Is it within the UAE's interests to try and support new leadership in Iran to try and control a future Irani government and keep it an Arab-controlled Islamic state, or should they wait for the US/UN to eventually send in troops over the nuke issue? Who do they want to organize the formation of the next Irani government?
Is this the same Irani government which torturers people to try and gain Facebook passwords so they can better track groups who want to discuss politics freely?
Forcing users to use a government monitored service doesn't sound like something that would build trust. It sounds like a move to crush dissent.
Omaha is right next door to your new data center in Council Bluffs, IA, and a telecommunications hub for the country. You know you want to roll out here.
Songbird is an interesting alternative. It isn't KDE based. Rather, it is actually built on Mozilla. Like Firefox, it has a plugin framework to customize how you want it.
I do believe most distros allow you to pick groups/patterns of packages during install.
The last time I did an Ubuntu install however, I couldn't pick packages at the initial install. I got what they were going to give me, and that was it.
So with openSUSE, Fedora, etc. during the initial install, I could remove all Games, and add say Web Server packages with a single click.
You insist Ubuntu is the best example of usability here. With openSUSE I have the simplicity of accepting defaults if I want, but also the freedom to get exactly what I want.
KDE 3 certainly had issues with poorly displaying then ten million choices you had to configure a specific app, but more often than not, I believe choice leads to better usability. You just need to present those choices well.
As far as dial-up goes, I'm assuming you wouldn't be doing a network based install with dial-up. If you can't download an install CD over dial-up, you can have a CD or DVD mailed to you. In the case of dial-up, a DVD with more packages on the disc is preferable, reducing the chance you may need to download something.
I don't know of many distros that don't have a CD install option, even though many provide DVDs with more packages.
With openSUSE (my distro of choice), I only get a few games, one music player, one video player, one IM program, and then a few graphics programs out of the box. I do get two browsers, and two file managers, but only one is the default out of the box. I really would never see the other unless I went out of my way to use it.
With the default install, I think I only get Gwenview, Digikam and Kolorpaint out of the box. One is a pure viewer. One is photo management. One is a paint app. I don't think that is unreasonable.
I usually install Picasa precisely because I then have one app that can handle most tasks I need in an effort to simplify, but I don't feel like I'm being overwhelmed by choice.
At the very least it is preesented as an option in Arch, Sabayon, PCLinuxOS, Fedora, Mandriva, etc. I don't know off hand what any of those use for defaults as I haven't installed any of those in the past year.
Most Linux distros have community forums and IRC channels if you have questions as a new Linux user.
For most users, the first two steps you need to take after a new Linux install (openSUSE being no exception) is to install a video driver, and install codecs.
With openSUSE, there are two 1-click installers that handle these tasks.
Running those two 1-click installers should get DVDs, Flash, your video driver, MP3 support, QuickTime support, etc. all working.
KDE 4.4 isn't night and day different from KDE 4.3. You can use a 1-click installer to add a newer version of KDE, or you can wait a few months for openSUSE 11.3 which will upgrade your entire system to the latest and greatest versions.
Let's say I need to edit a picture. Should I fire up Gimp, Krita, Picasa, Digikam, Inkscape, F-Spot, Hughin, Kolorpaint, etc?
The answer is, it depends. What kind of picture am I opening up? What do I want to do with it?
Your thinking seems to be that less choice and less functionality is an automatic improvement on usability. However, by limiting the tools at my disposal, it somewhat forces me to use what is likely an inferior tool for many use cases.
Someone who has never used any of these apps might be frightened by seeing a choice of apps. Should we cater to the lowest common denominator, or should be make a powerful distro that enables power users?
Your "start menu" entries not only list program names, but DESCRIPTIONS. The solution is already present. Allow for multiple apps for different tasks, but then provide clear descriptions for which app provides which functionality.
It certainly doesn't make sense to included say Pidgin and Koepete, which overlap almost entirely on functionality, but media players, and various editors are often designed for very different tasks. One size does not fit all.
To each their own. I won't use Gnome because Gnome doesn't give me enough options to run the desktop I want. I want configuration options.
That being said, almost every single app in KDE 4 land was redesigned to clean up the interface and make every menu and dialog look simpler. In most cases, they accomplished this without losing functionality. In many cases, they expanded functionality.
LinuxToday.com had some articles recently breaking down the system settings for KDE 4.3. If you haven't used KDE since 3, you should at least give it a look.
I don't keep the defaults with the KDE desktop. With a fresh install I change my desktop containment/activity to Folder View, and then move on to customizing the panel. I could scream about the defaults, but I'm content having the freedom to customize it exactly how I want it. I assume other users prefer different settings. Why force them into the defaults I want?
