I installed Fedora 9 today, then uninstalled it after I found out it only has KDE 4, and not KDE 3.5. I can’t really put it into words exactly but there are a few things that I don’t like about KDE 4. In a nutshell, it’s just too different for me. I hope SuSE continues to support KDE 3.5 forever, because I really can’t see myself using KDE 4, ever. I’ll switch to using Gnome or Fluxbox before I use KDE 4.
KDE 3.5.x will be supported for some time still, but don’t forget that KDE 4 as you know it today will be vastly different in the near future. In short…don’t write it off just yet.
Different in what way? Configurable? Reliable? Responsive? Finished? Or different in some other way?
What do you see there in your crystal ball? Your dissonance is not convincing.
Any piece of completely reworked software takes time to come into it’s own. This isn’t a matter of a Crystal Ball or seeing into the future; it is simply understanding the way that the Open Source Model works. This is still early on in the KDE4 process. As time goes on KDE4 will continue to get better and improve. In the meantime, you can stick to 3, others can use 4, and even more can use Gnome, Vista, Fluxbox, etc.
As a matter of fact, It wasn’t too different when KDE2 came around - one could argue this is a matter of knowing how it worked in the past… afterall, our history helps show us our future.
Some people actually find KDE4 to be pretty reliable, for what it is. I’m using it and enjoying it.
I like to mix some KDE 4 apps in with my KDE 3, however I am concerned about the direction of KDE 4. Polish may not address my concerns.
Really? I find myself doing the opposite - mixing KDE3 apps in with KDE4 as the individually developed applications such as Amarok and k3b are not stable enough for me to trust my 30,000+ media collection, or a black DVD with. 
There is an Amarok 2.0 alpha, which uses a new database backend. You can install it side-by-side with your current Amarok, and keep two different collections. It is safe.
As for k3b, there is no alpha or any version of a KDE 4 port at this point.
Yeah, I’ve used it on my laptop where I only keep a second copy of my TOOL collection, but even still I can’t dig the look of it just yet. I don’t like keeping multiple copies of a collection or a single song even on my Media hard drive, so I didn’t bother using on there, as I had already tried it on the laptop.
As for k3b, there is no alpha or any version of a KDE 4 port at this point.
Are you sure about that? I do have two versions on here, one is marked as k3b/KDE3, in the about menu it shows version 1.0.5 using KDE 3.5.9 while the other shows version 1.95-svn using KDE 4.0.99 (KDE4 RC1+). I think I got it from one of the extra factory repos I added (Extra apps maybe?)
It must be something someone pulled from SVN, but I was just checking on it the other day, and there is no official alpha release yet.
I shouldn’t have flamed KDE4 like that. It did crash on me though. I’ll just file a bug report.
Hopefully 3.5.x will still be available in openSUSE 11.1. I think expecting it to be supported ‘forever’ is asking a little much…I wouldn’t expect that for KDE 4.x either :p;)
There are rumors of a KDE 3.5.10 release, and openSUSE 11.1 including it.
I am going to use Kde 3.5 in 11.1 as well (not impressed at all by KDE 4.1).
After that, time will tell.
Oh I like it, but there’re still things that 3.5.x can do that KDE 4.1 can not. The 3.5 series still has life in it yet 
I’ve been using KDE 4.1 and KDE 3.5.x on my laptop.
KDE 3.5 just feels more polished because they’ve had time to work through the bugs and go beyond the development of the core and added little niceties.
When I really need to get something done I use 3.5 as it is definitely more stable as well as seeming a little more responsive. I don’t know if it is all that transparency stuff or not but it just feels that way to me.
KDE 4.1, though, has some potential, and I look forward to the improved versions that come along. I think the mild sluggishness I feel with KDE 4.1 will be worked out as they tweak and tighten the code.
I also think I’ll like KDE 4 more as time goes on because I’ll be learning how to use and navigate through the system better. It’s taken me a little time to figure out the widgets and naturally I inundated my desktop with widgets because they were “cool” and “neat-o”. Now I am starting to settle down on the layout I prefer.
