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Red Hat 8.0 For KDE Users (And Newbies)
pantropik writes "OSNews has been giving quite a bit of bandwidth to Red Hat's newest offering lately. This article, which generated quite a bit of controversy in the comments section, detailed a new user's 'frustrations' with the new release. The latest article, written by yours truly, is rather lengthy, explaining such things as adding 3D drivers, missing MP3 functionality, DVD decoding, using APT with RHL, and customizing Red Hat's modified KDE. At the end, I wrap up with my impression -- as a simple user -- of this 'crippled' KDE implementation. Of course, you can also check out this story, which takes a look at RH 8.0 from 'Joe and Jane User's' perspective."
As the writer wrote:
I was excited to see all the positive, glowing reviews of the latest version of Red Hat Linux. I thought, "finally, I can get away from Windows 98." "It just works" is the mantra. Unfortunately, this was not the case for me.
If the goal is to simply get away from Windows while still maintaining functionality, and you're just a hack user, I would recommend Mac OS X. If you don't have the money to buy new hardware...then I don't know what to tell you.
At this point, Linux is still not going to replace Windows or Mac OS X. And you can't expect REd Hat to solve all the problems in one release. It's a step in the right direction, but this isn't the miracle that Linux needs to attract joe-user.
Don't be so critical.
Sorry to say it, but it's high time the KDE - Gnome squabble stopped and both teams started concentrating on a unified desktop.
Consider this : given the fact that both are so refined already, if both worked together, you'd have a UI that easily bypasses anything MS can come up with and Linux becomes a viable desktop for Joe and Jane user (it already is for Joe and Jane techie).
Again, Linux NEEDS a unified desktop. I can't say it more. It may sound sad, but it has to be done.
Find a job you like and you will never work a day in your life.
Yes, Linux is becoming bloatware. there is not one of us who can deny it. A Celeron 500 with 64 meg of ram is more than enough to run an OS, X server, desktop and browser+office suite. Why it doesnt? the only reason is feature bloat.
I just recently tried RH8.0 (I support RH in a corperate environment) and liked how it looks, but am appalled that in order to deploy it I have to replace all the workstations with new just to keep everything feeling right in speed. (WE have aincent P-III 866's here with a paltry 128 meg of ram... I know... I should be killed and eaten for using such old and outdated hardware.)
Redhat 7.3 is the last stage here.. and if Linux desktops in general keep getting feature bloat and exrta slow-down added... I may have to stand up with egg on my face and reccomend that we switch back to Microsoft in a few years.
KDE and Gnome... they need stop all development and focus on getting a 50% speed increase. If they have to cut and slash to do it, then do it. Mozilla needs to do this as well as Open Office.
everyone is sitting behind the excuse that "processors are ultra fast now and ram is cheap." Linux is not the big fish... we must be faster and sleeker than the big fish to survive and overcome.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
I think as a whole community we need to show more support for Red Hat because once people see the advantages of Red Hat, it's not a big jump to find your favorite distro (SuSe for me :-) ) and isn't this what we're wanting to happen?
This is my digital signature. 10011011001
- just work
maybe they dont want to compile everything, maybe they are just converts that want to email websurf and do light gaming. Give people a little slack. Just a thought.I hate sigs.
Let's see if RedHat 8.0 works as a business desktop, its STATED target.
Easy for admin to deploy. check
Easy to use desktop even for a windows user. check
Comes with a great Office Suite and email client. check
Comes with a fast stable web browser. check
The best fonts and font tool ever for a linux distro. check
Absolutly 100% free to download ISO's. check
A billion times more secure than Outlook/IE. check
Responsive on modern(1GHz 256MB) machines. check
Companies has given/gives back a LOT to the community. check
I've been using Redhat since 5.0 and I've also pretty much every distro under the sun. For desktop linux this is a high wark mark. It still has a few rough edges when it comes to consumer usage, but really for the business desktop this is deployable NOW. If I were starting a company today there is not doubt RH 8 would be my choice regardless of cost. Also remember this is Redhat's FIRST attempt at the desktop. I can only imagine how good Redhat 8.1 or 8.2 is going to be.
If you wanna get rich, you know that payback is a bitch
Have to agree. If you actually just want it to work (and get away from Windows), use your x86 architecture as a server/firewall/router and go out and buy a Mac. Short term investment in long term functionality, ease of use and underlying power.
Then Gnome and KDE would be very similar, but would also remain separate. KDE would use Konq for file/web, Gnome would use Nautilus/Mozilla respectively, etc.
