Slashdot Mirror
Kubuntu To Be Sponsored By Blue Systems, Rather Than Canonical
JRiddell writes "Kubuntu, the KDE flavour from Ubuntu, has found a new sponsor in Blue Systems. They will be providing more resources than were available by previous sponsor Canonical. The project will remain much the same: community led, KDE focused, Ubuntu flavour. With the new independence it can branch out into new markets such as a Kubuntu Active flavour for tablets."
Consider this a divorce!
Is that another way of saying that with Canonical's push to new UI front ends and Stores and stuff, that support for the KDE side languished?
The summary feels like one of those "tip of the iceberg" ones, where there's a massive lurch beneath the scenes here. Anyone know where the problems are expected to arise in this?
My first Journal Entry ever, in 8 years! http://slashdot.org/journal/365947/aphelion-scifi-fantasy-horror-poetry-webzine
What we really need is a Gnome flavor of Ubuntu. Still not a fan of Unity, while Gnome 3 is starting to grow on me. Where's my Gnubuntu?
Given KDE's (and especially Kubuntu's) affinity for the color blue, this seems appropriate.
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Because Unity sucks.
About the only things I want from a distribution are a good package manager, a good selection of available packages, and timely attention paid to security.
What comes installed by default is something I'm likely to rearrange anyway. I don't like Unity either, which is why it would be installed for all of a few minutes until I replace it with something else if I decided that Ubuntu/Kubuntu fit my criteria.
So how many Slashdotters really just stick with defaults no matter how much they like something else better? Seems like a total non-issue (and a non-complaint) to me.
It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education. - Einstein
OK, who or what is Blue Systems? The only information on their website is a list of projects sponsored by them.
Ubuntu, until the version 10.04 LTS, was a distribution you could take, drop on a machine, install half a dozen packages (Thunderbird, Restricted Extras, ....) and be done with it. Installation time very quick. This compared to a Windows install which can take a up to a day, including hunting for drivers, software, securing it and finally setting the GUI to sane defaults. It's a complete pain.
Now, assume just for the sake of it that I ddi default installs for my friends and family and let them figure it out, and I do my thing in my corner. First support call, I get from them will put me and Linux in a bad light (either, or... ) and I want neither. Thus, I use the default desktop in order to be able to support them! Eating your own dog food, you know.
Deviating significantly from default install, increases the initial install time and increases the risk that you forgot to change a tiny GUI setting you use. (Example from the Windows world: you work with extensions turned on, the default is off. You forgot that on you family/friends computer. Try explaining the how to turn it on and why you need it, as it now suddenly deviates from what they are used.
That's my personal problem with the whole debacle. Furthermore, there has to be said something about software quality feels. If you have sane GUI settings from the beginning, your software is perceived as higher quality. That is also very important for the normal user. That we, nerds, can change everything to our hearts desire is not important to them.
As for Unity, I hated it at first too, but the changes in 12.04 beta, improved its usability. It's not perfect, but by now I can see my mom use it. (She's on 10.04LTS) and that /is/ important to me.
Ahhh...the great dumpster continuum. Many a free computer will be found there. -- sowth (748135)
This is really awesome!
I was always a Gnome fan and Ubuntu fan. Have been using Ubuntu since Ubuntu 6.4. When Unity came out, I wanted to give it a fair shot and I did. However things like the total lack of customization and general slowness when opening dash turned me off (gnome-do + docky offer a much faster solution). I also tried gnome-shell for a bit. This is also somewhat limited in the ways you can customize it (e.g. what about 2x2 workspaces?) and general problems with graphic drivers ( I was getting hard freezes 1-3 times a day, which made it impractical)
So couple of months ago I tried KDE 4.7. I Instantly liked how it is very similar to the desktop Im used to, but also offers interesting things like plasma widgets and is very customizable. I would not want to go back to gnome again.
So now I have a choice of distributions to pick. There is the Chakra project, which is totally awesome (I tried it for a while), however, it is not yet ready for prime time (things like installing non-KDE is very cumbersome and requires a lot of time). Kubuntu on the other hand comes with the awesome packaging system from ubuntu which makes installing applications a breeze. Moreover, almost any project out there, has an ubuntu repository (if its not already in the default repositories) making it the default choice if you dont want to start compiling applications for yourself.
When I heard about Canonical dropping Kubuntu, I was worried at first that it might go under. But this development makes a very happy camper and am looking forward at the next releases of Kubuntu!