I have a stable workstation using the openSUSE 11.1 distro and bundled KDE 4.1 version, compiz, emerald, gnome(distro) and KDE all working so far so good. I had previously tried the KDE 4.2.x updates but went back to 4.1(Distro) after some driver problems with Compiz. I’ve found Compiz and KDE 4.1.x with my ATi Radeon 9550 superior to KWin in KDE 4.1
I’d like to try 4.3 as the some aspects of the 4.2 OpenGL seemed faster than 4.1, but I don’t know if there is a simple way to do this without affecting my stable 4.1 install. I believe all version of KDE4 share the same config folders, so unlike have KDE3 and KDE4 installed in parallel, this cannot be done with KDE4 versions.
I feel you might be better waiting for 11.2
The changes now from 4.1 to 4.3 are like a giant rift. If you are happy with your current situation and all you have is a hankering for something new, then control yourself:)
4.3 is great. But if it’s not what you expect or doesn’t go well with your hardware, you’ll probably be re-installing. There is a live CD of 4.3 you could try. “KDE Four Live” CD](http://home.kde.org/~binner/kde-four-live/)
That is true, but having a stable satisfactory workspace doesn’t equate to fully functional replacement for all the features I find in a Windows desktop for example. In 4.1.x audio seems buggy and inconsistent as does messaging, and video has some problems.
I have resolved most of the video problems by switching to Compiz over KWin and forcing the use of Xshm over Xv wherever possible.
But the audio and messaging problems are out of my league to sort out as they do not behave consistently.
In my previous tests I found that distros based on 4.2.x had resolved some of the problems but introduced others that made that distro unusable for me.
The earlier link to the Live CD has proven quite useful, I have had that loaded and running on my workstation and things genuinely seem better. Even off the Live CD the distro appears faster than 4.1.x and there was no video or audio problem. Although in this case I was forced to use KWin and not Compiz for the desktop effects. I do not use KWin in the 4.1 install as I found it imposed a heavy load on the CPU and delivered torn video.
So I look forward to 11.2, it may be the sweet spot for my immediate requirements.
Firstly, thanks for the 4.3 Live CD link, I’ve been able to successfully test this on three workstations so far all with positive results.
Do you mean trying to change the default X11 video to something other than Xv, or have I tried ‘x11’ video under the application preferences?
I’ve have tried selecting the ‘x11’ video option listed by Xine, Kaffeine and others but it didn’t work. Xshm is listed separately(I thought x11 and Xshm were the same) and Xshm seems to be the only option that works reliably.
I did a lot of testing using luvcview and Xine with the various program preferences to establish something that would work for video, uvc webcam and compiz.
When Compiz is enabled using the stable ATi Catalyst 8.12 driver Xv tears the video playback on my desktop PC. It seems many others have the same problem with the ATi Catalyst driver, but the driver works very well with Compiz so it is a no win situation. In the end I’ve used preloads or application preferences to force the use of Xshm wherever Compiz effects caused a problem. Skype, Xine, Kaffeine, etc., etc…
Do you mean trying to change the default X11 video to something other than Xv, or have I tried ‘x11’ video under the application preferences?
Yes I did mean x11 under the app prefs. But it sounds like you have it all in hand.
Using the cd I linked you to for an install is ATM probably one of the easier ways to get 4.3 without the dependency issues.
As kde4 progresses it’s taking everything so far from what 11.1 original shipped with, that upgrading is not as simple as it was. I know lots of folks have used that live cd to install so as to have kde4.3
And I’m usually very much a DVD advocate.
Upgrading a current install is possible, it’s just getting more difficult.
Upgrading to kde 4.3 isn’t all that difficult. What makes it seem like a hurdle is that previously, kde4 applications were listed as kde4-application_name. With 4.3, the devs felt it was time to remove the kde4 prefix. For example, kde4-kmix is now just kmix with version # 4.3.x.x.
If you attempt to upgrade, you may get dependency errors because of that. However, as long as you remember to tell it to use the version of the app without the kde4 prefix, you’ll be fine. Probably the fastest way to take care of it would be to find a core app (kde-base or libs should work), solve the dependency for it, click OK and it will fix the dependency for everything else.
