OSNews:

OSNews: http://www.osnews.com/story/20891/KDE_4_2_NVIDIA_SkyOS_Dead_Like_Me Exploring the Future of Computing en-us Copyright 2001-2009, David Adams adam+nospam@osnews.com Wed, 02 Dec 2009 01:27:34 GMT http://www.osnews.com/images/osnews.gif OSNews.com http://www.osnews.com KDE 4.2 bugs http://osnews.com/thread?346514 http://osnews.com/thread?346514 that's kinda cute... of course there are bugs - in the past 5 days, it pulled +100 MB updates twice already (suse 11.1). Not that I noted any personally. Sun, 01 Feb 2009 17:00:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (Googol) Comments RE: KDE 4.2 bugs http://osnews.com/thread?346516 http://osnews.com/thread?346516

that's kinda cute... of course there are bugs - in the past 5 days, it pulled +100 MB updates twice already (suse 11.1). Not that I noted any personally.

To clarify, that doesn't imply 100MB worth of security patches, that's simply the nature of the opensuse build service. Those KDE packages would have been automatically rebuilt if any package they were dependent upon changed, triggering an update.

It's a little bit of overkill, but it helps ensure stability with the packages, since packages in some projects often depend upon packages in other projects.

Other thing to remember is that the repo being used for 4.2 in openSUSE 11.1 is actually the KDE desktop for factory, the developmental version of openSUSE 11.2. This will be somewhat in flux and will sometimes trigger changes separate from KDE upstream updates. Sun, 01 Feb 2009 17:15:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (elsewhere) Comments Huge 'Dead Like Me' fan here!! http://osnews.com/thread?346530 http://osnews.com/thread?346530 I absolutely loved DLM when it was a regular series back in 2003. I was very sad to see that it was not renewed since it was arguably one of the best shows at the time. I own the complete series of DLM on DVD and watch it often. Every time it's like visiting with old friends. I can't wait to add the new movie to my collection with the hope that Showtime wakes up and brings this excellent show back for a new run. Sun, 01 Feb 2009 19:41:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (cmost) Comments KDE pah... I spit on thee http://osnews.com/thread?346537 http://osnews.com/thread?346537 DLM all the way! Thank goodness Thom is doing these pieces now. Adds real segways to the otherwise blinkered view of OSNews stories. Sun, 01 Feb 2009 22:11:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (memson) Comments So what IS new in KDE 4.2? http://osnews.com/thread?346544 http://osnews.com/thread?346544 Thinking on the subject I got to wondering what KDE 4.2 added to the experience not counting bug fixes. I looked around and found some info but largely the added features were either not of interest to me (such as the added kwin effects) or too vague to constitute much to me (most references to improved apps).

So what I am wondering is what other users found as important features added in KDE 4.2.

For me the things that stuck out were:
1) The ability to set global hotkeys again, including from the menu editor.
2) Lancelot is in the default install and seems to be fully functional now. I find it to be much more pleasant than the default application launcher.
3) Power management - I am fairly impressed by powerdevil though it does seem to adjust brightness and tries to suspend when I do not want it to. This is likely a problem on my side though.
4) Support for Ruby based plasmoids. While I am not sure I would want to do a production plasmoid in Ruby it is nice for a throw away or a rapid prototype. If nothing else it lowers the threshold for trying out ideas. Mon, 02 Feb 2009 00:25:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (Kokopelli) Comments KDE rocks. DLM was just OK http://osnews.com/thread?346545 http://osnews.com/thread?346545 I loved Rube and I missed him. The new Daisy sucked .. not my type I guess.
I know this is the typical reaction to change .. but I just cannot help it. Mandy was cool and Laura was a 9 .. Sarah is just a 6 (in the looks and acting department.)

Btw did Ellen Muth get a boob job?Edited 2009-02-02 00:29 UTC Mon, 02 Feb 2009 00:26:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (kragil) Comments RE: KDE rocks. DLM was just OK http://osnews.com/thread?346546 http://osnews.com/thread?346546

Did Ellen Muth get a boob job?

