KpackageKit

[mtman244]

I am a long time Kubuntu user and have, until recently, stuck with 8.04 because of problems I had with the new KDE4 early versions. However, I recently found that I could not run 8.04 on a new desktop with SATA drives. Thus, I installed 9.10 on the new box and had no problems like those with 8.04.

To get to my main concern, I find that KpackageKit is a poor replacement for Adept. It requires lots of clicks to get to whatever you want to install and if you click in the wrong place on the window at the wrong time, it closes and you have to start all over selecting what you want to install. This problem happened over and over as I selected packages such as gimp, various games, Scribus, and other packages.

Granted that I am spoiled by using Adept in previous versions of Kubuntu, but I guess the simplicity and ease of use with Adept would spoil anyone.

My comments are meant to be constructive criticism as I really do find many, many things in 9.10 that I like. It is my hope that Adept can be ported to 9.10 and we can have a choice as to which package manager we use.

Thanks to all of you who worked so hard on Kubuntu 9.10, you have done an outstanding job and I commend you for that.

[Nate]

Re: KpackageKit

Adept was being ported to kde4 at one time but it was not going well. Development finally stopped. Hopefully some more love will be given to kpackagekit as time goes on.

[IgnorantGuru]

Re: KpackageKit

I can't stand KPackageKit - bereft of functionality, and the UI is so counter-intuitive. It's Synaptic for me. Luckily we aren't stuck with just what the KDE or Kubuntu developers install by default (at least in most cases, although I see a new trend of forcing it to be their way, such as nepomuk, cdrkit, etc).

Another example - I tried playing a DVD with their Dragon Player, all I got was a garbled picture. VLC plays it fine. I have found it's worth it to try a variety of programs for each common task - the assumption that the devs will use the best ones is not valid. In some cases there is a space limitation on the CD, such as with Firefox. In other cases it's politics and ego issues.

[claydoh]

Re: KpackageKit

It is not politics or ego at all. Kubuntu is specifically a KDE-centric distro, and it tends to use KDE/qt applications by default. Openoffice being the exception right now. That is one of the things that helps give Kubuntu an identity of its own. With the availability of so many other packages to install, what is there by default doesn't have to stay that way. But Kubuntu will always be about KDE.

[Snowhog]

Re: KpackageKit

"One size doesn't fit all."

That has to at least be understood, if not accepted. The Developers have to establish what they agree upon as the 'default' packaging for the Kubuntu releases. What they decide upon isn't going to be everyones 'cup of tea' and so what? As Barnum probably would have said about Linux:

"You can satisfy some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can never satisfy all of the people all of the time."

[IgnorantGuru]

Re: KpackageKit

I've seen plenty of politics and ego, particularly around the CD burning support...
http://cdrecord.berlios.de/old/private/linux-dist.html

I agree that they have to pick their default apps, although I don't think much of some of the choices or the general direction KDE is going. They seem to slowly be turning it into Windows. I find myself having to fight against the OS, removing things and trying to clean it up so it doesn't betray my privacy and hog my resources on nonsense I don't want, just like with Windows. I'm actually getting ready to start shopping around for something a little more fringe.

Regardless, the defaults are what they are. What I don't like is when they get into the business of taking user choices away, like making cdrtools unavailable and cdrkit/wodim assuming the names of those apps. And nepomukserver - I don't want it or need it, and it uses resources I don't want it to, but try finding it in the package manager to remove. It's impossible without hacking the system. And the "Ubuntu Firefox Modifications extension that is slipped in and turned on again even after it has been disabled, and can't be removed. (It exports your search queries for profit, FYI.)

I see plenty of politics, ego, and cash - the more Ubuntu goes commercial (Dell, etc), the more I see it becoming questionable in its choices, a la Microsoft. I don't think all the choices being made in K/Ubuntu are for the good of the users. KPackageKit is one of them. Give us some POWER, at least in an 'advanced' tab.

Just my two bytes.

[IgnorantGuru]

Re: KpackageKit

I should add that I'm very appreciative of the devs and others who work to put Kubuntu together - I don't mean to sound ungrateful. And I think some of the poorer decisions are coming from the upper echelons, as opposed to the devs lower on the totem pole. There is some great work in KDE - that's why I care about what's being done, or undone.