Thinking About Fedora 17 KDE

[KBD47]

Thinking About Fedora 17 KDE
http://kbd-thinkingoutloud.blogspot.com ... 7-kde.html

[xenopeek]

Running up to Linux Mint 13 KDE, I've been testing some other KDE distros the past few weeks. Just to see what others have brewing. Tried recent releases from the usual suspects, and the two that stood out for me where Chakra and indeed Fedora. Chakra especially is approachable, given their very clear website. I had been especially looking forward to Mepis and Netrunner, but I was disappointed by Mepis' lack of polish and Netrunner's customizations just really didn't do it for me, but I can see how others may enjoy using it.

The selection of default applications on Fedora leaves something to desire, but as you write missing software is easily added. After also touching up the font smoothing, I was quite happy with this Fedora KDE release. It feels fast and responsive, which has not always been the case with KDE on my computer.

If there were no other Linux distributions, I could happily live with Fedora.

Second to that.

[KBD47]

Vincent, I've heard good things about Chakra, glad to hear you liked that one. Mepis 11 is showing its age a bit by now, but I suspect Mepis 12 built on the new Debian Stable will be impressive. I really like the new Kubuntu 12.04, and I can imagine Mint 13 KDE will please many people.

[linuxviolin]

Just a hint. Although Fedora 17 KDE is not bad, you should/could try Mageia...

[MALsPa]

Thinking About Fedora 17 KDE
http://kbd-thinkingoutloud.blogspot.com ... 7-kde.html

Nice write-up. I've got Fedora 17 KDE running here, too. Great so far.

I kinda wish the support cycle was longer than (approximately) one year. But I can live with that. Here, I've been keeping the two most recent Fedora releases going, but alternating between GNOME and KDE, so right now I have Fedora 16 GNOME as well, and the plan is to replace that with Fedora 18 GNOME, while keeping Fedora 17 KDE through its EOL.

Also, I install and use Yumex to use instead of yum from the command line, or the default package manager GUI.

[KBD47]

Just a hint. Although Fedora 17 KDE is not bad, you should/could try Mageia...

linuxviolin, Mageia is on my list of distros to try

[KBD47]

MALsPa, probably the number one reason I don't keep Fedora installed on my computer hard drive is that short one year of support. I'm too lazy to reinstall every year But I have it installed on a 16 gig usb stick as a portable system.

[linuxviolin]

KB47 and MALsPa, there is no need for a reinstall. Fedora has an utility for the upgrade: PreUgrade

This works quite/very well. On my desktop, I used it several times to upgrade. By the way, my current Fedora has never been reinstalled, just upgraded with PreUpgrade several times, version after version. Never had some problem and no need to reinstall. Just to be careful, you can wait some days/weeks before to make the upgrade. Just to be sure the first possible problems are resolved...

Although the recommended upgrade method is with the DVD. (http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Upgrading)

[KBD47]

linuxviolin, thanks for the info. I had read a bit about that, but I've always heard upgrading a distro is usually a bad idea, mostly regarding Ubuntu, though I've heard Kubuntu upgrades sometimes go well. Glad to hear Fedora upgrades work well, you are tempting me to install it on my computer
BTW, do you preupgrade once a year, or every release?

[linuxviolin]

BTW, do you preupgrade once a year, or every release?

At every release, always. I don't remember when I began, sorry but my memory falls about that currently, but it was at least 3 or 4 versions ago... And now I'll go to version 17.

BTW, to quote also another distro about this subject, I had Frugalware also and I upgraded it also with no problem. The Frugalware Documentation has at every version a quite good guide to upgrade with every steps to follow...

But your experience can be different...

P.S.= I precise it was on desktops, I had no laptops so I don't know if it's the same good experience on a laptop...

[KBD47]

Thanks linuxviolin

[MALsPa]

I'm always tempted to try PreUpgrade, but then I see stuff like the (now) 6-page thread at the Fedora forums, "F17: Worst upgrade ever?" Anyway, a fresh installation isn't all that difficult, and it seems like I always learn something new. Besides, I'm weird, so I think doing installations is fun.

But it's good to know that PreUpgrade works out fine for some people. I might try it out one day.

[MALsPa]

My experience with main Fedora 17 using Gnome Shell again this year was an equally bad experience. I can find no love for this bastard child of Gnome. While Gnome 2 was one of the easiest desktop interfaces ever created, Gnome 3 is the most useless offspring of Gnome. But enough beating a dead horse, Gnome 3 cannot die soon enough.

