On or about Friday 29 May 2009 at approximately 16:20:49 Dan Goodman composed: <big snip>
Sorry to come back to this party so late.
Don't be, no time is too late for the truth to bubble to the surface. We will all look back in a couple of years at the wisdom (or lack thereof) of the management decisions made concerning the development, implementation and transition from KDE3 to KDE4. A sad dyslogy is already being prepared.
But (a) I am a former KDE 3.5 user who tried and then abandoned KDE4, not so much for then-current bugs as for attitude that I must abandon paradigms that work for me (icons on the desktop, for example), and then as an after-thought due to backlash, the developers tell us we can learn to create an extra overlay panel if we insist on not running with a clean desktop. School is out, people,
Therein lies the point. There is a difference between 'getting work done' on a computer and never getting done 'getting your computer to work.' That point has been entirely missed in the decisions made surrounding the forced transition to KDE4. I would not have been hesitant at all to move to KDE4 if I could just sit down and 'get work done' on the desktop. But instead I end up endlessly chasing disappearing widgets or plasmoids that add nothing to my ability to 'get work done' but cause endless problems when they crash. When I don't have to 'get work done', I don't mind at all working with KDE4, filing bug reports, etc.., but I have to have the ability to 'get work done' first. Spare time is a luxury.
And (b) I do not require that all KDE3 features work, but that there are functional equivalents of all working tools and working modes, and that it does not require me to do extensive configuration to get there on an upgrade.
Loss of functionality is never acceptable in what is represented to be an "upgrade." <snip>
But Ric, your analogy of the move from highways to mag-lev was just spot-on. We should have a "best-of" list award every year on this list, and I would nominate your post (for that section) in a heartbeat.
Dan
KDE4 is getting there, but it is still not an honest "replacement" in terms of stability or functionality for KDE3, nor will it be by the release of 11.2. Therein lies the problem which no one is willing to address. It is no secret and it is a foreseeable reality major desktop rewrite/transitions. The management failure within openSuSE is failing to have a backup plan in the event the foreseeable happened. For the second time in a row it seems we get to look forward to a release with a desktop that is less stable and less functional than where we were in October 2007. (Note: Don't get me wrong, this isn't a bash everything post, I fully recognize the great improvements that have been made to virtually all other areas of openSuSE from 10.3 on. Job well done there. This post is limited solely to the KDE4 desktop) While I have no confidence that KDE4 will be a honest replacement by 11.2 release, I am confident that it will get there by 11.0 EOL. In the interim if we can just keep the 'accidentally on purpose' breakage of KDE3 packages under control and fix the problems caused by building KDE3 apps against the KDE4 runtime which breaks KDE3 functionality, then I think we will get through this OK. **************** By the way, I'm still waiting on someone to fix kdiff3.... It is still broken in community due to admittedly being compiled against the kde4 runtime which breaks konqueror integration (one of it best bits of functionality and efficiency)... which is what started this thread to begin with ;-) **************** In close, I think we can all agree that where the "pooch got screwed" with KDE4 was the (decision to/fiasco that resulted from) the release 4.04 as the default desktop on 11.0. What were they smoking -- alpha software as the apparent default? What should have happened was to continue KDE3 as the primary, supported desktop through 11.1 with KDE4 offered as an alternative. Then in 11.2 KDE4 could have been made the default with KDE3 offered as an alternative scheduled for phase out with the release of 11.3 with the contingency plan to support it in 11.3 should KDE4 still not be up to par. (the latter of which is still possible and doable) Had a competent phase in/phase out plan been developed with proper contingency planning and had that plan and schedule been provided to the openSuSE community instead of the series of "surprises" that unfolded, then the roll-out of KDE4 could have been much more successful, more orderly and perhaps even anxiously anticipated. Who knows, I may be completely wrong and KDE4 may be ready by 11.2. We will likely all be moving to KDE4 by 11.2 anyway. If I am, then we may be able to write a eulogy instead of a dyslogy. -- 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