KDE's Version Timing Drops It In Ubuntu Support Priority 187
News.com is reporting that the next version of Ubuntu will see KDE unsupported, but only for the time being. Because of the dramatic changeover from KDE 3.5 to 4.0, Ubuntu sponsor Canonical is unwilling to initially support the popular Linux GUI. Gnome will still be supported, and the company expects to return support to kubuntu soon. "Developer interest is focused on KDE 4.0, but it's not mature enough yet to use in the next KDE-based variation of Ubuntu, called Kubuntu, Scott James Remnant, leader of the Ubuntu Desktop team, said in an explanation to a Kubuntu mailing list. But most Kubuntu developers adding features "upstream" of today's products are focused on KDE 4.0, meaning that it's risky to release a long-term support version based on 3.5."
Re:News? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:ubuntu shmoobuntu (Score:2, Insightful)
KDE4 will probably be backported to 7.10, and will most certainly be included in 8.10.
The reiterate how above relates to your comment (sorry, I get carried away sometimes), the point of the twice-a-year release schedule is being able to make press releases and submit a lot of stories to Digg and Slashdot. Seen Slashdot's BSD coverage lately [slashdot.org]? That's fewer stories for all the major BSDs (save for Mac OS X) than for one Linux distribution in the past year. Novelty is key if you want attention. By the time the same (matured, stabilized) features are added to BSD and Linux distributions that aim more at stability, it'll seem stale compared to the newest (not-quite-stable-yet) features in Ubuntu.
I'd rather see them be honest (Score:5, Insightful)
So, with that in mind, it's actually nice to see them declare that something won't be working _before_ I waste time trying to upgrade to it. I can then make an informed decision about what to do, instead of using a half assed release that would disappoint me. Not meeting expectations is about the worst thing you can do to your credibility.
Disappointing Turn (Score:5, Insightful)
Someone with an active interest in Linux isn't likely to be confused, but there's a growing number of Linux users who don't follow Linux as an interest, it's just the thing on their computer. More than most other distros, those are the people that Ubuntu has been trying to cater to. I think they chose the worst possible option given their target audience.
It might seem ridiculous to think a seemingly minor detail could confuse or scare off people, but after years of working in support (and I think any support representatives would agree) you might be surprised at how easily people form mental blocks and shut down (mentally) when faced with any computer-related issue. When you walk someone through a process and a button doesn't say exactly what you indicate, they panic. To them "END" is not the same as "FINISH" or "DONE, even though they should all mentally register as a word signifying completion. And then they won't even tell you the name of the button that appeared on their screen, they'll only tell you that they don't see the one you said, like you're playing some sort of sadistic "I Spy" riddle game. Sorry for the digression. Old trauma.
(I'm not knocking Ubuntu for catering to non-technical users. I prefer Ubuntu myself, though I've been a Linux user much longer.)
Re:ubuntu shmoobuntu (Score:5, Insightful)
As for the pointless attack on "lusers", what exactly is your point? That the default configurations are too simple? How is this a bad thing? You can change it however you want so why complain? Because it is not how YOU want it? Linux still has many rough edges, making it simpler is important not just for wider adoption but also just to make lifer easier for people. Providing I can still change it, I don't care how it is by default. Having everything complex from the get go is just stupid, why make things harder than they need to be?
Comment removed (Score:3, Insightful)
I can understand why. (Score:2, Insightful)
Right now is not the time... (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:I'd rather see them be honest (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:real shame (Score:2, Insightful)
GTK already snapped up most of the cross platform action and troltech hasn't done much to go after it. Most QT stuff at this point is strictly Linux as "K" apps.. there's not much incentive to port to windows or mac because there are already GTK equivalents in that space.
If the OS X native port of GTK doesn't get its ass in gear, that is about to change. GTK on OS X means using X11. KDE4 apps on Mac will run native. About a year from now, we'll be seeing polished KDE4 apps on Windows, Mac, and Linux.
Re:ubuntu shmoobuntu (Score:4, Insightful)
The regular release cycle helps contributing developers to enjoy their work - they can count on finished new features to be out in less than 6mos, rather than less than a year, which can be pretty exciting. And it aids iterative development - a year between releases can encourage hail mary style development where you go big and failures are crushing.
Re:That's what you get... (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:LTS = a bad joke (Score:3, Insightful)
With the 2 latest releases of Ubuntu :
* Take a shiny new lenovo laptop with ati x1400 graphics and try to "ubuntu it"
* Why why why and why does the default desktop install cd come without a command line installer ? if you can't make X work for everyone, give us the command line installer, ok ?
Now if the LTS comes out with the same "features" towards ati cards (and no workaround to install the native ati driver that at least brings X up), and also skips proper kde support, i'll kick it out from my laptop.
KDE is the only reasonable X window manager for me, i have grown into it through out the years and there's nothing that will make me move towards the clumsy, ugly and slow gnome. If ubuntu says "let's only do gnome officially for a while and let the kde people suffer", i will go and 'suffer' my ati based laptop to gentoo. It works like gold on my secondary and i don't have to be shaking like a madman every 6 months.
And modding the parent down for no obvious reason is a lame move from mods. Stop it dudes, he didn't say anything wrong. LTS is a bad joke as far as i can tell (old packages, old bugs and no real solutions to the bugs because eliminating the bugs would introduce some new ones).
Re:ubuntu shmoobuntu (Score:3, Insightful)
If that makes me a luser, it's a badge I'll wear proudly while I use my time to do something other than fight with programs written for people who live in basements and consider what distribution they use a realistic indicator of the size of their cocks.
Re:Not suprising (Score:3, Insightful)
The KDE people are not willing to support 3.5 for five more years (the duration of LTS support contracts of Ubuntu). That's understandable. Even Microsoft plans to end commercial support for XP before then. But at the same time, 4.0 is in no shape to make it into a LTS supported release either.
The problem here is fundamentally that release schedules of various OSS projects are poorly aligned and that that occasionally leads to regrettable delays in getting software in the hands of people. Only a small portion of users ends up using the latest and greatest. For something like a major desktop platform release, the transition period is measured in years. KDE 4.0 will take quite some time to get adopted. Now is not a good time to stuff it into a LTS distribution.