I can’t stand how hard it is to use KDE4 - many important, easy KDE3 things are just gone - are the developers really aware the KDE3 users are being hamstrung by how much functionality has gone away in the transition, or are we old-timers just being pastured (prematurely)?
I know this is an old complaint, but I was hoping some “insider guru” here could open a door somewhere so there could be a “light at the end of my (11.1) tunnel” so to speak.
Thank You,
Patti
Tell us what functions you are missing and we may be able to help with a work around or a replacement.
By the way, I’m an old-timer (and A LOT more-so than you, judging from your photo). I really think it’s just a case of accepting that KDE3 is (almost) dead and sticking with KDE4. I’ve been doing that since it’s first difficult buggy releases. I think it’s great now.
There’s been a discussion about this on the mailing list. If you have any specific features you would like to see added from KDE3, you might send a message there.
What version are you using? They did add a lot more stuff in the newer versions.
I felt the same way about the KDE 4 builds that shipped with 11.0 and 11.1, but the one that ships with 11.2 is a bit better. The problem is that the KDE developers have limited personnel and resources; they desperately wanted to overhaul KDE, and couldn’t maintain KDE 3 while they created KDE 4.
I agree with you that it has been aggravating, though, and I think it has cost OpenSuse a few users. I had learned how to use KDE 3.5 to do exactly what I wanted. I like Konqueror as a file browser vs. Dolphin. I don’t need all the fancy desktop effects. (Call me a curmudgeon, but I think they’re just eye candy with no useful function in increasing productivity.)
The biggest problem is that the documentation hasn’t caught up with the release yet, so when you DO try to make KDE 4 behave like KDE 3, you have to post endless requests for help, sift through conflicting advice (or best of all, links to the incomplete documentation that DO NOT specifically answer your question), and just put up with a host of little annoyances.
None of these would be enough to turn me back to Windows, or even to use Gnome. Right now, I’m just planning to use 11.1 with KDE 3.5 until it finally EOL’s, hoping that, by that time, KDE 4 will finally approach KDE 3.5’s functionality.
I used the stable repos for 11.2 and updated to 4.3.5. I really like it. Just wish you could still use your desktop like you could in kde3.
smpoole7 wrote:
> I agree with you that it has been aggravating, though, and I think it
> has cost OpenSuse a few users. I had learned how to use KDE 3.5 to do
> exactly what I wanted. I like Konqueror as a file browser vs. Dolphin.
> I don’t need all the fancy desktop effects. (Call me a curmudgeon, but I
> think they’re just eye candy with no useful function in increasing
> productivity.)
That makes 2 of us - at least. I’m still trying to find which machine I
found this on, but on at least one of the half dozen or so installations
I’ve done here for testing there was an option on one of the user
configuration screens (Configure desktop -> Personal -> Default
Applications) that I chose to use Konqueror as the File Manager. That
worked on that machine but now I can’t find that option anywhere again on
the other machines. I remember it because it was such a relief.
–
Will Honea
i am a fan of kde4 and use it everyday, that being said, this observation will probably be true for anyone that actually does productive work on a computer:
there is nothing that i can do on kde4 that is faster or easier to do than on kde3.
i don’t write code, i just manage information… maybe one day nepomuk/strigi/soprano/redland/virtuoso metadata/text search/database/service (what a mess) will actually work consistently without bringing my desktop to a crawl or being horribly broken… things that are easy to do with kio-locate and various konqueror service menu additions take much more effort on kde4.
kio-locate port for kde4 is high on my list of pet rants, as anyone who is accustomed to using it will verify as a true time-saver.
i suspect that having kde3 base libraries will be needed to run occasional non-ported applications for a long time, but everyone is plunging without regard into burying it forever.
You have Konqueror installed??
I don’t know why people seem to prefer Konqueror to Dolphin. I really like Dolphin it has some new features that Konqueror never had. I think people just don’t like to change.
gogalthorp wrote:
>
> You have Konqueror installed??
>
> I don’t know why people seem to prefer Konqueror to Dolphin. I really
> like Dolphin it has some new features that Konqueror never had. I think
> people just don’t like to change.
Two things made me bring it back to replace dolphin.
First, dolphin was really flakey at the 11.2 disro level (4.3.1). It has
vastly improved when I upgraded to the 4.3.5 KDE4 level
Second, dolphin has a piss-poor user interface for my uses. When opened, it
takes me forever to navigate to a specific file buried deep within the user
hierarchy. Take the example of the user’s home folder. In my case, my home
folder is located at the bottom of the navigation list and does not move up
when I expand it - I have to mess with scrolling the nav list manually. The
further I want to go into my personal hierarchy, the more I have to fiddle
with keeping the section of interest in view. My dislike of dolphin is
really partly personal, partly professional. The human interface aspects of
the design is atrocious from the perspective of information display and
usability.
I can ignore eye candy but sacrificing usable information display at the
expense of pretty doesn’t impress me. I guess I’m basically oriented toward
hierarchical displays - the first thing I do is swap out that slab Kickoff
Menu for the “classical” view. I can scan a list far faster than I can scan
a palette of icons.
–
Will Honea
Well said. My feelings exactly. I go for the “classic” KDE menu view myself.
Well I agree with the menu thing. If they ever remove the classic menu view I quit.
As to Dolphin have you tried adding the terminal icon to the icon bar. This works a bit different then just opening a terminal. You get an attached terminal that syncs to changes in the GUI. I think this is too cool.
It’s there in the same location in KDE 4.4 RC2. I’m guessing it’s there in KDE 4.3 as well, so make sure you are up to date.
And are people seriously navigating through the menu? Hit alt+f1 and type the first 3 letters of the desired application and hit enter, doesn’t get much more efficient than that.
I usually use alt+f2 to the same effect.
Isn’t this the wrong forum by the way? Should be in soapbox or if seeing a “socio-political” aspect on “user want to change or not” (and highjacking it) it would fit in General Chit Chat…
gogalthorp wrote:
>
> Well I agree with the menu thing. If they ever remove the classic menu
> view I quit.
>
> As to Dolphin have you tried adding the terminal icon to the icon bar.
> This works a bit different then just opening a terminal. You get an
> attached terminal that syncs to changes in the GUI. I think this is too
> cool.
Well, I finally got busy and figured out the cleanest way I know of to get
konqueror back in service. In the menu, I edited the File Manager entries to
use the command line ‘kfmclient openProfile filemanagement’. Then I deleted
the doplhin item in the System Tray and added the newly modified menu item
to the system tray. Opens faster, stable, familiar. I can still get to
dolphin via the run method - if I should ever get the urge.
Funny thing is - when I edited the menu I got into an endless loop of
‘Updating System Configuration’ but everything is still working so I’ll deal
with that when I get to it.
–
Will Honea
So, how do you get the classic menu view?
I don’t think you can upgrade from Ugh to KDE4 directly, you have to go through KDE3.5 first. rotfl!
Simply right-click on the KMenu button and select “switch to classic.”
If we’re talking about KDE4 then that doesn’t work. I just get Menu Editor, Application Launcher Settings and Unlock Widgets
Dwarfer99 wrote:
> smpoole7;2113288 Wrote:
>> Simply right-click on the KMenu button and select “switch to classic.”
>
> If we’re talking about KDE4 then that doesn’t work. I just get Menu
> Editor, Application Launcher Settings and Unlock Widgets
You need to Unlock Widgets first.