How should we present KDE Plasma desktop sessions to users?

[kkde at trixtar.org]

On Fri, 23 Oct 2020 17:53:48 +0200
Adrien Glauser <adrien.glauser at gmail.com> wrote:

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> Hi again,
> 
> If no one on this list is available for discussing the topic quoted
> below, would you guys be so kind as to point me to the right people?
> 
> Thanks in advance,
> 
> Adrien
> 
> Le jeudi 22 octobre 2020 à 22:53 +0200, Adrien Glauser a écrit :
> > Hi all,
> > 
> > I am part of a group of volunteers helping our distribution update
> > the user documentation, with the goal  of improving the learning
> > experience for new users.
> > 
> > Now we all know Plasma has made tremendous progress with the wayland
> > and xwayland sessions . Unfortunately, as far as our support channels
> > are concerned, these improvements might not be readily enjoyable for
> > Nvidia users -- which is not surprising after all, as the meme says.
> > (Here I am talking about people who installed the proprietary driver,
> > typically for a laptop with both an Intel integrated and Nvidia
> > dedicated GPU. In this email I am talking about this category of
> > users, and about no other category).
> > 
> > Thus we want to make recommendations to our new users, whether fresh
> > switchers from the non-Linux world, or Linux users coming from the
> > GNOME world, where full wayland sessions are working OK for most
> > including the category I am talking about.
> > 
> > To make this assumption very clear: We feel like purely descriptive
> > information is not enough, because users are owed clear disclaimers
> > and warning signs when there is a live possibility that their sub
> > menus will be glitching and logoff process freezing. For us it's not
> > just about QA, it's also about basic respect for people who accepted
> > to get out their comfort zone to step into the Linux world.
> > 
> > Bearing in mind this context, I am asking you the following: What is
> > the most honest and accurate thing to say to these users? Should we
> > either:
> > 
> > a) Recommend the xorg session (because it's the most stable), and
> > make
> > no other recommendation? (saying for example that the QA testing
> > around
> > the other two is lacking, or something along these lines?)
> > 
> > b) Recommend the xorg session, and recommend against the xwayland and
> > wayland? (saying what I believe to be true, that is, that the other
> > two
> > sessions make it impossible for them to experience Plasma as it is
> > meant to be)
> > 
> > c)  Recommend all sessions in the sense that, contrary to my belief
> > and
> > knowledge, there actually is first-hand QA data supporting the idea
> > that all three sessions are OK for these users?
> > 
> > I am putting this out with an open mind, so please correct me if I am
> > not portraying Plasma UX accurately. I am just trying to work with
> > the
> > evidence I have, and to use it as best as I can for our users.
> > 
> > Also if you wonder why I am not writing to the Promo team at KDE
> > don't
> > wonder anymore: I have, and they acknowledge that this issue is a
> > little bit off their department.
> > 
> > Cheers and thanks for reading,
> > 
> > Adrien

If you're aiming at new users I guess they would
have an even stricter expectation than I do and
I'm neither guru nor novice. From my perspective 
anything that isn't bulletproof belongs in development, 
period. I came to Linux because I want to be able 
to do some cLi and customization and for the implied
security of open-sorce far from Redmond, I definitely 
didn't do so to become a developper.