Then users could mix and match components, developers could choose which development architecture they want, and users would see a consistent desktop with common themes and fonts.
Sticking feathers up your butt does not make you a chicken - Tyler Durden
nor suze posts because I've setup filters to trash them. ...etc...
Why ?
Because many of those many posts come from users having difficulties with choices the heavy thinkers of those distros made. And I got fed up of reading the same problems all over again. And the same answers, to the point that some day those lists look like a big huge faq.
"This a suze related problem. The solution to this problem can be found on suze forum "...etc
Most of the times, the initiative was good and those people are quite eager to do the right thing, they just seem unable to do it THE RIGHT WAY.
In the KDE case, it would have meant in order to do the right thing (desktop appearence unification): to talk with KDE people to warn them and have feedback from them, to show respect for their work and project (leave the small about kde box in the app they put aside anyway) and to show that they have heard their concerns about a supposed preference toward gnome and that they're not funded (because they are not, right?).
But NO, they had to push it under the hat(!) and suddenly, flamewars everywhere, like we need them.
And in order to do it the right way for end users (because they are target for desktop unification, right? I mean, who ELSE need it?), that would mean a little less twinked systems which will behave a little more like everyone else's. If you don't believe me, go and check last transgaming release and see what systems have kernel related issues with last winex release.
If the real issue behind all this was to do the best desktop for end users, they certainly did it the wrong way.
One more thing to add to my list...
Regarding browser plugins, the default netscape location for plugins (/usr/lib/netscape/plugins) should be a symlink to the mozilla plugins directory. When some popular "netscape" plugins are installed, such as realplayer, it automatically puts itself in the default netscape location.
For a "joe user", this would probably be a big problem because after installing a plugin, realplayer, flash player, etc... it doesn't work unless the user manually copies the files from the netscape plugin directory into the mozilla plugin directory.
Huge problem, with a simple solution.
Skiers and Riders -- http://www.snowjournal.com
I have always found, as a rule of thumb, that you are better off recompiling the distro's kernel source after you install the distro. This seems to make the lag issue go away.
I read the OSNews article about "Joe and Jane User" and I have to say, no matter how much you pretend that you are a newbie, unless you really are one, then I feel like you can't understand our frustration. I am just getting my feet wet in Linux and it has been a little hard since I don't know the difference between GNOME and KDE except that they have different background and act a little differently and overall are slightly different. Having been a long time Windows user, I don't really care about the differences. So, I think that RedHat has done a great job of combining the two destops into one to ease confusion for oridinary users like myself. Way to go RedHat.
There are lots of other Linux distributors who still supports the ideals of free software and open source. They'll get my business.
Because YOU'VE decided that Taiwan is it's own country, and not a part of China?
Reminds me of a show I once liked
Lois: Did you get the permit from the city.
Peter: No we're not part of the city. In fact we're not even part of the country.
Lois: What are you talking about.
Peter: Thanks to a technicality we have the right to secede from the United States and that makes us our own country. from this point on we shall be known as Petoria. I was going to call it Peterland but that gay club by the airport already took it.
Lois: We are a clean industrious people. Mostly white. My son Chris is in charge of our space program. We expect to get to the moon very soon.
Chris: (in tree) Almost there. (falls) they should really use monkeys for this.
Lois: And little Stewie here is our President of poopies.
Stewie: Oh har har.
Trisha: Where is the president now.
Lois: Oh he's on a goodwill mission to America.
I can't stop!! :P
"I can't give you a brain, so I'll give you a diploma" - The Great Oz (blatently stolen sig)
Because YOU'VE decided that Taiwan is it's own country, and not a part of China?
Nope. No where in my post did I claim or imply that (you seem to have a grudge against it because you brought it up). This is simply about the flag -- the simple recognition that there are 2 separate government bodies, one in China and one in Taiwan; one that supresses freedom and one that supports it.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out Chinese government does not govern Taiwanese people, nor vice versa. Yet you failed to realize that.
The KDE attitude seems to be that there is a war to win for the Linux desktop, while other efforts are more geared towards providing interoperable toolsets of which you can reuse as much or as little as you like. Fortunately, KDE code is open source, and it is entirely appropriate for RedHat and other developers to pick apart the KDE distribution and code and reuse whatever parts are useful. That's how open source works: if a project fails to meet the needs of its users, it gets cannibalized and its parts reused. KDE is probably due for a lot more cannibalization in the future.