To my dismay, the new MEPIS 8.4 uses KDE 4. Since I found KDE 3.x quite adequate, and have no interest in learning a new desktop manager if I can avoid it, what do I have to do to change my copy back to KDE 3.x? I don't know how to switch desktop managers.

I suppose this post is both the question and a rant about being pressured by technology to change even when everything is fine. Years ago, in the process of instructing me on how to code a certain thing on a web page (I knew nothing about HTML), someone said, "...you should use the latest and greatest technology, dammit!" I didn't argue, because arguing the point wasn't important enough, but if he hadn't been helping me, I should have said, "You can use technology as a toy if you like, but I'd rather use just enough technology to do my work."

Yep, mepis 8.5 will go to KDE4, & so will Mepis 9.0.

if you want to stay with KDE3.5, then you will have to stay with Mepis 8.012
you won't be able to switch Mepis 8.5 back to KDE3x

Why not?

(Never mind that it's a bad idea to run an unmaintained desktop.)

I guess there's nothing for me to do but lament that KDE 4 doesn't look like KDE 3 and that designers love to change things.

Hey

Look I Use The Latest Version of K4 And i can understand why your worried.... It Does look different but it's got better features.


MEPIS1

1 members found this post helpful.

You can stay with KDE 3.54 for quite a while since Warren Woodford has released Mepis 8.0.15 which has a long term support kernel.
HTH

This is the key part of your rant in my opinion. If you do not want to change for change's sake, don't use a beta pre-release operating system. Why are you surprised that a preview of the next release has some major new features? Were you expecting it to be identical, and if so, what is the point of a new release if nothing changes? Stick with the current stable release (8.0.x; it will be supported for quite some time) that provides the features you want, simple!