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My point was that people would have to grab KDE packages from another source (if KDE wasn't included in Slackware) and regardless of the source, I don't think it would deter many people who are willing to try Slackware in the first place.
And I will have to check out these Slackbuilds sometime...
Edit: Off-topic, but what is a good replacement for Okular? I can't stand xpdf.
I use Adobe Reader, aka acroread. Granted, it's not open source, but still, as of today it's a lot better that either okular or evince, at least for the features I use.
This thread is going long and most opinions have already been expressed. So I will be brief:
I use KDE and would like to continue using it. I need it for my everyday use, at home and at work. I think keeping KDE is important for Slackware as a whole. However if KDE becomes so painful to maintain as Gnome did, and Pat ends up removing it, I would *not* leave Slackware because of that, I would adapt to something else. But keep in mind that this adaptation would come with a massive downtime on my productivity, particularly at work. (I am fortunate that I do not have anyone dictating to me what software to use, but I still need to get things done!)
So let's all sit tight and hope that the KDE team are reasonable (as they have been until now) while Pat and his team keep applying gentle pressure to put things right for all of us.
I don't mind KDE per se, but I tend to prefer Xfce for day to day use ( and it has its own issues as well ). KDE has a lot to recommend it, but it is turning into quite a big hog. I liked KDE 3.5.10 and though the 4.x series is improving, I simply can not abide a DE that sucks up RAM and CPU clock cycles the way KDE does. A just simply can't afford that much of a system. Just to run Slackware+KDE in a VM, I had to increase my system's RAM to 2 GB. KDE was simply slow in qemu and Virtualbox with <512MB. I find it ridiculous that the DE becomes more important than productivity. I want to use my system, not ooh and aahh over Plamsa scripts and eye candy.
I can see the reason for kicking KDE if it gets too much pain to build. I hope, though, that someone will step up and do something similar to the Gnome SB. It would be sad to lose KDE, what with its awesome eye candy (which includes special effects, heaps of good will toward Wayland, and yes, even QT), more than a few amazing applications, and the fact that it's the only DE besides Gnome my girlfriend does not detest. A month or so ago she said: "Now I know a few commands and I can use the Terminal, and I even understand why it's 'cool'. But I still hate doing it." There is definitely utility in KDE, so thanks to everyone who spends their time packaging it for us
Distribution: Slackware64-current with "True Multilib" and KDE4Town.
Posts: 9,039
Rep:
Quote:
Originally Posted by beowulf999
I don't mind KDE per se, but I tend to prefer Xfce for day to day use ( and it has its own issues as well ). KDE has a lot to recommend it, but it is turning into quite a big hog. I liked KDE 3.5.10 and though the 4.x series is improving, I simply can not abide a DE that sucks up RAM and CPU clock cycles the way KDE does...
+1
I have the hardware to run it, but feel the same way.
KDE does have some good applications, but there are alternatives. Adobe Reader is far better, for my purposes, than Okular, and Picasa does a better job than Gwenview or digikam. If I could find a replacement for KPatience, I might even be able to do without K3b (and KDE).
However, from a strictly "business" point of view, since Slackware has already walked away from Gnome, dropping KDE would be a major mistake.
Last edited by cwizardone; 06-06-2011 at 11:04 PM.
A slight offtopic to widen the perspective on what's going on.
I find it slightly ironic that it is called KDE Frameworks considering Microsoft's emphasis on the .NET Framework, and other companies' recent use of the "framework" buzzword. A few years ago, perhaps the name "KDE Suite" would have been chosen.
Is this a precursor to some applications becoming closed source or commercial?
I think its because all the KDE apps are being split off. Its now being called modularisation, if that's even a word. KDE will now be an unwieldy beast to build if you want it all.
On the other hand, maybe one only wants Dolphin, Okular, and Kate. Then its not so hard to build the KDE Framework (anyone thinking MS .Net Framework here?), plus the apps. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.
I really hope Slackware keeps KDE. It is such a full and easy to use environment that makes it a lot easier for windows and new users to make the transition. I have helped many people learn linux with the comfortable and 'safety' of KDE. Flux & XFCE both appeal to a little more advanced users. Advanced Slackware users don't need the xtra help, but the new ones do. I'd rather Slackware dump XFCE & Flux and all the things advanced users can easily compile on their own time. As a long time xfce user I enjoy it as well, but KDE would be a lot harder for users to prep and that's what distros are. They package the parts of linux that are just too hard for us normal users. Many people consider Slack as an adv user distro, but I consider it the opposite. I never really got linux until I switched to Slackware. The notes in every conf file, all the xtra help Slackware gives us taught me more than anything else.
Plus the fact that Slack's KDE is just so right. When I read tutorials, it matches up. It's just so hard on users when other distros make sweeping undocumented changes from the original developers apps.
Whatever the decision, huge props and thanks to Pat and everyone that contributes to any part of Slackware. I really enjoy the OS. Once I learned it, it has been the easiest distro I have ever used.
Many people consider Slack as an adv user distro, but I consider it the opposite. I never really got linux until I switched to Slackware. The notes in every conf file, all the xtra help Slackware gives us taught me more than anything else.
Plus the fact that Slack's KDE is just so right. When I read tutorials, it matches up. It's just so hard on users when other distros make sweeping undocumented changes from the original developers apps.
Whatever the decision, huge props and thanks to Pat and everyone that contributes to any part of Slackware. I really enjoy the OS. Once I learned it, it has been the easiest distro I have ever used.
Same here, although I never needed KDE to adjust. Found Linux straightforward, predictable and stable once I found Slack. I still have nightmares about the times I tried to locate files in Debian and CentOS.
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