[kde-linux] Another KDE 4.x print problem?

[James Tyrer]

Duncan wrote:

A whole lot, as usual. :-D

> James Tyrer posted on Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:13:02 -0700 as excerpted:
> 
>>> tho seriously improving with each release.
>> But, will it.  How many bug fix releases will there be in the 4.3
>> branch?  Or, will it just go to 4.4.0 which means more features not bug
>> fixes -- actually new things that are not quite fully baked yet.  So,
>> there will just be more things to go wrong.
> 
> The kde 4.x bumps are on a six-month schedule.  The 4.x.y bumps are on a 
> monthly schedule, so they get to 4.x.4 before the x bumps. They've been 
> sticking to that reasonably well, tho not absolutely set in stone.  
> 
Still kicking stuff out the door on a schedule.  This would be OK as
long as  4.4 was branched at (actually before would be better; making a
development branch like Linux [Kernel]) the fist Beta and stuff which
which wasn't going to be ready for the release was removed before the
first RC.  The problem is that TRUNK is branched at the RC and stuff
that doesn't work is included in the release.  I realize that what I
learned was correct development procedures are more difficult, but they
result in a better quality product.  That is why they are accepted
practices.

> But they *DO* still need the 4.x bumps, because the 4.x.y bumps are 
> relatively limited -- I believe they can't change UI wording much, for 
> instance, as they're string frozen for translation purposes.  And there's 
> still enough /big/ things wrong that they *NEED* the 4.x bumps regularly 
> in ordered to be able to fix a reasonable number of them each time, which 
> they *HAVE* been doing.
> 
Very strange self imposed rule.  If the UI does not conform to the HIG,
that is a bug, but you can't fix it unless the minor version is incremented.

> And actually, they do seem to have calmed down on the featuritis somewhat 
> too, and be focusing to a reasonable extent on fixing the still gaping 
> holes.  4.4 is badly needed, as fixes are already in for a number of 
> them, but it's not scheduled until February.  4.3 was the same way, as 
> was 4.2 and 4.1definitely because 4.0 was basically hacked-up demo apps 
> around finally frozen core-libraries.

Yes, agreed as long as what is added is what is missing from KDE-3 or
something which will replace the functionality and not wholly new stuff.

<SNIP>

And much as what you say is basically true, it doesn't really apply here
since KDEPrint-4.x.y would have a dialog that was an exact duplicate of
the Qt one.  The difference would be that it worked! :-D  If they don't
think that it would be OK to implement the "Advanced" (must be a better
name for it; OO has two: "paper" & "device" and this seems more logical)
tab until 4.4, that would be OK.

-- 
James Tyrer

Linux (mostly) From Scratch