Ubuntu For Free

I have yet to upgrade to KDE4 in Kubuntu. I have spent sime time with it in the LiveCD though. So far, it’s been an experience. I like some of the new features in Konqueror. The new Kickoff menu almost obsoletes katapult, but doesn’t quite make it. It requires the use of keystrokes with keys having a greater distance than katapult. I can usually hit alt+space on most any keyboard with one thumb, so I don’t find Kickoff as accessible as it could be. Moreover, you also have to press enter to complete the search.

It seems to me many of the most important updates are kind of behind the scenes. New API’s like Phonon will provide enhanced interoperability for the future. This generally points to the direction of KDE4 really laying an incredible foundation for forthcoming development.

I’m going to test the kubuntu package of it in an installed virtual machine. I’m not ready for any big problems with either of my workstations, so I’ll be holding off on that until i make sure most of my apps will work.

I’d also like to do it without editing my sources list.

There’s been a great rift with the Canonical Community as of late surrounding Kubuntu. The update from KDE 3.5 to KDE 4.0 is such a great shift that Canonical feels they’re unable to commit to Long Term Support for Kubuntu 8.04. Frankly, I don’ blame them. This is a pretty good move for them as far as any business relationships and future investors.

I don’t think it’s a problem. However, you kind of have to wonder how it affects the users who install using Ubuntu 8.04 and then add the kubuntu-desktop package, or will it be disabled?

Others have noted that there’s been a lack of reports from users with their experience regarding Hardy Heron. I noticed the torrent activity was kind of slacking. This is an excellent time for us to step up the testing on this. I suggest testing the .ISO image from a LiveCD and from some sort of virtualization application, such as VMWare or VirtualBox. If you’ve got the resources, it’s definitely appreciated for a full install and all the reports that you get from that experience.

I’ve encountered a few bugs that I’ve reported at Launchpad. Here I found other users reporting the same kind of problems I experienced. I wasn’t able to find the bug reports doing a simple search, instead it found them for me when I attempted to report the bugs, so go ahead and just attempt to report the bug you encounter. If it doesn’t find it for you, someone will catch it in triage. So, to re-iterate. If you haven’t tried it yet, go ahead and take the time. This is one of the easiest ways to contribute to the community.