From kde-core-devel Fri Aug 23 21:54:11 2002 From: Matthias Kalle Dalheimer Date: Fri, 23 Aug 2002 21:54:11 +0000 To: kde-core-devel Subject: Fwd: Installation Problems and Useability X-MARC-Message: https://marc.info/?l=kde-core-devel&m=103013977518501 ---------- Forwarded Message ---------- Subject: Installation Problems and Useability Date: Fri, 23 Aug 2002 23:30:05 +0300 From: Eli Wapniarski To: kalle@kde.org I originally tried sending this email to webmaster@usability.kde.org but = the email came back. I have become so frustrated with installation of KDE. To sum up, I do not believe that the correct approach to making a desktop easy to use is to h= ave a completely new Linux distribution to get easy to install installation o= f any desktop, or to have to recompile KDE entirely from scratch to get bug fixes is not an easy thing to do either. Besides, compiling KDE from scra= tch is not quick, or easy. I think the main focus of useability needs to be on installation. I am using Redhat 7.2 and KDE I have been a Linux user for about 4 or 5 years now.... I have been using linux primarily because I saw it then and I see it now = as something that can very potentially be the future. However, over the past year I started feeling comfortable around Linux to recognize the differen= ce between what is a lack of knowledge on my part, weaknesses in the operati= ng system, and some problem out there (Internet particularly). This particular year has been a source of nothing but frustration. Under = the KDE 1.x series I was able to download the binaries, run a script, the scr= ipt would install KDE and presto, it would work. The RPMs for KDE 2.x worked quite well. I had to compile from sources KDE 3.0 and it worked except fo= r KDE Bindings. I was told after submitting a bug report that I would have = to recompile the whole thing again from CVS or wait until the next version. = I elected to wait for the next version. I was unsuccessful at compiling 3.0= =2E1 or 3.0.2. Nothing critical here. I am running kde 3.0 just fine. Except for a few minor crashes from konqueror. Things have working relati= vely well. Now.. there is a security problem with konqueror which has been fixed in 3.0.3. I tried to download the RPMs from your sight for Redhat 7.3 when I= ran rpm -Uvh --test there were all sorts of dependancy issues. That's OK I running Redhat 7.2 and Redhat compiled the kde libraries with funny name= s. but the one that really got me was that kdebase-3.0.3-7 required kdelibs-3.0.3-10 or higher which of course does not exist. I realize tha= t this is a Redhat problem, but... I am not a programmer, but I do know the difference between statically li= nked libraries and dynamically linked libraries. Having an installation as big as KDE and having the libraries dynamically linked is a real pain in the butt and is creating a major mess for you gu= ys and for me. I think it would be a good idea to get your libraries statica= lly linked. Why?... Because it would make the release of bug fixes much easie= r. You wouldn't have to ask individuals to download an entire version or com= pile an entire CVS library just to get a small bug fix in one or two library files. It would go a long way into getting an installer like up2date and red-carpet available for KDE and that would make the installation of applications a whole heck of a lot easier as well. Because, ease of use depends on the ability to install KDE and if a user can't install it, we= ll, every other useability issue is irrelevant. I realize that this would make KDE downloads significantly bigger, howeve= r, I think that the trade off on ease of installation is worth it. I realize that you guys are not getting paid for the trully fantastic wor= k you are putting into KDE. However, I do not believe that I am going to compile another version of anything this big again. My experience with K= DE 3.0 is enough. I simply do not have the time to do it. In my opinion currently, Gnome 1.4 was better than 2.x And this isn't saying much. I really do not like Gnome. And if... I can't get something were I get the security fixes installed quickly and easily for my desktop applications well. It looks like the dark side has already won. And the point of Linu= x as a security issue also becomes irrelevant. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely Eli Wapniarski ------------------------------------------------------- --=20 Matthias Kalle Dalheimer President & CEO/VD Klar=E4lvdalens Datakonsult AB