The fact that KDE allows for different containments/activities for your desktop shell is in and of itself pretty amazing.
The entire aim of Amarok is to provide contextual information about your library (and all other music sources you play) to help you rediscover your music.
There are simple players like Juk.
If you want a really simple client, then Amarok is not for you. If you liked Amarok 1.4, but don't like the defaults in Amarok 2, it takes less than a minute to configure it how you want.
I'm not seeing any reasonable explanation for someone being upset that Amarok 2 being MORE FLEXIBLE than Amarok 1.4 when it comes to making it look and operate how you want.
I run weekly snapshot releases of KDE on openSUSE. I've been doing so for probably the past 2 years.
My wife has the stock KDE 4.3 packages that shipped on the openSUSE 11.2 DVD, and she hasn't complained once about a single crash, ever, except for Flash in Firefox. (She complains about that a great deal).
The only thing that seems to crash for me is Nepomuk for the most part. I do get an occassional Plasma crash, usually when I'm changing the panel on a new install. Once I'm done setting up my panel, I never seem to get crashes ever again. It runs pretty extremely stable for me.
I've done plenty of openSUSE installs for friends and family this year with Intel, Nvidia, and ATI graphics cards.
I'm curious what the differences are between what we're running, and what we're doing.
My only complaint with 4.4 is that I get an error message if I'm not running Nepomuk.
If I start it, it crashes most of the time. Even when it runs without crashing, it does nothing for me. I've noticed that every major distro has open bugs relating to Nepomuk crashes, and I'm not seeing fixes to be found anywhere.
If enough apps do a good job of making Nepomuk useful, then I might consider it in the future. But right now I have zero interest in it, and it isn't exactly optional in KDE 4.4.
It is the only ugly wart on an otherwise great release.
openSUSE is the best in my opinion. If you install the 11.3 Milestone 1 (alpha release) it comes with an early build of KDE 4.4 out of the box. Or you can install openSUSE 11.2, add a KDE repository, and grab the latest KDE that way.
They have good Firefox and OpenOffice integration with KDE, stable packages, and a great desktop overall.
Arch, Fedora, and Sabayon also put out good KDE 4 desktops.
The openSUSE 11.3 Milestone 1 live disc is running a weekly snapshot build of the 4.4 trunk. It is about a month old, but it is a fairly good indicator of the final 4.4 release.
Kubuntu consistently puts out the worst KDE packages. If you want a good KDE desktop, please try another distro like openSUSE, Fedora, Sabayon, Arch, PCLinux OS, Mandriva, etc.
If you want to blame someone for the "disaster", consider pointing a finger at your distro.
Usually when I make this statement, half the time I get modded troll. The other half of the time I get modded informative. Frankly, I don't care. But I am speaking the truth here. Anyone who follows KDE knows that 90% of the complaints seem to stem from people running terrible Kubuntu packages.
Where are all the/. posters who've said the past few months that everyone should move to Bing over Google, because Google is the evil behemoth that doesn't respect your privacy?
Google.org is legally recognized as a charity. They've given away over 100 million already. In addition to handing out money, they also utilize Google's resources to help research.
The OP stated that Google isn't a particular charitable organization.
Have they open sourced hardware designs to try and reduce power usage around the world?
Have they released open protocols like SPDY and Wave without any patents hanging off them?
Do they sponsor Summer of Code?
Have they offered up major projects like Chromium Browser under a BSD license for anyone to use however they want?
Anyone can submit patches upstream to Android's code base. You can compile your own fork, and then flash your phone with it. The SDK is free. People are already distributing modified versions of it.
It doesn't have a huge community of OSS developers, but that doesn't mean that Google or the OHA failed to do anything.
I don't make a cent off the site. I help write reviews from time to time for free. I have a love/hate relationship with the iPhone. It is the only Apple product I own.
And I only own an iPhone because I couldn't get service for a G1 in Omaha when I purchased my last phone.
You do realize that Google does not own nor control Android, right?
Google handed Android over to the Open Handset Alliance the moment they unveiled it. There are several large companies (like Nokia and Motorolla) who take part in that alliance.
Slashdot Mirror
Is it within the UAE's interests to try and support new leadership in Iran to try and control a future Irani government and keep it an Arab-controlled Islamic state, or should they wait for the US/UN to eventually send in troops over the nuke issue? Who do they want to organize the formation of the next Irani government?
At this point, isn't an inevitability?
Is this the same Irani government which torturers people to try and gain Facebook passwords so they can better track groups who want to discuss politics freely?
Forcing users to use a government monitored service doesn't sound like something that would build trust. It sounds like a move to crush dissent.
Omaha is right next door to your new data center in Council Bluffs, IA, and a telecommunications hub for the country. You know you want to roll out here.
