So... is Karmic Koala going to be usable?

[ukchucktown]

Re: So... is Karmic Koala going to be usable?

Give it a chance, it took me a while get used to it (I still wish it had a focus follows mouse policy). Yeah, the UI can be a bit quirky, but it's pretty consistent. The thing I like best about OS X is that most of the apps are extremely high quality, even the 3rd party, independently developed stuff. I love that it's fully POSIX compliant! I've never not been able to compile a Unix app from source!

I like the hyperbole.

I don't think OS X is that bad. I also like the POSIX compliance. I think they all have something to offer including Windows. I have tried a lot of Linux distros along with the popular commercial options and Kubuntu 9.10 is a definite contender and my personal favorite. I can't wait for 10.04 in six months.

[sithlord48]

Re: So... is Karmic Koala going to be usable?

Why do I never read "I'm throwing OS X onto a random old lappie, to see how it plays"?

i threw mac os X on my old laptop (dell c840 w/ p4m @ 1.8ghz and 1gb ddr ram). , just for the fun of it, and truth be told it ran a lot better then it does on my G3 (400mhz w/ 512mb ram). then i got sick of mac os (idk i really don't like it that much, only the speech rec is nice) and put kubuntu on the laptop and it run much faster then mac OS.

[GreyGeek]

Re: So... is Karmic Koala going to be usable?

.......

Of course there aren't clear cut rules for home desktop users...some prefer "new things", and some prefer "solidity"...one can't really have both.

..... "bleeding edge" distros (like kubuntu) are usually not the best choice, but that doesn't mean they are just "hobby" distros. There are many private (and professional) use cases for all of them.

Thanks for mentioning that, Kubicle!

I had that in mind but my 68 year old brain has a short retention time, so ....

What I was going to say, after I was going to write that Kubuntu IS bleeding edge, and that is what attracted me to it, is that despite being bleeding edge Kubuntu Karmic is VERY stable and everything works (for me). I usually expect more problems from a bleeding edge distro, especially through alpha and beta, but I've been with Kubuntu Karmic since Alpha 4 and have had no problems that weren't quickly resolved. The most common problem I've had in the last two or three weeks is that flashplayer quits after an upgrade and I have to take a whole 3 minutes and reinstall them.

[nukedathlonman]

Re: So... is Karmic Koala going to be usable?

I'm happy to report I only had two very minor niggles going from Jaunty to Karmic 2 days ago. Niggle 1 - The network manager works better, but alas, I had to reset my passwords. Niggle 2 - the upgrade undid all the customizations I had made to may desktop - the only thing that wasn't touched was my desktop wallpaper (easy enough to fix though).

There is only only thing I'm not happy with - I now get a ton of beeps I get when I power off my laptop... Not a show stopper, but when everyone else in the house is sleeping, I sleep my laptop instead of powering down (don't want to disturb everyone).

Out side that one problem, I'm happy to report that upgrade is that absolute smoothest upgrade I've ever experienced with Kubuntu, and I'm very pleased with the polish I see in Karmic. Still testing away, but quite pleased.

[kubicle]

Re: So... is Karmic Koala going to be usable?

There is only only thing I'm not happy with - I now get a ton of beeps I get when I power off my laptop... Not a show stopper, but when everyone else in the house is sleeping, I sleep my laptop instead of powering down (don't want to disturb everyone).

You could try blacklisting the 'pcspkr' module (it should kill all "beeps", which I agree are most annoying)

[pansz]

Re: So... is Karmic Koala going to be usable?

No -- not reasonably safe? Never -- reliable? Never useful out of the box? Never works great out of the box?
Who do you work for, Microsoft?

Kubuntu never works great out of box, not for me.

But I still use kubuntu on my daily basis. Because kubuntu works great after some fix or tuning.

i.e. kubuntu developers had done 95% of the wonderful stuffs, but they never did the remaining 5% to perfect, while those 5% hurts user experiences greatly and kubuntu losts reputation...

IMO those who want a decent distribution "out of box" should never choose kubuntu.

Kubuntu is suitable only for those who likes the apt package system and the ubuntu philosophy and willing to solve problem themselves. And yes, it always has different problems in different versions.

[pansz]

Re: So... is Karmic Koala going to be usable?

Useful out of the box:
What do YOU use your computer for that Kubuntu cannot do?

