What about a complete reformat of my PC and reinstalling Ubuntu all over again?
Silent-Wraith01
NobbZ
I think it will just swap your current problems with a different set of problems.
In your project, there is specified that it needs an old OTP version, that might be for a reason, or it might be just because no one ever tried an update.
Whether or not building this project with a newer version of erlang is not a given, neither is it a given that it would work with an older. You will still have problems getting the correct version to run properly.
You seem to be new to linux and maybe are also new to elixir and even programming. Learning all at once is very likely overwhelming.
I still think that a mentor who can be in the same room as you would be the best thing, and that you should learn the things one after the other.
1
arcanemachine
If you’re just starting out and you have nothing to lose on the old machine, I say there’s nothing wrong with a fresh start.
Sometimes things get really confusing when you first start to go down these rabbit holes. Wiping the slate clean gives you a chance to try again, without having to worry about the mistakes you made along the way. Just make sure you’re a little more careful this time. 
My recommendations:
- Use asdf to install Erlang/Elixir
https://github.com/asdf-vm/asdf-erlang
https://github.com/asdf-vm/asdf-elixir
- Use apt (the Ubuntu package manager) to install the Postgres server and client tools. (I use Docker images, but that’s an extra layer of complexity to understand.)
Good luck! Have fun and break stuff!
1
derek-zhou
If you have a botched asdf installation, shouldn’t the first step being removing and reinstalling asdf?
1
Silent-Wraith01
CharlesO
MS SQL Server
All my corporate clients run this database.
Hence Tds works well for all my elixir apps.
0
ghannam80
I usually use Postgresql and Sqlite3 but really wish if Elixir support Oracle as the enterprises we deal with mostly have this as the database and options like FDW is not accepted by them.
2
lcabrini
Sorry, but I don’t understand. What is the problem with running multiple database systems on the same machine? I’m biased towards PostgreSQL, but I have had both PostgreSQL and MySQL/MariaDB running on the same machine before without any issues. You could just not start either at bootup and then just fire up the one you need at the time. I don’t see why you would need to reinstall your whole OS just to change database server. Both servers are available for most modern operating systems.
IIRC, some KDE component uses MariaDB for something so I’m probably running it currently, but I didn’t intentionally install it. I always use PostgreSQL for my development work.
2
Richardm