Xorg

Purely because it is so damn frustrating, I am going to rant about xorg.conf today!

If you don't use Linux, you won't have a clue what this is, so worry not. For the rest of us, why on earth has xorg decided to make the configuration file so totally and utterly pointless?

When you edited the old xorg.conf files, you had a nice long list (OK, some of it perhaps not very useful) which allowed you to change the graphics card settings or monitor resolutions etc. Now, you just get "Configured Device" in the (much restricted) sections. Nothing to help with problems which new users are facing setting up their graphics for example.

Xorg bloggers claim this is in response to people stating it was too complex. Well, yes, it could be seen as complicated but for any vaguely experienced Linux user, it was always somewhere that you could discover the problems and fix them with judicious editing. Not now though!

One of the things about Linux is that you can delve into the workings - at your own level of comfort. If you didn't understand xorg.conf, you either left it well alone, asked a more experienced user or did some research on Google or wherever.

This "dumbed down" version is simply too "dumbed down" - fine if it works, useless if things don't! My old monitor for example is not recognised correctly - never has been. So I have always edited xorg.conf and set the h and v ref myself. Now, there is nothing. Luckily, I still have backups of my old xorg.conf and I overwrite the "new" useless version with one which actually does let me do things.

Whoever came up with this should seriously rethink. Yes, I can substitute my old settings, but if I am attempting to assist someone with a problem - perhaps on Launchpad for example - I am totally in the dark.

Pleae, please, sort it out and get the old version back!