About updating to latest newest version - my thoughts

[O. Sinclair]

On 12/05/2015 22:03, David Lang wrote:
> On Tue, 12 May 2015, O. Sinclair wrote:
> 
>> Dear all,
>>
>> from my point of view Plasma/KDE5 is not mature enough for production
>> use. That is how I see it and feel free to disagree.
>>
>> I have one computer and I use to make a living. There is a degree to how
>> much I can surrender a working stable environment to "new and shiny".
>>
>> This is not meant as an offense to the developers who have spent
>> countless hours on the "5" environment.
> 
> I agree with all of the above.
> 
>> What I dont get/understand is how many just seem to jump on to this
>> upgrade and did not expect serious breakages? Then go on to use XCFE or
>> Lubuntu instead of, to me, simply staying where you are?
> 
> Because KDE is not the only software that's upgraded between the two
> releases.
> 
> If Plasma5 isn't ready, then it shouldn't have been the default in
> 15.04, and there should be a way to downgrade to the prior software
> (build on the ubuntu 15.04 base)
> 
>> Use 14.04 or 14.10. If you want a newer kernel go mainline kernel ppa
>> (as I type this I am on kernel 4.1.rc2), for graphics there are
>> several ppa for Libreoffice again the same.
> 
> so instead of running a supported distro release, I should frankenstein
> a system that nobody will support by installing a bunch of upgraded
> packages myself? If I'm going to do that, why bother running Kubuntu at
> all?
Well, this is just my opinions and thoughts. I don't remove the
supported kernel, I just install a more recent (actually I also have an
older one due to issues with my hardware). As for my upgrading MESA and
so on, well that is a personal choice. Libreoffice 4 ppa works without a
flaw.

> 
>> If you choose to go Plasma5 then EXPECT breakages and lack of functions.
>> It is still in development (sorry devs but that is the truth) and you
>> are likely to hit snags for at least 2 releases of Kubuntu.
> 
> I didn't choose to go Plasma5, I chose to upgrade to the next stable
> release of Kubuntu. And if you are telling me that I should not expect
> Kubuntu to be stable for the next two releases, then you are telling me
> that I should switch away from KDE.
> 
> When KDE 4.0 was released and distros switched to it, the KDE folks
> claimed that 4.0 was only supposed to be for developers, normal users
> shouldn't be useing it and it was a mistake on the part of the distros
> to switch that early.
> 
> Well, either the same mistake is happening again, or it wasn't a mistake
> on the part of the distros, it's a mistake on the part of the KDE
> maintainers to be pushing this.
> 
> I am very willing to try new software, and I would have been very
> willing to give Plasma5 a try. But given the problems that I'm running
> into, I would have switched away from it rather quickly. As it is, I've
> had to switch away from KDE on one laptop, and I'm debating doing to
> same on my work systems.
> 
> Please provide some way to switch back to Plasma4 quickly and don't make
> Plasma5 the default until it's ready.
That decision has already been taken and I very much doubt the
maintainers will revert it. From what I have read it is a question of
resources and to give enough experience with Plasma5 before next LTS
Kubuntu.

kind regards,
Sinclair