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List:       kde-usability
Subject:    Re: KDE4 and KRDC4 usability
From:       "Robert Knight" <robertknight () gmail ! com>
Date:       2008-11-23 0:49:00
Message-ID: 13ed09c00811221649u25cd2b11qb3b64e63261069d5 () mail ! gmail ! com
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> These things have been/will be fixed in KDE 4.2, which is the first
> KDE 4 release targeting the 'common user'. Blame your distribution for
> shipping 4.1.x by default, and breaking stuff by backporting things
> from the 4.2 branch.

Jos, that is ridiculous.  What else are distributors of
up-to-date-but-not-bleeding-edge distributions supposed to ship?
We're not supporting KDE 3.5 any more and 4.2 was still very much in
unstable development when they were rolling packages.  Most
distributions are doing the best they can with the difficult choices
which they were presented with.

Of the big distributions Ubuntu and Fedora have very predictable
release schedules.  I'm not sure about OpenSuSE and Mandriva.  If the
version of KDE that ships with the autumn distro releases doesn't yet
meet their needs then that if you're going to blame someone it would
have to be ourselves.

In any case, I'm not one to focus on the negatives and I'd agree that
4.2 trunk is looking pretty sweet.  A colleague at work recently
installed 4.0 (by mistake!) so I could see KDE 4 (Jan 11 2008) next to
KDE 4 (Nov 17 2008) and it is great to see how far 4.x has come since
January.  Its really starting to looking like something which I'd be
proud to show people who've not recently used (or possibly even heard
of) KDE.

Regards,
Robert.

2008/11/21 Jos Poortvliet <jospoortvliet@gmail.com>:
> On 11/21/08, brian@amason.net <brian@amason.net> wrote:
>>> These things have been/will be fixed in KDE 4.2, which is the first
>>> KDE 4 release targeting the 'common user'. Blame your distribution for
>>> shipping 4.1.x by default, and breaking stuff by backporting things
>>> from the 4.2 branch.
>> Actually it's worse than that; it's version 4.0.3. I guess it's time to
>> make my own 4.2 deb. I wonder what that'll break. Thanks for all that good
>> info. This is what happens when you fall out of daily touch with Linux
>> developments.
>>
>> Still, I think, I have a good idea on improving the usability issue. A
>> better help system would be a major leap forward. I like the idea in the
>> future of help thread about adding task related help, to a point. A google
>> like search method of help files would be phenomenal. Keywords could be
>> placed in html help pages, and a search engine could be a part of the
>> help. This could be used in addition to the traditional application
>> specific help.
>>
>> Most users are going to go to the application help looking for answers.
>> Inside the main help, could be two alternate search "windows" one the the
>> prompt "How do I ..." and the other one a keyword search that searches the
>> application, but also other objects (I'm using objects rather than saying
>> applications). Ranking could be done on nearness. So answers for the
>> application help rank first, and then "ancestors" next (ex: An application
>> help for KNotes; rankings KNotes, KDE, X, mouse and keyboards, then other
>> applications). Sure my lack of knowledge of the architecture is showing
>> here, but hopefully my idea is being understood.
>>
>> I'm also going to post the relevant material to the "future of help"
>> thread. So please don't respond on this thread.
>
> You're free to do so. Unfortunately, it's probably help which is
> needed more than talk. Too often good ideas simply don't have people
> acting on them.
>
> Aaah well, maybe I'm becoming cynical. Have fun with the 4.2 debs,
> you'll probably be pleasantly surprised.
>
>> Thanks for the info,
>> Brian
>>
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