Juk is a very simple KDE-based player.
Songbird is an interesting alternative. It isn't KDE based. Rather, it is actually built on Mozilla. Like Firefox, it has a plugin framework to customize how you want it.
http://www.getsongbird.com/
If you want a very basic player, then Amarok is not the app for that use case. That means it is terrible on the whole?
The very reason that others love Amarok is how much functionality it provides, such as easy access to lyrics, wiki entries, album art, etc. etc.
If you don't want those features, then don't use it. It really is that simple.
I do believe most distros allow you to pick groups/patterns of packages during install.
The last time I did an Ubuntu install however, I couldn't pick packages at the initial install. I got what they were going to give me, and that was it.
So with openSUSE, Fedora, etc. during the initial install, I could remove all Games, and add say Web Server packages with a single click.
You insist Ubuntu is the best example of usability here. With openSUSE I have the simplicity of accepting defaults if I want, but also the freedom to get exactly what I want.
KDE 3 certainly had issues with poorly displaying then ten million choices you had to configure a specific app, but more often than not, I believe choice leads to better usability. You just need to present those choices well.
As far as dial-up goes, I'm assuming you wouldn't be doing a network based install with dial-up. If you can't download an install CD over dial-up, you can have a CD or DVD mailed to you. In the case of dial-up, a DVD with more packages on the disc is preferable, reducing the chance you may need to download something.
I don't know of many distros that don't have a CD install option, even though many provide DVDs with more packages.
With openSUSE (my distro of choice), I only get a few games, one music player, one video player, one IM program, and then a few graphics programs out of the box. I do get two browsers, and two file managers, but only one is the default out of the box. I really would never see the other unless I went out of my way to use it.
With the default install, I think I only get Gwenview, Digikam and Kolorpaint out of the box. One is a pure viewer. One is photo management. One is a paint app. I don't think that is unreasonable.
I usually install Picasa precisely because I then have one app that can handle most tasks I need in an effort to simplify, but I don't feel like I'm being overwhelmed by choice.
I know it is the default in openSUSE.
At the very least it is preesented as an option in Arch, Sabayon, PCLinuxOS, Fedora, Mandriva, etc. I don't know off hand what any of those use for defaults as I haven't installed any of those in the past year.
Most Linux distros have community forums and IRC channels if you have questions as a new Linux user.
For most users, the first two steps you need to take after a new Linux install (openSUSE being no exception) is to install a video driver, and install codecs.
With openSUSE, there are two 1-click installers that handle these tasks.
http://en.opensuse.org/NVIDIA_drivers
http://opensuse-community.org/Restricted_Formats/11.2
Running those two 1-click installers should get DVDs, Flash, your video driver, MP3 support, QuickTime support, etc. all working.
KDE 4.4 isn't night and day different from KDE 4.3. You can use a 1-click installer to add a newer version of KDE, or you can wait a few months for openSUSE 11.3 which will upgrade your entire system to the latest and greatest versions.
Are they running this by chance?
http://hannahmontana.sourceforge.net/
Let's say I need to edit a picture. Should I fire up Gimp, Krita, Picasa, Digikam, Inkscape, F-Spot, Hughin, Kolorpaint, etc?
The answer is, it depends. What kind of picture am I opening up? What do I want to do with it?
Your thinking seems to be that less choice and less functionality is an automatic improvement on usability. However, by limiting the tools at my disposal, it somewhat forces me to use what is likely an inferior tool for many use cases.
Someone who has never used any of these apps might be frightened by seeing a choice of apps. Should we cater to the lowest common denominator, or should be make a powerful distro that enables power users?
Your "start menu" entries not only list program names, but DESCRIPTIONS. The solution is already present. Allow for multiple apps for different tasks, but then provide clear descriptions for which app provides which functionality.
It certainly doesn't make sense to included say Pidgin and Koepete, which overlap almost entirely on functionality, but media players, and various editors are often designed for very different tasks. One size does not fit all.
To each their own. I won't use Gnome because Gnome doesn't give me enough options to run the desktop I want. I want configuration options.
That being said, almost every single app in KDE 4 land was redesigned to clean up the interface and make every menu and dialog look simpler. In most cases, they accomplished this without losing functionality. In many cases, they expanded functionality.
LinuxToday.com had some articles recently breaking down the system settings for KDE 4.3. If you haven't used KDE since 3, you should at least give it a look.
http://linuxtoday.com/infrastructure/2010020300135OSKE
http://linuxtoday.com/infrastructure/2010020800735OSKE
http://linuxtoday.com/infrastructure/2010020802435OSHLKE
I don't keep the defaults with the KDE desktop. With a fresh install I change my desktop containment/activity to Folder View, and then move on to customizing the panel. I could scream about the defaults, but I'm content having the freedom to customize it exactly how I want it. I assume other users prefer different settings. Why force them into the defaults I want?