No. Mon, 02 Feb 2009 00:29:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (Thom_Holwerda) Comments DLM Movie? http://osnews.com/thread?346554 http://osnews.com/thread?346554 So was the DLM movie aired on TV, theaters, or straight to DVD? Mon, 02 Feb 2009 01:46:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (ssa2204) Comments RE: So what IS new in KDE 4.2? http://osnews.com/thread?346556 http://osnews.com/thread?346556 -Grouping in plasma taskbar
-Multirow taskbar
-More plasmoid by default, including system monitor
-Akonadi intergration in KDEpim
-More work on nepomuk and strigi
-Panel autohide
-Most konqueror feature are back (including rich text popup with preview and preview in open file dialog)
-Bug fixes
-More work on solid
-Konqueror web is almost usable again
-Most konsole feature are back
-Most kate feature are back (including color in file management dock)
-2 or 3 new games
-kipi plugins in gwenview
-Folderview as desktop background with every feature from kdesktop and much more
-Many new feature in applications like oktera and okular

These are the one I found when using it. To name only the most visible one. Mon, 02 Feb 2009 02:01:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (Elv13) Comments RE[2]: So what IS new in KDE 4.2? http://osnews.com/thread?346558 http://osnews.com/thread?346558 Thanks for the reply but it was not quite what I was looking for.

Not to pick on you but don't just list everything you find. I asked what new features added to 4.2 you found important or useful. You accidentally demaonstrated my problem with the lists of added features for kde 4.2. The feature lists involves a lot of hand waving but not specifics for what the reviewer found useful. This strikes me as more an attempt to justify the release than an honest assessment of what you, personally, like about the release. I am looking for a personal list, not a review of the release features.

-More plasmoid by default, including system monitor

What does that mean? EDIT: Ah you mean more widgets, including the system monitor one?

-Akonadi intergration in KDEpim
-More work on nepomuk and strigi

Can you provide specifics on what was added that you found significant in these features? Akonadi is a neat backend thing but how does it specifically make your experience better?
And I believe strigi has been surfaced I could not find any references to any additions or improvements to the nepomuk integration. What was added there that you consider important?

-More work on solid

like?

-Most konsole feature are back

like?

-Many new feature in applications like oktera and okular

like?

I was hoping for specific, personal, notes on things, not abstract features.Edited 2009-02-02 02:23 UTC Mon, 02 Feb 2009 02:22:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (Kokopelli) Comments RE[3]: So what IS new in KDE 4.2? http://osnews.com/thread?346560 http://osnews.com/thread?346560 You have to understand that 4.2 goal was to be better than 3.5, to acheive that, they had to finish the port and bring features back. The panel one are the most usefull to me, shortcut too. But it is the addition of all little deatils that make the greatest new feature of 4,2, the plus value of all tweak: it is polished. It was not the case in previous release. this one feel mature and ready.4.0 was "working", 4.1 was usable and now 4.2 is ready, it is why it is called "The anwser". Now we have a KDE with the feature and configuration od 3.5 and the feature that KDE4(.0) did bring, like the pillars (that start to be widelly used by more and more apps with every new release).

And a feature that I forget to list in my previous post: the new kuiserver that does not steal focus and stack in plasma, thats usefull. Mon, 02 Feb 2009 04:03:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (Elv13) Comments RE: So what IS new in KDE 4.2? http://osnews.com/thread?346565 http://osnews.com/thread?346565

3) Power management - I am fairly impressed by powerdevil though it does seem to adjust brightness and tries to suspend when I do not want it to. This is likely a problem on my side though.

Ah yes, I've noticed that too. It has a bad habit of dimming the screen even when you're not on battery. Haven't had it suspend unexpectedly though. Mon, 02 Feb 2009 06:51:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (Soulbender) Comments RE[4]: So what IS new in KDE 4.2? http://osnews.com/thread?346566 http://osnews.com/thread?346566

4.2 is ready, it is why it is called "The anwser".

I think 4.2 == 42 == "answer to everything" from Douglas Adams' THHGTTG. Mon, 02 Feb 2009 07:07:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (vivainio) Comments Dolphin performance? http://osnews.com/thread?346569 http://osnews.com/thread?346569 Can anyone comment on Dolphin performance and stability in 4.2? Mon, 02 Feb 2009 07:20:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (Darkelve) Comments RE[3]: So what IS new in KDE 4.2? http://osnews.com/thread?346570 http://osnews.com/thread?346570

Akonadi is a neat backend thing but how does it specifically make your experience better?

I'm wondering the same thing.
Akonadi enabled or disabled doesn't seem to have any effect on my experience with kontact.
Everything runs as it does with or without akonadi.

All it's good for, as far i can tell, is keeping my cpu warm. Mon, 02 Feb 2009 08:31:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (Chris) Comments RE: Dolphin performance? http://osnews.com/thread?346571 http://osnews.com/thread?346571 Would like to extend your question a bit. What do you feel about KDE 4.2 performance?