Add to that the fact that KDE 4.3.2 is the MOST powerful desktop ever developed and you have usefulness and ease of use that even Win7 is trying to copy.

KDE 4.3.2 does not have kscope, KDE 3.5 has it and we can browse c code easily.
KDE 4.3.2 does not have kdesvn, KDE 3.5 has it and we can browse svn in konqueror easily.
KDE 4.3.2 does not have kdbg, KDE 3.5 has it and we can debug programs easily.
KDE 4.3.2 does not support global menu by default, KDE 3.5 has the option out of box.
KDE 4.3.2 doesn't even have a non-beta version of burning software , KDE 3.5 has the rock solid k3b .
KDE 3.5 we use kaffine easily and it simply works, Kubuntu 9.04 I don't what player achieves the same function level.
KDE 3.5 knetworkmanager connects to WPA/WiFi flawlessly, while Kubuntu 9.04 doesn't have a working knetworkmanager
KDE 3.5 kbluetooth works and I can send/receive files without any difficulties, while Kubuntu 9.04 kbluetooth cannot works.

So why the hell do you think KDE 4.3.2 is the most powerful desktop ever?

[wizard10000]

Re: So... is Karmic Koala going to be usable?

I haven't been into Linux since I got a Mac two years ago, but I've kinda half heartedly been following KDE 4 because I was a huge fan of KDE 3 when Linux was my primary operating system.

I'm going to throw Karmic Koala on an old laptop, but I'm skeptical. I tried the latest beta and it crashes all the time (I mean windows pop up all the time saying some process has crashed).

Betas are *supposed to* crash occasionally - that's why they're betas

kwin and a couple other applications crashed a lot since I installed A5 too but from about the release candidate the thing's been pretty stable. There were lots and lots of updates since the last beta.

[c2006]

Re: So... is Karmic Koala going to be usable?

Yeah, kwin was crashing a lot for a while there... All in all though, I was getting nothing that

 mv ~/.kde ~/.kde-backup

couldn't fix, though.

I still had installed XFCE as backup just in case though.

I have to remark on the level of polish that Kubuntu 9.10 has received, too. It *really* feels seamless from livecd boot, through install, and first HDD boot. The art team really deserve some major kudos.

[nukedathlonman]

Re: So... is Karmic Koala going to be usable?


You could try blacklisting the 'pcspkr' module (it should kill all "beeps", which I agree are most annoying)
[/quote]

Yes, I did do that & no it did not fix. I ended up following the other solution by making a script to unload the pcsprk module during shut down. That worked.

[tomp01]

Re: So... is Karmic Koala going to be usable?

VEREY nice Mr GreyGeek ..... (applause from the room)

Well for me a home desktop user that dose absalutley NO work (shuder the thought) on his box just playing around and all the stuff a home box is suposed to do........as I see it ha ha ha.

Karmic Koala is great and has ben for about a month.

I have had no problem doing enething that I do.........and hears the mane thing's I do.

browse the net......no prob Knqueror or firefox.

lisen to musick ......amarok dragon vlc kscd audacious2 (mplayer G&K) rithembox totem meney more

watch vidio's .....vlc totem mplaer dragon

burn cd's, dvd's, data, ISO's .......K3b, K9copy, DeVeDe (ok and brasareo I have Gnome on hear to)

DL torrents........Ktorrent

converting audio & vidio.........K3b, K9cpoy, soundconverter, winff, audasity

manipulate and create images.....Gimp, inkscape, thars more

IM frends.......Kopete & pidgen (thares more)

if I must work (he!! no) thars open office and a bunch more that can be added like koffice swete

some of these have ben added after the inishall install but thay all work every time

so as you asked YES I think it's totaley usable and I do every day ....... 8)

VINNY

have you tried using a spell checker?

[kubicle]

Re: So... is Karmic Koala going to be usable?

Kubuntu never works great out of box, not for me.

But I still use kubuntu on my daily basis. Because kubuntu works great after some fix or tuning.

i.e. kubuntu developers had done 95% of the wonderful stuffs, but they never did the remaining 5% to perfect, while those 5% hurts user experiences greatly and kubuntu losts reputation...

IMO those who want a decent distribution "out of box" should never choose kubuntu.

Kubuntu is suitable only for those who likes the apt package system and the ubuntu philosophy and willing to solve problem themselves. And yes, it always has different problems in different versions.

