Saturday, May 11, 2013
Does KDE Test at All?
From the number of problems I've noticed in my Kubuntu install, I'm starting to wonder whether KDE tests their stuff before releasing it. Maybe the end user is considered to be the tester? When Linux Mint 15 gets released, I think I'm going to give Xfce or Cinnamon a try and see whether it can boot up clean. Every boot, Kubuntu 13.04 gives me two empty blnkscrn.kss windows and a buggy error report on Thunderbird. I don't think KDE is ready for prime time yet. Certainly Xfce seems more stable than KDE and less error-prone.
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4 comments:
Igor,
The thing about KDE is on each distro it runs a little different(it seems.) I can't find that sweet spot of happiness. Opensuse 12.3 has to be the most beautiful, but yast feels like some crazy maze to me. Today I jumped back to Xubuntu 12.04. So many choices and I've got the distro jumping fever real bad.
Scott
Why not Xubuntu 13.04? I do like Xfce, and one thing that's really nice about it is that it doesn't seem buggy. I don't get these weird buggy windows popping up at start-up time. KDE's special desktop effects are nice, but if they have to come along with a bunch of bugs then they aren't worth the trouble. Simple, stable and fast beats a bunch of error messages any day of the week. I also like Thunar's extremely useful ability to handle custom actions. And Xfce allows a fairly extensive degree of desktop customization. It is a light desktop without sacrificing the most useful tools. The biggest catch is that making a dark desktop isn't as easy as on KDE 4.10.2.
I think I will keep my desktop Kubuntu, in the hopes that the next KDE release will fix the bugs. They seem to be having a great deal of difficulty in coding the screensaver or screenlocker. It behaves in a crazy manner, as though nobody had tested it more than once or twice. I think KDE needs more testers and fewer coders!
My laptop with Linux Mint 14 KDE and backported KDE 4.10.2 is working well, but I don't do much with it besides torrenting and playing chess.
My htpc loves Linux Mint 14 Xfce with backported Xfce 4.10.2. Funny how the different desktops seem to place emphasis on having the same version number at the same time, as though it were an arms race.
Igor,
"Why not Xubuntu 13.04?" I guess since 13.04 is only supported for 9 months and that I had a copy of 12.04 on hand. After adjusting my desktop fonts, I'm pretty content.
I put Debian's default wallpaper on my desktop. I like the stars and rocket ship, plus the color is easy on my eyes.
My girlfriends desktop box happily runs Linux Mint 13 (Maya.) Never have any problems and works well with the Spanish language pack.
Now I will be interested in how the new distro "Clover Leaf" (ex Fuduntu developers) will tweak Opensuse. I ran Fuduntu for sometime and really worked well.
Your question on whether KDE is ready for prime time is interesting. I would imagine a Windows or Apple switcher becoming frustrated with just the enormous amounts of ways to tweak the desktop in KDE. Plus the default font setup is not appealing to me and it took me some time to figure out how to make the simple changes.
In Lima, Peru I ofter check out the Linux boxes for sell in major department stores and I understand the lack of appeal to consumers. The default OEM distro is usually Ubuntu 12.04 and it is boring compared to the flashy Windows boxes. Always just a black color wallpaper and no information on what programs are comparable to Windows. Basically the boxs are a little cheaper and the consumers buy and install a bootleg copy of Windows 7 for 2 dollars. Peru runs on bootleg Windows.
I was a Mac user for 21 years (PowerPC.) Then went Linux on my PowerPc and then finally Intel Linux. It feels like the the old cult of mac days on Linux and I really like it. Do I want to walk by Starbucks one day and see everybody wearing a Linux rocks t-shirt, not really. When that happens I will switch to Minix.
Take it easy,
Scott
Sad that lusers don't know any better than to replace Ubuntu with bootleg Windows. I don't trust bootleg copies of software anymore. I used to pirate big-time, but I got out when viruses started getting intelligent. There's just too much money to be made by stealing people's identities these days, what with online commerce the way it is. If I were a malicious hacker, the first thing I'd do is upload a pirate Windows with my little malware tucked deep inside where nobody will ever find it.
Tiny Linux distros may suffer from the same risk as above due to lack of foxes watching the chickens, so I stay with relatively mainstream distros that have a wide readership and distribution and that the media pays attention to.
I'd like to see more folks using Linux, because the more people, the more and better software we get. Already Linux feels like a bastard son, what with Adobe refusing to update Flash for Linux, and ATI refusing to provide decent support for the Linux version of their video driver. If people would wise up and go Linux, then Adobe couldn't very well turn their nose up at Linux anymore.
Old versions of distros are perfectly fine. Geeks like me often suffer from upgraditis, the irrational desire to use the latest version of software. Of course life on the bleeding edge also breeds a lot of whining and moaning. For the general user, for a friend, I think it's a great idea to recommend a LTS like 12.04.
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