I build it on a CentOS 5.2 in a spare Athlon XP 2k with an old Nvidia Quadro and 1Gb mem.

The positives points:
* konqueror as a file manager is working fine;
* the default theme and icons are way better (actually, I like them) than of the 3.x series;
* Plasmoids are a nice addition;
* The new taskbar is really good;
* The menu is ok, but I'm going to try Lancelot.

And what I miss:
* k3b for kde4;
* Don't like the new Amarok layout. Would like the developers to give a choice to set it in "classical" mode;
* On this old system it is not snap, though usable (may be, it has something to do with the plumbing and on a more modern system, software wise, it would behaves better).

I'm still testing the other applications and integrating things. One thing a really don't like is the default layout of dolphin (what amarok, more or less, mimic), which can be changed. I don't know why they like that. To me is just a waste of real state.Edited 2009-02-02 09:40 UTC Mon, 02 Feb 2009 09:38:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (acobar) Comments RE[4]: So what IS new in KDE 4.2? http://osnews.com/thread?346574 http://osnews.com/thread?346574 Indeed. Akonadi is neat, but for end users atm it is no big deal. What is neat is what it allows developers to...well...develop. It takes time for frameworks to be used by app writers. Mon, 02 Feb 2009 10:05:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (_txf_) Comments RE[2]: Dolphin performance? http://osnews.com/thread?346579 http://osnews.com/thread?346579

And what I miss:
* k3b for kde4;

Yeah, I hope that Mandriva re-focuses its priorities for Mandriva 2009 Spring. It's mostly Mandriva's "fault", because it employs the main K3b developer who is also one of the main Nepomuk developers and his work is mostly going into Nepomuk.

* Don't like the new Amarok layout. Would like the developers to give a choice to set it in "classical" mode;

It's already done and will be in Amarok 2.1. Mon, 02 Feb 2009 11:04:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (KAMiKAZOW) Comments RE[2]: Dolphin performance? http://osnews.com/thread?346591 http://osnews.com/thread?346591

And what I miss:
* k3b for kde4;

Since you build yourself, it should not be a problem. Just get it from extragear, it's ported to KDE4 and for my use it has been as flawless as ever.

I don't know what the developers intend, they have in the past been very conservative regarding releases. But to me it seems like it's good to go, and the developers should really get a beta out the door. Mon, 02 Feb 2009 13:10:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (Morty) Comments RE[3]: So what IS new in KDE 4.2? http://osnews.com/thread?346624 http://osnews.com/thread?346624

"-More work on solid

like?
"

It's not very user-visible yet but it is personal - in Solid I added support for various serial and mobile broadband devices to support development of the new NetworkManager-kde4 applet. I fixed a bunch of other stupid bugs and updated the dbus backend to the most recent changes in NM 0.7. The Solid abstraction helped a lot with the applet development - I've essentially been able to rely on it to do what it says now and concentrate on higher level bugs. It was important so I can release a standalone NM-kde4 that will work with any 4.2 release and don't have to wait for 4.3

Dario Freddi did some work too that PowerDevil needed including an easy signal reporting the remaining battery time. And Tom Patzig worked on finishing the Bluetooth APIs there, but I think that will only bear real fruit in the 4.3 timeframe.

Others went through the core and put some loop optimisations in. Codepage handling, needed when you mount DOS and NTFS filesystems, was improved so that hot harddisk you bought off ebay.ru shows its contents directly,

"-Most konsole feature are back

like? "

I guess he means session management for tabs. OH YES! Mon, 02 Feb 2009 15:52:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (Bille) Comments If ya like dead things http://osnews.com/thread?346632 http://osnews.com/thread?346632 Watch True Blood on HBO. Very cool. Mon, 02 Feb 2009 16:15:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (vitae) Comments RE[3]: Dolphin performance? http://osnews.com/thread?346751 http://osnews.com/thread?346751

It's already done and will be in Amarok 2.1.

Uhm... sort of but not exactly... :-) What Amarok 2.1 will bring is a very flexible playlist that can potentially be made to look much like the playlist from the 1.4.x series. This will hopefully preempt the need for a dedicated "classic mode"

See this blog for details and screenshots: http://amarok.kde.org/blog/archives/876-Playlist-Layout-Editor.html Mon, 02 Feb 2009 21:29:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (Freespirit) Comments