Don't like GNOME Shell, eh?

Another Fedora 17 reviewer looked at the GNOME spin, for anyone who wants a different take on things:

http://www.muktware.com/3657/detailed-fedora-17-review

Hey, different strokes for different folks, as they say. Not trying to start a war here. I'm a KDE guy from way back. I eventually grew to like GNOME 2, but have always been kinda lukewarm about it. With GNOME 3, it's a different story; I enjoy using GNOME Shell as much as I enjoy using KDE 4. Like the Muktware reviewer said:

Gnome 3 is extremely polished and its pleasant to use.

Oh, well, YMMV, I guess.

[KBD47]

MALsPa, ya think? I really wish I could like Gnome Shell but it is the only desktop I truly cannot stomach. To me it feels like someone said: How can we make the most irritating desktop possible? Then did it But I like Gnome in general, and I like what others are doing with it, Clem with Cinnamon, Ikey with his unnamed twist, and Fallback/Classic is quite usable. I set my father-in-law up with Gnome Fallback on Ubuntu and he could not be happier. Having choices and options are one of the best things about Linux.

[linuxviolin]

I'm always tempted to try PreUpgrade, but then I see stuff like the (now) 6-page thread at the Fedora forums, "F17: Worst upgrade ever?" Anyway, a fresh installation isn't all that difficult, and it seems like I always learn something new. Besides, I'm weird, so I think doing installations is fun.

But it's good to know that PreUpgrade works out fine for some people. I might try it out one day.

OK, yesterday I used PreUpgrade to upgrade from F16 to F17. Absolutely no problem! The upgrade lasted some time and after you have some common post-upgrade tasks to do, these additional steps are recommended to complete the process (see the link to the PreUgrade page in one of my post above for these), but the process was perfectly done! As the last times.

Just, I never do the upgrade in the first days after the release. I prefer to wait for some weeks in case there are some problems to resolve... Till now, I never have problem with PreUgrade, at least for now.

P.S.= About GNOME 3, I guess you know my view on it... Crap! Again, the only modern, usable, desktop in the Linux/BSD world, and in par with Win7, is KDE 4 with the desktop view.

[MALsPa]

About GNOME 3, I guess you know my view on it... Crap!

What's interesting to me is that, so often, folks who don't like GNOME Shell have such strong feelings about it and feel the need to describe it in such disparaging terms. It isn't enough to say, "It isn't my preferred desktop," but instead it's a "bastard child" and "crap" and so forth.

Yet there are lots of other people like me who think it's great and have no problem with using it. Kinda makes ya wonder.

Ah, well, as KBD47 said, "Having choices and options are one of the best things about Linux."

[linuxviolin]

:lol:

What's interesting to me is that, so often, folks who don't like GNOME Shell have such strong feelings about it and feel the need to describe it in such disparaging terms. It isn't enough to say, "It isn't my preferred desktop," but instead it's a "bastard child" and "crap" and so forth.

Yes, I could. Except it's not a preferred or not preferred desktop thing for me, I consider it just crap, really. But I know other people can have another advice, and fortunately, even if I always ask myself how someone can like this thing...

Ah, well, as KBD47 said, "Having choices and options are one of the best things about Linux."

Yes. But for me there is no choice currently, unfortunately... We'll see in the future.

But this is not the subject of this thread, so I guess we should stop with this here.

[MALsPa]

MALsPa, probably the number one reason I don't keep Fedora installed on my computer hard drive is that short one year of support. I'm too lazy to reinstall every year

Do linuxvioilin's comments about PreUpgrade change your point of view about keeping Fedora installed on your computer?

[KBD47]

Do linuxvioilin's comments about PreUpgrade change your point of view about keeping Fedora installed on your computer?

MALsPa, yes, I've got a spare partition on my hard drive and I'd say the odds are about 9 to 1 that I will have the thing installed before the end of the week, with the intention of using pre-upgrade in the future

[linuxviolin]

Hey guys, it's just my experience... On my desktop the things work well but I can't say on every Linux box this will be mandatory the same thing... PreUpgrade is a great tool which worked very well on my desktop at every time I used it but there are also surely people who have had problems with it. You'll have to try it by yourself to see if it's the same good process on your Linux box.