Comment 6 for bug 278211

The network mananger in version 8.10 is downright shambles. I can confirm the 'gateway bug', mentioned above, which is adding 0.0.0.0 as a gateway,automatically. But my problem is much worse.
I have two NICs, eth0 and eth1. One is local LAN and the other is the internet connection. When I try to manually config the eth1(local), I enter the correct network mask (255.255.255.0-- what else). When I save the configuration, the mask is changed to unexplainable 24 - thats right, 24. And they add 0.0.0.0 as gateway address, too. I have tried about 200 times, or so, every time I can find my network mask changed to 24. The tabulator key does not work, by the way. When I have entered the IP-address and use the tab key, I am taken out of the ip-address/mask/gateway line. I have to use the mouse to go to the mask box. There I have to get out by pressing the tab key, otherwise the OK box will not show up active, from its inactive state. The whole GUI is corrupt, as it seems to me.
I have also tried to edit /etc/network/interfaces, calling ifup in rc.local, and all the expensive stuff. When I reboot, I find out that my network manager has gone completely bananas.
I have had ubuntu 6.01 for years, and fedora 6 for years. No problems.I have always been able to ping them.
Since ubuntu 8.10 my network has gone bananas. Can anyone explain to me how I should proceed?
I mean, since the graphical tool is obviously corrupt, which other possibilities do exist?
How can I bypass the graphical networking tool? How come that the network tool is reading the correct info from the files and making shambles out of it?. Now I had to boot VISTA and submit this. F...it. By the way, referring to bug 278211, I also cannot understand the configuration options.