The fact that KDE allows for different containments/activities for your desktop shell is in and of itself pretty amazing.
The entire aim of Amarok is to provide contextual information about your library (and all other music sources you play) to help you rediscover your music.
There are simple players like Juk.
If you want a really simple client, then Amarok is not for you. If you liked Amarok 1.4, but don't like the defaults in Amarok 2, it takes less than a minute to configure it how you want.
I'm not seeing any reasonable explanation for someone being upset that Amarok 2 being MORE FLEXIBLE than Amarok 1.4 when it comes to making it look and operate how you want.
I run weekly snapshot releases of KDE on openSUSE. I've been doing so for probably the past 2 years.
My wife has the stock KDE 4.3 packages that shipped on the openSUSE 11.2 DVD, and she hasn't complained once about a single crash, ever, except for Flash in Firefox. (She complains about that a great deal).
The only thing that seems to crash for me is Nepomuk for the most part. I do get an occassional Plasma crash, usually when I'm changing the panel on a new install. Once I'm done setting up my panel, I never seem to get crashes ever again. It runs pretty extremely stable for me.
I've done plenty of openSUSE installs for friends and family this year with Intel, Nvidia, and ATI graphics cards.
I'm curious what the differences are between what we're running, and what we're doing.
openSUSE 11.3 Milestone 1 includes KDE 4.4 RC2 (a build from two weeks ago)
http://download.opensuse.org/distribution/11.3-Milestone1/
My only complaint with 4.4 is that I get an error message if I'm not running Nepomuk.
If I start it, it crashes most of the time. Even when it runs without crashing, it does nothing for me. I've noticed that every major distro has open bugs relating to Nepomuk crashes, and I'm not seeing fixes to be found anywhere.
If enough apps do a good job of making Nepomuk useful, then I might consider it in the future. But right now I have zero interest in it, and it isn't exactly optional in KDE 4.4.
It is the only ugly wart on an otherwise great release.
openSUSE is the best in my opinion. If you install the 11.3 Milestone 1 (alpha release) it comes with an early build of KDE 4.4 out of the box. Or you can install openSUSE 11.2, add a KDE repository, and grab the latest KDE that way.
They have good Firefox and OpenOffice integration with KDE, stable packages, and a great desktop overall.
Arch, Fedora, and Sabayon also put out good KDE 4 desktops.
I think I've seen a fully customizable panel (in any location) since KDE 4.1, or 4.2 at the latest.
The openSUSE 11.3 Milestone 1 live disc is running a weekly snapshot build of the 4.4 trunk. It is about a month old, but it is a fairly good indicator of the final 4.4 release.
Kubuntu consistently puts out the worst KDE packages. If you want a good KDE desktop, please try another distro like openSUSE, Fedora, Sabayon, Arch, PCLinux OS, Mandriva, etc.
If you want to blame someone for the "disaster", consider pointing a finger at your distro.
Usually when I make this statement, half the time I get modded troll. The other half of the time I get modded informative. Frankly, I don't care. But I am speaking the truth here. Anyone who follows KDE knows that 90% of the complaints seem to stem from people running terrible Kubuntu packages.
Where are all the /. posters who've said the past few months that everyone should move to Bing over Google, because Google is the evil behemoth that doesn't respect your privacy?
I'm just curious.
Google.org is legally recognized as a charity. They've given away over 100 million already. In addition to handing out money, they also utilize Google's resources to help research.
The OP stated that Google isn't a particular charitable organization.
Have they open sourced hardware designs to try and reduce power usage around the world?
Have they released open protocols like SPDY and Wave without any patents hanging off them?
Do they sponsor Summer of Code?
Have they offered up major projects like Chromium Browser under a BSD license for anyone to use however they want?
These all seem like charitable contributions.
Anyone can submit patches upstream to Android's code base. You can compile your own fork, and then flash your phone with it. The SDK is free. People are already distributing modified versions of it.
It doesn't have a huge community of OSS developers, but that doesn't mean that Google or the OHA failed to do anything.
I don't make a cent off the site. I help write reviews from time to time for free. I have a love/hate relationship with the iPhone. It is the only Apple product I own.
And I only own an iPhone because I couldn't get service for a G1 in Omaha when I purchased my last phone.
You do realize that Google does not own nor control Android, right?
Google handed Android over to the Open Handset Alliance the moment they unveiled it. There are several large companies (like Nokia and Motorolla) who take part in that alliance.
Please spend two minutes looking at Google.org.