Will KDE3 be available in 11.1?

I ran across this today Re: [opensuse] [Bug 402600] Removal of KDE 3 from Opensuse is PrematureRe: [opensuse] 11.0 KDE 4 {first impressions} I was really hoping Opensuse would at least have 3.5.10 available on the DVD version for 11.1. KDE4 just doesn’t do it for me yet. I’m sure it will eventually when some of the funtionality of KDE3 comes back, but not yet. This really sounds like it will not be available. Does anyone have any concrete facts on the subject? Who is Stephan Binner?

The road map:
Roadmap/11.1 - openSUSE
still states:

openSUSE 11.1 is the next community release that incorporates new features from both the community and internal development. It will be done for the x86, x86-64 and ppc platforms.

IMPORTANT: WORK IN PROGRESS; DO NOT PUBLISH

Major areas of interest:

* GNOME 2.24
* KDE: KDE 4.1.1 **(optionally also KDE 3.5.10)**
* OpenOffice.org 3.0
* Continued improvement in the software update stack
* Linux kernel 2.6.27 (or later) 

Thats not to say it won’t change from that initial projection, but if I had to bet, my bet would be openSUSE-11.1 will come with Gnome2.24 and KDE-4.1.1 as top level selections, and KDE-3.5.10 also (less prominently) available on the DVD. It may not be top level selection, but I suspect it will be a pattern that can be selected by customizing the software install.

Thats just my speculation. … It is an area worth watching, and the openSUSE-11.1 alpha (and beta) releases noted in the road map should IMHO be tracked by the KDE-3.5.x users, so they can ensure they get the KDE-3.5.x support that they want. If a top level selection of Gnome and two KDE versions (KDE4 and KDE3) like was present on openSUSE-11.0 is wanted for 11.1, then the users who want it should IMHO speak up during the alpha/beta phase of openSUSE-11.1.

I saw the “optional” part on the road map page. Sorry for the silly question, but where do I voice my opinion?

IMHO the best way to influence the direction of openSUSE-11.1 is to trial/install the alpha and beta releases of openSUSE-11.1 on one’s test PC (or test partition), raising well chosen and well written technical bug reports on the KDE implementation. i.e. if KDE-3.5.10 not implemented the way you wish, raise a bug report on openSUSE-11.1’s desktop selection. If KDE-4.1.1 still has features lacking (that are present in KDE-3.5.x) then raise a bug report on that specific openSUSE-11.1’s KDE feature implementation. Raise as many bug reports as observed, and as are factual and accurate.

What I read from the comments made on various Internet posts (and not this thread) is rants against KDE-4.1.1 won’t “cut it” any more. … BUT what WILL definitely “cut it” is specific technical bug reports, noting missing KDE4 features and such.

… again, as noted in my previous post:

Please note there is a big IMHO on the above.

67GTA wrote:
> I saw the “optional” part on the road map page. Sorry for the silly
> question, but where do I voice my opinion?
>
>
I would definitely go to the opensuse-factory list or the opensuse-kde
mailing list and double check there. They would most likely be the best
people to ask. As for Stephen Binner, he is a opensuse KDE developer.
http://en.opensuse.org/User:Beineri

Another post on this, to help put this in perspective …

but first, let me say I am a kde3 user still (kde-3.5.7 on 10.3 is on my main PC, although I will likely update it to opensuse-11.0 kde-3.5.9 in late-Oct after a couple of upcoming vacations, after a couple business trips, and after a move (with a change of apartments), and after the completion of some major PC projects I started on openSUSE-10.3)

… so, now with that KDE3 qualification out of the way, … When considering the availability of KDE3 in openSUSE 11.1, note, for example, other distribution plans. For example kubuntu plans to move to KDE4, making KD3 reversion difficult:
News | Kubuntu
where that page (as of today) states:

Kubuntu Intrepid Alpha 4 Available
Submitted on Sun, 2008-08-17

The fourth alpha release for Kubuntu Intrepid is available now for early testers. This release uses .kde instead of .kde4 for KDE settings so you will be unable to easily downgrade to KDE 3. See the announcement for more information or download it directly.

… hence it is not as if the openSUSE KDE team are going out wildly on their own in a direction different from other distributions.

Having typed that, it is my hope that one will still be able to easily install kde-3.5.10 on openSUSE-11.1 … but I suspect 11.1 may be the last KDE3 version of openSUSE.

Again, this is all IMHO.