Kubuntu, ArkLinux Announce KDE 3.4-Based Releases

arexx writes "Kubuntu, the new Linux flavour based on the fast-climbing Ubuntu but with a KDE desktop as standard has reached its first preview release, with the first full release due next month. ISOs and torrents are available for all major architectures from cdimage.ubuntu.com. Kubuntu is the first distribution to ship with the new KDE 3.4, released just two days ago. Existing Ubuntu users can grab KDE 3.4 with a quick and customarily painless 'sudo apt-get install kubuntu-desktop' in the nearest terminal window." Kubuntu isn't alone, though: as reader fixertechno puts it, "After 3 years of development, testing, and me waiting patiently, the first stable release of Ark Linux has been released; Bero's announcement is here. Ark Linux is a KDE based desktop version of Linux with similar goals of 'it just works' to Ubuntu Linux. If you've been waiting to try Ark Linux -- or any Linux distribution for that matter, now's the time!"

Comments

Kubuntu is a word!

[sethadam1]

Before anybody starts up with the name, let me quickly quote the Kubuntu FAQ:

What does kubuntu mean?
It means "towards humanity" in Bemba.

Re:Kubuntu is a word!

[Trailwalker]

Great, now what the fuck is Bemba?

Here Windows is available in Bemba.

to avoid misunderstood

[netdur]

kubuntu is not based on ubuntu, kubuntu is ubuntu with KDE instead of gnome, it's from the same ubuntu team, anyway kubuntu mean "to humanity", it's real word

Ark has a long way to go

[Timesprout]

I just had a look at the screenshot for the 'easy to use' network config dialog. It lists nice clueless user friendly things like

eth0 running Ethernet adapter
lo running Loopback adapter

All of which is perfectly clear to the average end user so presumably this is why there is no help button. And they seem to have a problem spelling associated, there was no z in it last time I looked.

So after a very very brief look I dont see anything particularly user friendly but I do see sloppiness.

Re:Ark has a long way to go

[nutshell42]

I've downloaded the kubuntu preview today and it had neither a graphical network configuration client (you could install one from a different repository but a lack of answers in the channel leads me to the conclusion that there's no gui way to change repositories) nor a way to change the (apparently hardcoded) settings for your monitor (I had to switch to a different virtual terminal, stop kdm, adjust xorg.conf and restart kdm to get 1280x1024 at a reasonable refresh) while the ark screenshots at least make me hopeful that it offers just that.

Oh and they should really disable kde's ipv6 support by default, it makes some web pages incredibly slow because afaik it spams your nameserver with ipv6 lookups and it can be disabled with a simple environment var (reuters.com took 40s (!!!) to load with standard kubuntu and 6-7 with the variable set). I've already written that in the channel and I'm also aware that I've tested a preview version and I am hopeful that they'll do a lot of polishing in the weeks ahead. Just wanted to mention it.

Re:Ark has a long way to go

[darthpenguin]

While I won't argue with you about general sloppiness (I've never tried out that distro), I think it's necessary to understand that only a certain level of "clueless user friendly things" can be allowed.

The dialog you mentioned (link) labels the eth0 interface as "ethernet adapter". How much more abstraction can you expect? Should it be labeled "thingy that lets your magic number-adding box 'talk' to other magic number-adding boxes through a metal wire which fits into a rectangular-like hole in the back of both boxes"?

At some point, you have to expect the user to know what they're doing, or expect them to learn something. There is no way around that, short of having someone knowledgable literally hand-hold them through every step.

Re:Ark has a long way to go

[Bero]

Thanks for the bug report! We've fixed the typo in the network config in current CVS, so feel free to update (and given the fact the tool was written by a German guy and a Swiss guy, enjoy the fact that the English translation works, apart from a typo ;) ).

As for "Ethernet adapter" etc. being too hard to understand, this is quite possibly right, but how do you want to manually configure a network without knowing what it is?

We'd be glad to hear of possible fixes for the next release.

kubuntu-default-settings

[Anonymous Coward]

To get the full Kubuntu feeling (like themed kdm, Kubuntu wallpaper etc.) and not pure KDE 3.4 alone you have to "sudo apt-get install kubuntu-default-settings" additionally/instead.

Just for clarification:

[stanthegoomba]

Kubuntu is not just a derivative of Ubuntu like many Debian based distros. Kubuntu and Ubuntu are not meant to be separate, competing distros. In fact they are basically the same thing- you can apt-get install KDE in Ubuntu and Gnome in Kubuntu. The main difference is that Ubuntu COMES with Gnome and Kubuntu COMES with kde, instead of the Ubuntu team providing multiple CD's like most distros. Kubuntu FAQ

Hippie Linux?

[PocketPick]

Don't get me wrong, i'm not trying to bash Ubuntu Linux (I'm sure it's a fine distribution), but don't others find the whole "Ubuntu Linux brings the spirit of Ubuntu to the software world" seem kinda hokey. I mean, I'm all for a user-accessible Linux accessible distribution but the whole idea of "Peace, Love, and Linux" just reeks of marketing gone wrong.

Re:Kubuntu

[bman08]

I'm annoyed that kubuntu has to be themed in blue. Everyone bitches about Ubuntu being brown, but it's distinctive. I wish these guys could get on the same branding bandwagon as the rest of the Ubuntu team.

Re:Ok I might regret this but,.......

[Slack3r78]

Basic rundown:

Gnome is a GTK based desktop environment with a focus on usability and simplicity, at times to a near detrimental level. Philosophically, it's a solid approach, but developers and users do butt heads from time to time. It's generally considered more 'Mac-like.' (More MacOS = OS 9 than X).

KDE is a QT based destkop environment which focuses primarily on flexibility and a high degree of customization. KDE focuses more on giving those that consider themselves power a larger degree of control. This degree of control does, however, lead to an increased level of complexity. Interface wise, it's the more Windows-like of the two.

And it's this point that has me slightly confused with the Kubuntu project. If you spend any time around the forums, you'll pick up that Ubuntu is built around an almost severely strict regimine of usibility. For example, in one thread I was watching, the idea of using red/green to indicate OK/Fail during boot up was shot down on the grounds that it could cause problems for people with color blindness.

While I appreciate that some people honestly prefer KDE as an environment, I don't quite see where it fits into Ubuntu's philosophy. Ubuntu is almost painfully easy to use - I have a friend who is a geek and a bit of a Macintosh zealot who's previously expressed a rather strong dislike for Linux, and even he's fallen in love with this distribution. I just don't see how it can maintain its character on KDE without pruning away many of the things the KDE advocates really like.