Between 1998 and 2008 I always configured my networks by hand on Debian machines. Then I switched to Ubuntu for my desktop. After the first upgrade, X wouldn't start. As a result, I had no network connection, because that is set up by the NetworkManager applet (which is completely braindead: you don't need an applet to have a network connection start automatically).
Then I found there just wasn't any CLI interface to configure the network. Or at least: I didn't know which one it was. When I found out (it was network-manager-cli or something back then), it wasn't installed. Well gee, thanks, it's not like it doesn't happen regularly with Ubuntu upgrades that you get stuck on the cli...
Between 1998 and 2008 I always configured my networks by hand on Debian machines. Then I switched to Ubuntu for my desktop. After the first upgrade, X wouldn't start. As a result, I had no network connection, because that is set up by the NetworkManager applet (which is completely braindead: you don't need an applet to have a network connection start automatically).
Then I found there just wasn't any CLI interface to configure the network. Or at least: I didn't know which one it was. When I found out (it was network-manager-cli or something back then), it wasn't installed. Well gee, thanks, it's not like it doesn't happen regularly with Ubuntu upgrades that you get stuck on the cli...