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So far, I have seen exactly zero initiatives to create a KDE3 package repository for the next Slackware. Apparently there is not such a great need for KDE3 as I originally thought, reading all these threads.
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I have not seen anybody step forward, but the topic has been discussed. From what I have read I sense an interest to keep 3.5.10 alive in Slackware. Possibly the reason no repository discussions have arisen is two-fold. I
reported that I have gotten 3.5.10 to work in Current by following some simple guidelines. Perhaps then there is no need for a repository of packages although rebuilding them might be prudent. Second, there have been no offers to maintain 3.5.10 from the development team. Although I never have read or heard Pat say specifically that 3.5.10 is dead, several members of the development team have said as much. Therefore many end-users probably figure that further related discussion is futile.
Some people offered concerns with Python dependencies in 3.5.10. I don't know how to test those possibilities as I am unfamiliar with which apps hook into Python and how. Thus far, my only "bug" with running 3.5.10 in Current is that Ark is broken with respect to the newer xz/lzma compression formats. I started
a conversation about that, but I lack the skills and knowledge to solve why Robbie's patch did not work. This could be a
PEBKAC issue or the patch needs additional attention. I don't know. The patch seems complete and I received no errors recompiling the kdeutils package.
I'm willing and ready to help keep 3.5.10 alive in Current, but somebody with C++ and packaging skills needs to help. I also do not use every single app in KDE and some additional testing in that area likely will help identify potential problems. Especially if the concerns about Python have merit.
I'll speak only for myself but I feel somewhat abandoned and helpless. I feel somewhat like the 90-pound weakling in the old Charles Atlas comic. That is, I can't defend myself much because I lack the programming skills to maintain my own operating system. As I and others have noticed, there are remaining bugs, incomplete features, and third-party KDE 4.x apps that remain unready for prime-time. Even the latest announcement from the KOffice developers indicated the software is not ready for daily use.
On the other hand, 3.5.10, along with any associated remaining bugs, remains a complete and stable desktop and all apps function as expected. There is a degree of comfort there. All humans resist leaving their individual comfort zone. I'm no different.
I don't recall once having bad-mouthed 4.x. I have questioned the software's readiness for my desktop. I think I have remained open about eventually using 4.x. Yet I can't deny a sense of abandonment. I'm comfortable with 3.5.10. That desktop remains functional for me. Yet I would like to update all other packages.
I understand the time and effort required to maintain two versions, especially when they are more or less mutually exclusive with underlying library and development support. Actually, that would be four versions with the eventual release of 64-bit Slackware. Regardless, I would have liked to see 3.5.10 maintained in the extra branch at least for one release. The associated documentation could explain that only 3.5.10 or 4.x is supported but not both. The 3.5.10 installation script could halt installation if certain 4.x related packages are installed.
I think many 3.5.10 users would have responded warmly to a simple olive branch gesture by providing a 12.2 patch to Ark to support xz/lzma.
Slackware is unique with respect to the many other GNU/Linux operating systems. I think when a person decides Slackware is a good fit that a sense of community evolves. When that feeling is not reciprocating --- or there is that perception at least --- that a popular desktop system is forsaken without open discussion, then I think there is some standing for a sense of abandonment.
Of course, there is an historical precedent for such a decision as witnessed by GNOME users. There also is precedent for not pursuing the latest software as seen with the delay toward adopting the 2.6 kernel series.
As I wrote, I speak only for myself, yet I sense others feeling similarly. Hence the continuing resistance to 4.x.
As I asked in my original post, "Seems then the remaining significant KDE 4.x question is not one of stability but completeness." The responses in this thread indicate there remains several holes with certain packages and bugs. In that respect my original question has been answered. That is all I wanted to know.
Despite my original question being answered, I wish people would stop trying to sell KDE 4.x. Let KDE 4.x stand on its own merits according to each user's needs. The environment is, by most common definitions, incomplete and not ready for many people in production use. That day will arrive I have no doubt. That day is not today. I post out of frustration. Nothing more, nothing less. I suspect others have posted their comments about 4.x from much the same perspective.
I'm still using Slackware. Yet I have accepted that updating past 12.2 might not be available to me. In addition to my own hesitation to move to 4.x, I still can't resolve
the lock-up/latching problem with my on-board NIC with the 2.6.29.x series. With respect to my current hardware --- all modern in every use of the word --- and short of buying new hardware --- this might very well be the end of the road for me with updating Slackware. I write those words with sadness.
I haven't written and posted to start a spitting contest. I have great respect for people who can rip code as second nature and maintain a complete operating system. In that sense I'm just an ordinary user. I have corresponded many times with Pat and I have always and gratefully found him polite and cordial. I respect his decisions even when I disagree. I accept that software matures and evolves and that sometimes some people are left behind. Yet I struggle not to feel abandoned and helpless.
I probably have stepped on some toes and stirred some emotions. Therefore, much like
Candide, I'll step aside and return to cultivating my own garden.
I simply do not care for a mish-mash of user interfaces and I always have disliked GTK file picker boxes. The same thinking goes for running 3.5.x apps in 4.x. I just don't want to. I like user interface consistency.
