On Saturday 06 December 2008, Richard wrote:
Agreed Larry, KDE4 is significantly improved since the fiasco of 11.0GM, but it still isn't ready for PRIME TIME IMO because of the developers admitted shortcomings that they are working on to implement. What bothers me is the previous announcement by openSuSE that 11.1 is the LAST version to even offer 3.5.x of KDE and I severely feel the likelyhood that if it is dropped, even under the moniker of 'Other' as in 11.1.
Until 4.x of KDE IS (by Will Stephenson's own admisson) brought up to parity with 3.5.x with or without the 'bling', I feel that openSuSE should continue offering 3.5.x as it is now being done in 11.1 and NOT REMOVE it from the distro. They can conduct a poll of distro users and simply ask: Is 4.x now functional enough to free up the space in the distro by not having to offer 3.5.x also?.... If not, what features do you consider 'show stoppers' that remain?
If this is not done, I truly feel that a huge number of people that are not technically literate with Linux or openSuSE will be unable to install 3.5.x of KDE not because it is unavailable anywhere, but because it is unavailable in a way not requiring a PhD to install, eg, using Yast and even if Yast can somehow install it, the underlying KDE4 apps will get in the way, be nearly impossible to remove, or otherwise prevent it from being used effectively. We see this right now with many KDE apps forcing loading of GNOME libraries and I expect vise-versa, and when I try to use KDE3.5.10 appletts for which there do exist v4.x versions (because I like the 3.5.x version better), it is sometimes dammed near impossible to get the earlier version installed. Semi or Illiterate users (probably the majority of Windoze imports) will simply not be able to do this and will assume this is how Linux does it and it's in the 'too hard pile' because they can't just download a 'install.exe' onto their desktop (after paying 49.95 or so for it) and clicking it). The concept of adding some special repository for 'Historical archivial copies of outdated KDE versions) to get a desktop that 'just works', then becoming an 'administrator' (root), launching Yast, figuring out what version of the ancient KDE software is the one that makes their machine work without all the 'bling' and 'just works' like their old fashioned 65 year old friends machines do, will simply elude them and they will get out their Windoze recovery disks and return to the world of paying for everything in mindless bliss.
I don't want to sound negative, but I thought all the Windows converts were going with Ubuntu, and hence with GNOME, these days. I've not met a single Windows user who would have heard of SUSE or KDE. They all know Ubuntu, though, and some have even tried it. They also think the Linux "OS" is "GNOME" the same way Windows XP UI is "Windows". Nor have I seen any magazine write about openSUSE or KDE since 2005 or thereabout. So I doubt many new users are that interested in KDE 3.5, even if it was the only KDE I or you would accept as of now. (And it sure is for me, as I do not feel like restarting X every day -- if I did, I might as well go for XP.) A new user simply does not know that they might want KDE 3.5. Regards, Tero Pesonen -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org