KDE release cycles?

[John Woodhouse]

What would be of more interest to many is pure bug fix releases rather
than new features. I for instance am running 


Platform Version 4.6.00 (4.6.0) "release 6" 


AND in real terms am having no problems other than the type ahead at

times and the up to 5sec machine freezes. Kmail is functioning as it did

on 3.x as well. I understand this release was purely aimed at bug fixing.

I didn't upgrade from 3.x until this one cropped up and rumour had it

that a certain distro was offering the most stable version available.


Kevin suggested a much earlier release but a prowl around the web
suggested otherwise so I waited as painful as that was.

The only major problem following the upgrade was kde derived updates.
Early on so not a problem I re installed. I think that kde delving into that
area is making a rod for it's own back. It's best left to the distro's and
kde's involvement will discourage them from maintaining their update
software. As disto's play with the software they install there is no other
sensible option other than to leave it  to them really. Blame goes where
it should then when machines fall over. The other problem was graphics.
Big deal I had to fit a far more up to date  card and use the manufacturers

driver as the os one is a joke. My view on that aspect with things like

graphics cards is that it good that they support Linux.


>From the bleating there also seems to be a need for a far more difficult

release. One that addresses software that performs poorly. I'm amazed

that the same old bleating is still going on given that it seems to be a
major part of kde's functionality.  Of course this sort of work and bug
fixing isn't as popular with devs most of who are probably very keen

on adding their personal favourite new feature. It seems the real problem

is discipline augmented by some distro's devs not doing all  that they

could. I remember a posting on here - oh what we need is a daemon.

My thought was oh no. It had been pointed out that kde was a c++

wrapper for app programmers. Has it lost it's course?


One aspect that has disturbed me is sudden changes in kde that just

happen. How? As a for instance the hemariod suddenly changed to a sort

of far more objectionable vertical tab far right screen somewhat above

centre. There have been others. None related to updates,


I'm shortly going to use the root desktop to install a printer. Reasonable

thing to do. The manufacturers provide a graphical installer. Wonder

what problems I will have. Last time I looked on 3 it was so crippled as

to be useless. As some one pointed out at the time care is needed when

running as root however it's presented. The console should unlike 

windoze always be their but always running a machine like that is truly

old hat and belongs in the stone ages.


:-) Looking at the final results in the KDE 4 area what do we have?

Well the same underlying functionality presented in several different ways.

I fully understand why complete rewrites crop up eventually but they

occur far less frequently if due thought is given to the structure and

documentation. I hope some one some where has learnt from the

experience. Leaves me wondering what happens after version

4.9.9 release 99. Will people feel it's possible to go to 4.10.0 or will

version 5 spring to life and maybe open another can of worms.


John

:
> 
> April 3: 4.8.2 release  THIS WEEK! =:^)
> 
> May 1: 4.8.3 release
> 
> May 3: first 4.9 developer deadline, soft feature freeze
> 
> May 30: 4.9 beta1 prerelease
> 
> June 5: 4.8.4 release, final scheduled 4.8
> 
> June 13: 4.9 beta2 prerelease
> 
> June 27: 4.9 rc1 prerelease
> 
> July 11: 4.9 rc2 prerelease
> 
> August 1: 4.9.0 release
> 
> -- 
> Duncan - List replies preferred.   No HTML msgs.
> "Every nonfree program has a lord, a master --
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> 
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