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Kubuntu LTS and KDE4

Kubuntu LTS and KDE4

Posted Dec 29, 2007 16:32 UTC (Sat) by jmm (subscriber, #34596)
In reply to: Kubuntu LTS and KDE4 by jschrod
Parent article: Kubuntu LTS and KDE4

Just use Debian, then. It provides security support for about three years and covers a lot
more packages than Ubuntu or any other distribution.


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Kubuntu LTS and KDE4

Posted Dec 29, 2007 16:50 UTC (Sat) by jschrod (subscriber, #1646) [Link]

We already use Debian, on our servers. But the out-of-the-box configuration of desktop parts
(especially, for our laptops, e.g. suspend and hibernate) is better in Kubuntu and SUSE than
it is on Debian. As I would like to use that, I started to investigate in the feasibility of
Kubuntu LTS.

Actually, one advantage of Kubuntu was that I can continue to use my normal apt-based
processes for Kubuntu, whereas I would have to switch to smart with newer SUSE versions. (I
still run the early SUSE 10.x releases, where apt works like a charm, too.)

Btw, I'm speaking about 5 desktops and 3 laptops. It's not a big installation, but still
enough that I'm not particularly fond of changes that need hand-holding or where I need to
investigate why some application suddenly stops working or disappears in a new release.

Kubuntu LTS and KDE4

Posted Dec 30, 2007 7:35 UTC (Sun) by Cato (subscriber, #7643) [Link]

There are many Ubuntu variants around, including Linux Mint KDE Edition
(http://www.seopher.com/articles/review_of_linux_mint_bian...) -
so if you must upgrade soon, why not use a (K)ubuntu variant until Kubuntu catches up with a
stable KDE 4 version?  

It would be simpler and less hassle to just wait for an LTS version of Kubuntu.  Since Kubuntu
6.06 LTS is still supported on the desktop until June 2009, I don't think there's any rush to
upgrade.

Kubuntu LTS and KDE4

Posted Jan 1, 2008 14:23 UTC (Tue) by roblucid (subscriber, #48964) [Link]

@jschrod "Actually, one advantage of Kubuntu was that I can continue to 
use my normal apt-based
processes for Kubuntu, whereas I would have to switch to smart with newer 
SUSE versions. (I
still run the early SUSE 10.x releases, where apt works like a charm, 
too.)"

Actually OS-10.3 is worth a look, zypper improves the updating speed and 
flexibility with similar interface as apt for scripts. Your development 
stuff could pickup Build service repositaries, or be in such a repositary.  
You wouldn't need apt or SMART, but use the default distro tools.

As it's possible to run both KDE3 & KDE4 on same OS10.3 system, if you're 
developing Desktop code, it's hard to see why you wouldn't have enough 
flexibility on packages, when you're compiling them and can choose their 
installation directory.

Kubuntu LTS and KDE4

Posted Jan 3, 2008 12:52 UTC (Thu) by jschrod (subscriber, #1646) [Link]

Even in 10.3, zypper still has no dependency management that is on par with apt. I saw this
recently at a customer where we upgraded from 10.2 to 10.3 and zypper asked lots of questions
about conflict resolves -- with very annoying several-minute lapses inbetween -- where apt
would have simply proposed to do the Right Thing(tm) in one step.

In any case, either zypper or smart would need that I put work into the update process which
is working now. I would have to investigate how one creates a cron job in the night that
downloads all available updates and sends a notification email (interactive update notifiers
in desktop panels are not acceptable -- my staff will have no need for that, updates are done
by updates), i.e., the functionality of apticron. (And please don't even start to recommend
automatic updates for desktops where work is done every day.) Forthermore, how one blocks
updates of specific packages (e.g., kernel, glibc, X server) while installing the rest
automatically in one sweep, i.e. without the need to turn off their installation in a GUI
interactively for each update anew. (The equivalent to aptitude hold, respectively
hold-configurations in apt4rpm.) Last, but not least, using a shared download cache for all my
systems must be configured -- we have a metered Internet connection.

I'm rather sure that this can all be done -- but it is probably several hours work until I
have a new setup that just does the same thing as the apt-based setup that I have already,
without any conceivable advantage in return for this work. And because that's not the only
area with changes but no improvements, I think about moving from SUSE to another distribution.
Btw, I'm a paying customer since SUSE 5.1 with a running subscription, I didn't just download
OS, after all I wanted to support these folks. Thus, it's not just a short fling with SUSE, I
use them since many years and really think they messed up with the 10.x series.

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