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We have cautioned Novell, repeatedly and in clear and concise terms, to learn from the Mandrake collapse, not to rush releases out the door with crippled software to misguidedly reach for a "projected" revenue stream, not to force beta, god forbid "alpha" software on its loyal end users, and to not ignore the wise advise and suggestions received from the user base. Has anyone listened? The most "user alienating" blunder I have seen in 8 years of being active with various linux distributions is the push of KDE4 out the door as part of 11.0. It was insanity in it finest moment. KDE4 had no business being part of the 11.0 release and should rightly be the topic of "opensuse-kde4@opensuse.org" until kde4, in its function, stability and utility has equaled or surpassed that of kde3.XX -- Period. But I guarantee you, that isn't Novell's plan. What I see is a conscious, deliberate plan by Novell to dump kde4 on its core user base and to use the community as beta testers so that by 11.1 Novell is the only distro that can claim to be a kde4 distribution. That is the only way to view it from a legitimate business decision perspective. If I'm right, Novell should be slapped for its dishonesty in going about it the way they have. I'm all for kde4 and I'm all for seeing Novell do it first. But, I am completely against Novell foisting kde4 on the user base until it is developed, functional and far beyond alpha and beta software. If you want help -- ask, don't dump. If Novell's plan is anything close to what I've opined, then Novell needs to be candid and honest with its user base. If Novell had said, "Hey, kde4 isn't ready yet, but we would like you guys (and girls) to load it and help get it functional so we can be the first distro to integrate it an provide kde4 functionality so it will give us a leg up on the competition when we're done", I would have been more than happy to say -- "sure, I don't mind helping, helps you generate income, helps me get a better distro." But instead, for whatever the actual reason, Novell has, intentionally or unintentionally, completely angered and alienated a significant minority, if not majority, of its core user base and supporters. It has given duplicitous reasons, and outright Bush/Cheney explanation for why kde4 is stuffed on top of 11.0 and why kde3 is on the way out. The Mandrake legacy all over again. If somewhere within the Linux side of Novell someone thinks they are being "smart" with this course of conduct, let the user base remind you -- "honesty is always the best policy." It's demanded as a right, not asked as a favor. -- David C. Rankin, J.D., P.E. Rankin Law Firm, PLLC 510 Ochiltree Street Nacogdoches, Texas 75961 Telephone: (936) 715-9333 Facsimile: (936) 715-9339 www.rankinlawfirm.com -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org