One of the wallpapers has XFCE on it, but I didn't change my desktop environment. Also of note, when I open the terminal it doesn't look the same as it used to. Instead of the dark purple window it's a black window with white text and the window's icon is a red "X" with a dark blue "T" on it.
This is a headless machine and I connect to it through remote-desktop.
If I go through the applications menu (manually clicking, the super key does nothing and my keyboard does not have a "Fn" key) and go to settings I get the window on the left. Changing the settings in this window does nothing. Right clicking the desktop and clicking "desktop settings" I get the window on the right. This window correctly changes the wallpaper.
When I open the home folder I get Thunar.
My guess is there are two desktop environments competing or something right now? How can I fix this?
Also, weirdly, if I click my name in the upper right I can "lock screen" and "log out..." but I can't "switch user," "suspend," or "shut down."
Thank you in advance for any help.
Your problem is that you're still using Ubuntu, after Canonical started injecting advertising and wants you to pay for it now.
Try a different distro, like anything besides Ubuntu..
My primary machine runs Pop!_OS, but I've had this machine running for years. Back when I installed Ubuntu on it, Canonical wasn't widely known as a bad guy. I've got various services running that I would need to resetup if I started from scratch.
I get where you're coming from, but to migrate everything over would take so much time. For now I would really like it if my desktop just worked correctly. When I get the time I can look into putting mint or debian on it.
Popos is based on Ubuntu, but maintained by a separate company and has major differences. I’ve also been running it on a couple of machines for years and have been quite happy with it.
I feel your pain from a distance, I really do. ☹️
The best advice I have in the meantime is to prepare for a full backup of all packages and consider switching to a different Debian based distro..
https://forums.debian.net/viewtopic.php?t=138166
That link seems to be filled with ways to clone drives, but if I'm migrating I wouldn't want to clone ubuntu and take it with me.
I know that your /home folder can be on a different drive/partition, but can you install files to a different location as well? Like install docker etc. in your /home folder or something and then if you switch distros just bring your /home folder with you and remake the links to the apps or something.
As user-focused as linux is (at least linux users), I wouldn't be surprised if there was some tool that made this easy. But idk.
Wanna hear a scary command I've used before?
sudo aptitude reinstall '~i'Not for the faint of heart, nor meant for a fresh install, but that literally reinstalls every single registered package in Debian based distro.
Edit: If you ever dare use that command, you better make 2 pots of coffee and roll 3 joints, cuz it'll take a good while..
I sorta had a feeling that wasn't necessarily the best link after I posted it. Check this for more info (I'm on my phone right now..)
https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/41273/how-to-create-a-list-of-installed-packages-for-easy-automatic-reinstall-after-di
Get out with this noise. This is the same nonsense as "just install Linux" to a person with a Windows problem.
Have you not caught the recent news that Ubuntu is now plastering adverts on the desktop if you haven't paid for it?
Please kindly fuck off.
Here mofo, go purchase Ubuntu Pro..
https://slrpnk.net/post/13269933
Canonical can suck my balls.
Wait you thought that meme was factual? 🫨 Even OP themselves said in that thread it was a joke he made to troll Canonical haters. !linuxmemes@lemmy.world is rarely factual.
Whether factual or not, that's still the direction Canonical is heading.