There is nothing wrong in expressing your opinion, and I concur that kubuntu is not perfect...it wasn't with KDE3 either (but to my experience no distribution works out-of-the-box for everyone).

There still is a big logical leap to claim that if it doesn't work out-of-the-box for you (or some people), it can't possibly work out-of-the-box for anyone (with different hardware or different needs).

KDE 4.3.2 does not have kscope, KDE 3.5 has it and we can browse c code easily.
KDE 4.3.2 does not have kdesvn, KDE 3.5 has it and we can browse svn in konqueror easily.
KDE 4.3.2 does not have kdbg, KDE 3.5 has it and we can debug programs easily.
KDE 4.3.2 does not support global menu by default, KDE 3.5 has the option out of box.
KDE 4.3.2 doesn't even have a non-beta version of burning software , KDE 3.5 has the rock solid k3b .
KDE 3.5 we use kaffine easily and it simply works, Kubuntu 9.04 I don't what player achieves the same function level.
KDE 3.5 knetworkmanager connects to WPA/WiFi flawlessly, while Kubuntu 9.04 doesn't have a working knetworkmanager
KDE 3.5 kbluetooth works and I can send/receive files without any difficulties, while Kubuntu 9.04 kbluetooth cannot works.

So why the hell do you think KDE 4.3.2 is the most powerful desktop ever?

Powerfulness of a desktop doesn't really depend on what (specific) software is available for it, especially when that software comes from third parties (and are not part of a desktop environment itself). Are other DEs (windows/mac/gnome, for example) powerful or not based on what software is available to them from 3rd parties?

Secondly, there are kde4 versions of kdesvn and kdesvn-kio-plugins available from the karmic repos. As for most other software, they are usually available as KDE3 versions and/or being ported/rewritten for qt4/kde4 by their respective developers (or sometimes replaced by new applications).

K3b, Kaffeine (+other players) and knetworkmanager seem to be working in karmic (although I currently use wicd because I don't like the network-manager backend)...this thread is about 9.10, not 9.04.

kdebluetooth still has issues, but IIRC it didn't break in the KDE3>KDE4 transition, but later due to changes in the bluez backend.

Thirdly, for every KDE3 feature missing in KDE4, one could probably name a dozen features that are in KDE4 that weren't in KDE3. (And even those last missing features are likely coming back in future versions). But I do not wish to turn this thread into one of those KDE3 vs. KDE4 threads, that's not what the OP asked.

I can't say that KDE 4.3.2 is the most powerful desktop ever, but I can say that is the best DE (for me and needs) that I've ever used...well not exactly, I've tried KDE4.4 and like it even better, although it obviously isn't as stable as 4.3 yet.

[kubicle]

Re: So... is Karmic Koala going to be usable?

You could try blacklisting the 'pcspkr' module (it should kill all "beeps", which I agree are most annoying)

Yes, I did do that & no it did not fix. I ended up following the other solution by making a script to unload the pcsprk module during shut down. That worked.

Glad you got it worked out, although I'm slightly curious to why blacklisting didn't work.

[gregwalton]

Re: So... is Karmic Koala going to be usable?

Hmm... I've obviously misunderstood something somewhere along the line.

For some reason I got the impression that Kubuntu "Linux for Human Beings" was, as the homepage of the Kubuntu website says, "a free, user-friendly operating system based on the K Desktop Environment and on the award winning Ubuntu operating system". This is pretty much how it was around the time of Dapper Drake.

Now it seems I'm being told Kubuntu is meant to be bleeding edge and more like a hobby than a useful OS. Not what I want nor, I would guess, what many people looking to move away from Windows would like. Shh! Hear that? THe sound of a boat being missed...

[tomp01]

Re: So... is Karmic Koala going to be usable?

Hmm... I've obviously misunderstood something somewhere along the line.

For some reason I got the impression that Kubuntu "Linux for Human Beings" was, as the homepage of the Kubuntu website says, "a free, user-friendly operating system based on the K Desktop Environment and on the award winning Ubuntu operating system". This is pretty much how it was around the time of Dapper Drake.

Now it seems I'm being Kubuntu is meant to be bleeding edge and more like a hobby than a useful OS. Not what I want nor, I would guess, what many people looking to move away from Windows would like. Shh! Hear that? THe sound of a boat being missed...

If you stick to official releases and don't use alpha/beta versions then there is no problem, so why is that so hard to understand?