<begin rant>
I hate KDE4, even more than Gnome, and that is really saying something. I live in hope that somebody in the KDE camp will soon realise what a piece of garbage it is and start work on KDE 3.6, but I am not really that much of an optimist. I have listened for months to the apologists who say ‘it is bound to get better’ - well it hasn’t and I don’t think it ever will. I have KDE4 on this version of Suse, but I quickly replaced it with 3.5.9. and use that exclusively.
However, being a pessimist and a habitual forward planner, I have also taught myself to use and indeed quite like XFCE. It isn’t quite as good as 3.5.9, but it sure as hell is better than KDE4 (and Gnome).
If the worst comes to the worst, I will use that instead.
Please believe me when I say that I really hope I am wrong - yes really - I want a KDE desktop and I want V4 to be as good as its predececessor but that looks very unlikely when, imho, its whole raison d’etre is form over function (like compiz). I wouldn’t mind that, if, (like compiz) the ‘form’ was actually acceptable, but it is so hideously ugly, they obviously can’t even get that right.
<end rant>.
Finally a question, can anyone tell me how to rid myself of KDE4 from Suse 11 without at the same time crippling KDE3? I tried this on another distro and it screwed KDE3 at the same time, maybe I did something wrong, I don’t know, but I don’t want to repeat the same mistake on Suse, which incidentally runs like a dream and is probably the best OS I have ever used (and I have used a lot - including earlier versions of Suse which in no way match V11).
I had never seriously considered using Gnome, but now I am beginning to believe that it is actually better than KDE4. Else I’ll use Xfce4, as you are planning to do. I wish they (Xfce4) moved to Konqueror as the file manager (many of us are looking for exit strategies from KDE4 now).
A way MUST be found to save KDE3.5 or at least most of its features. It has been said, and I agree, that KDE3.5 is the best DE of any OS.
Killing KDE3.5 is a crime against humanity, LOL (but actually I am pretty serious).
<sarcastic reply to rant>
The devs have been so moved by your well though-out and insightful feedback for KDE4, that after some serious discussion, they have decided to trash everything they have worked on for the last two years, and re-focus their efforts on delivering incremental improvements in KDE3. Just for you. It’s their way of thanking you for everything you’ve done to contribute to the success of KDE.
</sarcastic reply to rant>
else_where
Those arguments have been used countless times, but IMHO, they don’t cut it: “users who haven’t contributed anything to development”, even “we don’t need users”, and such amenities.
Now my understanding is that a project, any project, is created in order to be used. Otherwise, what happens? The project dies. History has taught that, and there are countless examples I could mention.
I have an example which is particularly hated: Vista. By far the vast majority of Windows users didn’t like Vista, many don’t even want to buy a new computer because it comes with Vista preinstalled.
Of course Microsoft is still claiming that they have sold millions of Vista copies. But they don’t mention that the vast majority came preinstalled, and it was immediately replaced with XP or something else.
When it comes to an open source project, thing are entirely different, of course. Gnome has already overtaken KDE because of Ubuntu. Imagine what can happen if a majority of users hates KDE4.
I know, geeks will try to like and use KDE4 at any cost.
But I have been fighting for years for Linux to become more mainstream.
What happens if Joe User or Aunt Tillie find KD4 unintuitive and difficult to use? That is the question we should ask ourselves.
Sergio1704 wrote:
> viking777;1848950 Wrote:
>>
>> I -hate- KDE4, even more than Gnome, and that is really saying
>> something.
>
> I had never seriously considered using Gnome, but now I am beginning to
> believe that it is actually better than KDE4. Else I’ll use Xfce4, as
> you are planning to do. I wish they (Xfce4) moved to Konqueror as the
> file manager (many of us are looking for exit strategies from KDE4
> now)
A move to Konqueror wouldn’t have made sense being it is built on QT
while XFCE4 is built on GTK. You would end up with too many “unneeded”
dependencies added just for a file manager.