[Tails-dev] Not happy with my tails experience

 

Hello!

I have tried to use tails to no success.

The time spent is some hours over the last 3 days.

My linux experience is about 15 years, I'm a part time linux user.
Mostly using Windows for 100% time and from time to time using windows
and linux 50:50.

My linux level is average.


Before I dive in to tell my tails findings, I ask you to keep my words
not as a wild ranting or meant as bad critics. I think, the work of
many of you for the tails project is great.

And in the second place forgive some of the comming sentences which could
sound a bit offensive, it's probably caused by not being perfect in the
english language

###

I don't have produces a written protocol, so some info can be a bit unsharp
and at the moment I'm working on one of my debian machines and can't loo up some
infos (**) on the windows machines

###

So my state of mind was happiness, optimism, keeping on, getting angry, using
the expression 'shit' in my thoughts

But I try to keep being calm and positive :)

###

I bought 2 new 8 GB transcend USB sticks to get a clean install, not getting trapped
by too small or outworn hardware

I checked the SHA256 checksum of the ISO file: correct

I started installing tails on a desktop machine with ALI chipset and AMD64 K8 '3200'
with 2 GB RAM

writing the image with (** usbinstalller or so, the actual version) seemed to go on fine.

But after booting up from that stick there came a lot of read errors - should be in the
syslinux phase - and then 'cannot find path to kernel'

.

I used another desktop machine AMD 2core 4800 or so (dual core) with VIA chipset, 2 GB RAM

similar result added here were colored block glitches on the screen. EDR 0100 read error or
the like. seemed to boot, but then got stuck

.

flashed the usb stick anew, now on another machine
and also flashed my second new usb stick
.

still no success

.

used the stick in a 6 years old laptop with intel celeron 2GHz with intel ihc 5 (?) chipset
and 1 GB of RAM.

.

started up ok.

My critics: In the opening screen, where a root password can be set as well as 3 other options,
I got really angry.

root psw: no problem

second choice is windows hiding: what in hell is her the on and the off state of this choice?
clicking on the string-field gives either a dark grey or a lighter grey apearance of the text box
Why not use a simple checkbox? On Off would be clear.

third choice is mac spoofing. Same unclear staus as above: What is on waht is off?

fourt choice should be a dual choice thing with 2 fields:
gateway etc   1) unproblematic  versus 2) some work to do
but the fields don't toggle each other.
AND again here grey versus grey as indicator of choice.

dammit!

-

got tails running, created a second stick from within tails to use persistent storage.

the creation process stopped at 98%. no more advance even 15 minutes later

maybe, the open, but unused tor browser (ok, it's iceweasel, but would help naming it TOR in the menue)
was hindering the process.

rebooted, got through the grey grey choices, startet the tails tool again
this time the stick with persisstent storage was created.

// I was hoping to be through with trouble now, but...

started with that new stick, created a persistent storage on that stick

rebooted

the persistent storage wasn't there. something went wrong while creating it

deleted the non-working persistent storege

created a new persistent storage

rebooted

now success was in reach, as the dual choice box with options did show up a selction
for the persistent storage.

checked it, did not check the readonly button.

started on.

In the tails tool I checked all private settings from gpg key over dot-files and
browser bookmarks to be held in the persistent storage.

One of the major points for me for using this personal setting is choosing the german
keyboard layout. And of course having some bookmarks persistant is a good thing too.

So I set german keyboard, english surrounding, set some bookmarks

As I thought, these settings would be updated in the persistent storage at the moment
or at least before rebooting the machine.

nope

no german keyboard layout, no bookmarks.

Is there a special procedure necessary that I might have missed?

Btw: I have put this stick (persistent) into the first mentioned AMD64K8 machine and it is
seen in the bios, but while booting , the stick is completely overrun and the first stop
is at my grub. Could that have to do with the special type of partition used here?

-

ok, this is the end for now.

I AM angry, but not angry on somebody of the tails team, but angry on this situation.

As a fallback and proven solution I have my linux boxes with debian linux and TOR
installed. What I was hoping of from tails was a universal dedicated safe and anon linux
'to go' and use on many different machines. Wasn't that the intention?

-

Some minor points, that are more a personal liking thing:

I don't like gnome, all my machines have kde on them. This gnome comes with the menue/status
line on top instead on bottom of the screen. makes me crave. Can that pe persistently set to
be on the bottom line?

The network settings can be stored in the persistent storage. I just had a peek at it from my
debain running. Is it really a good idea to store that data? When going from one machine
to another with this one stick, wouldn't it possibly mess things up? With a working dhcp it
should not really cost time to live without persistence.

The 'nm-systems-connections' folder is at least populated with data.
The 'Persistent' folder is empty
The 'bookmarks' folder contains a places.sqlite file, which seems to be without any links in it
The 'dotfiles' folder is empty
The 'open-ssh-client' folder is empty, now wonder, haven't used ssh on the tails machine, so no keys
The gpg and othe folders are obviously populated with default files

The persistence.conf file in the TailsData partittion contains this:

 

--

So to sum it up:
Is the german keyboard layout pewrsitently possible?
What's about the bookmarks?
manually copy them to persistence folder?

A last thought: both machines struggling to run tails at all were AMD K8 machines.
The syslinux files seem to hae two general options: AMDK8 or 486 (includes intel celeron, I think)

Could that be a cause for the readerrors, not finding kernel, not finding the xxxyyyzzz.c32
startfile of (I think) syslinux?


Thanks for your time!

 

And PEACE and GREETINGS and THANKS

 

PS: If needed or useful, I can provide more detailed information.