu. Works for me ;-P
The “you can fix it” argument does not apply. The Ctrl-Alt-Backsp issue is just one of many things – uninstalled manual pages and header files, undocumented configuration files, crippled software… – I have just spent several weekends fixing on a new Ubuntu install, to get a (for me) working system.
If the Ubuntu guys were honest, they would state openly that their distro is aimed exclusively at Windows users whose only interest in Linux is novelty and brag value. Having a global install switch for expert features might be nice, but would likely be infeasible: mounting USB drives (for example) is done by the Gnome window manager, fundamentally breaking this feature if you like to choose your own WM.
Linux (and more generally UNIX) used to be a transparent system made by and for computer literates. Those who look for a consumer device rather than a programmable machine are well serverd by Windows, which most distros now resemble down to the system sounds. The geeks who created Linux have hardly anywhere else to go, and you have to be stupidity chauvinist not to admit that is a shame.
Ctrl-Alt-Bksp is easily the best way for Linux users to recover from a freeze. Getting rid of it is a bad idea. Why anyone would consider a reboot to be better than just killing an X session is beyond me. This move DOESN’T improve anything and represents a step backward in ease of use. That being said, if the Linux community wants people to migrate away from Windows then Linux distros need to be easy to migrate to. Those few programmers who think the average user should should stay away from Linux would better serve the community by keeping their arrogance to themselves.