Samba, O Samba, how I hate you. WHY is installing Ubuntu as simple as half a dozen mouse clicks, and installing software as simple as two clicks, but setting up Samba is a fucking nightmare of epic proportions? Getting access between P’s XP and my Ubuntu was kind of a pain, but I figured it out in the end. Getting access between the laptop and my desktop should be simpler (one would think) because they’re using the same OS, but…no. Samba is installed and running. I’ve edited smb.conf and unless I forgot something critical since the last time I did it, it should be right. I can see the workgroup and the computer names, but can’t browse any shares even though I’ve set up users and shares on both systems. WTF am I doing wrong, or not doing? The Samba guide is a confusing blob of words that generally don’t apply to my situation, and although LinNeighborhood made me a nice GUI, and I can see the names of the shared folders, I can’t mount anything because I get access denied errors, or no connection at all. I’ve even run the goddamned thing as root once, but…nope.

Samba, I love you because you can talk to Windows, but I for damned sure hate to have to configure you because you are a PIG.

EDIT:

Okay…that was fun, and if memory serves, it worked just the way it did the last time. Meaning, of course, that it works just fine now and I still don’t know what the fuck I did to get it that way. I turned off both firewalls and somehow, it decided to work, but even after I turned both of them back on, it still worked, so that wasn’t the problem. Anyway, it works, but that doesn’t mean I don’t still have a love-hate relationship with Samba. I do.

P.S. I’m very well moisturised and I smell so damned good that I’m giving serious consideration to chewing off a leg or something. OTOH, I may need both of them in future. Hm.