KubuntuIsAwesome

Open Week -- Kubuntu is Awesome - Riddell -- Mon, Oct 11

   1 [17:01] <Riddell> Good afternoon all
   2 [17:01] <Riddell> as you know, Ubuntu makes a bunch of distro variants
   3 [17:02] <Riddell> Kubuntu is the most awesomest one
   4 [17:02] <Riddell> it's an Ubuntu distribution based heavily on KDE Software
   5 [17:02] <Riddell> KDE is a community making the original and best free desktop software as I expect you know
   6 [17:03] <Riddell> on the commercially led<->community sliding scale Kubuntu is much more towards community than e.g. Ubuntu Desktop is
   7 [17:03] <Riddell> but we're a supported project of Canonical (feel free to pay us money to support you!)
   8 [17:04] <Riddell> many years ago KDE was born as a desktop to take over the world
   9 [17:04] <Riddell> a few years ago the desktop was complete but it hadn't taken over the world
  10 [17:04] <Riddell> we KDE realised it wasn't enough to be as good as the competition, you had to be better
  11 [17:04] <Riddell> so much re-writing was done and KDE 4 was born
  12 [17:05] <Riddell> this has been a painful process, since when you rewrite things, they get a better foundation but can lose features for users
  13 [17:05] <Riddell> the good news is that 4.0 was released three years ago!
  14 [17:05] <Riddell> all the little niggles and missing features compared to KDE 3 have gone
  15 [17:05] <Riddell> so we have a very solid and innovative desktop to make a distro with
  16 [17:05] <Riddell> that distro is Kubuntu
  17 [17:06] <Riddell> uLinux: yes, the Kubuntu session is on
  18 [17:06] <Riddell> 10.10 was released yesterday
  19 [17:06] <Riddell> anyone tried it yet?
  20 [17:06] <Riddell> (chat in #ubuntu-classroom-chat incase you hadn't got that)
  21 [17:07] <Riddell> nobody used it yet!  now's the perfect time to try!
  22 [17:08] <Riddell> 17:07 < uLinux> QUESTION: is kubuntu less bloated then Ubuntu?
  23 [17:08] <Riddell> it's a full featured desktop, we try not to add unnecessary dependencies but then I expect so do Ubuntu Desktop people
  24 [17:09] <Riddell> it all manages to fit on a single CD though, which beats any proprietary OS you can think of
  25 [17:09] <Riddell> 17:07 < ulysses> Riddell: I upgraded but it freezes with KDE 4.5.1 and 4.5.2 also:(
  26 [17:09] <Riddell> that's a shame, computers can be annoying like that
  27 [17:09] <Riddell> do use #kubuntu or mailing lists or forums for support to try to debug that
  28 [17:10] <Riddell> 17:08 < luis_lopez> QUESTION: is multitouch supported under Kubuntu?
  29 === nitesh is now known as mobster
  30 [17:10] <Riddell> multitouch isn't supported currently, we'll be discussing that at the ubuntu summit in a couple of weeks, feel free to give me hardware I can test it on :)
  31 [17:10] <Riddell> 17:09 < sebsebseb> QUESTION:  Why is Kubuntu so close to vanilla KDE, instead of customising it a bit more like other distros tend to do, themewise and such?
  32 [17:10] <Riddell> because KDE rocks!
  33 [17:11] <Riddell> we like to work with KDE rather than change what they offer, that way everyone wins
  34 [17:11] <Riddell> also other distros customise the theme so you can recognise Kubuntu nicely because we're the one that doesn't :)
  35 [17:11] <Riddell> KDE artwork is great, I don't see any reason to change it
  36 [17:12] <Riddell> 17:10 < Guest36400> So whats the difference between Ubuntu+KDE and Kubuntu?
  37 [17:12] <Riddell> well nothing, Kubuntu is the KDE variant from Ubuntu
  38 [17:12] <Riddell> if you have Ubuntu Desktop installed you can get Kubuntu with just installing the kubuntu-desktop package
  39 [17:13] <Riddell> 17:11 < shauno> (question for here) are all these sessions direct q&a? or do we let them do their bit & wait until questions are invited?
  40 [17:13] <Riddell> shauno: I have some notes to talk from, but it's usually more interesting with questions
  41 [17:13] <Riddell> so feel free to ask
  42 [17:14] <Riddell> 17:09 < ls960> QUESTION: will fix intel drivers 915, 945 and so on?
  43 [17:14] <Riddell> that's up to Intel really I'm afraid
  44 [17:14] <Riddell> KWin uses parts of openGL that are not well supported by all X drivers unfortunately
  45 [17:14] <Riddell> and to make things worse, some drivers claim to suppose those features when they don't
  46 [17:15] <Riddell> this isn't new parts of openGL, it's features that have been working fine on other OSs for years
  47 [17:15] <Riddell> but I know KDE developers will be working with X developers to make sure those problems get fixed
  48 [17:16] <Riddell> 17:13 < crunch2> Question: why does kubuntu seem a "bit" slower then ubuntu? How can we speed up kubuntu? thks
  49 [17:16] <Riddell> that's a tricky question to answer, it's very subjective and usually depends on the hardware you have
  50 [17:16] <Riddell> turning off compositing may help, or it may not
  51 [17:16] <Riddell> make sure nepomuk "Desktop Search" is turned off, that can use lots of resources
  52 [17:17] <Riddell> 17:13 < ulysses> QUESTION: Do you plan using the upstream KDE translations instead of importing them to Launchpad, and then building the language packs, and updating more  frequently the translations?
  53 [17:17] <Riddell> we do use upstream translations of course
  54 [17:18] <Riddell> but as you say they get imported and exported from launchpad
  55 [17:18] <Riddell> which can cause problems when the import/export scripts don't work
  56 [17:18] <Riddell> unfortunately upstream KDE translations aren't perfect either
  57 [17:18] <Riddell> they released the wrong translations for KDE PIM in this release
  58 [17:19] <Riddell> they also won't accept strings we add to our packages (there's about a dozen of them) so we need to do translatins ourselves
  59 [17:19] <Riddell> and Canonical has customers who need to translate Kubuntu all in one place without having to learn about svn exports and po files
  60 [17:20] <Riddell> so I don't expect it to change, although I agree it's not perfect
  61 [17:20] <Riddell> so new in 10.10...
  62 [17:20] <Riddell> the Plasma Netbook workspace has been promoted onto the main Kubuntu download
  63 [17:21] <Riddell> you now get either a netbook or a desktop workspace as best suited to your machine
  64 [17:21] <Riddell> (you can change it manually if you want)
  65 [17:21] <Riddell> this is part of the KDE strategy of making sure KDE Software can fit in on a spectrum of machines
  66 [17:21] <Riddell> from handheld to large desktops
  67 [17:21] <Riddell> along those lines we also have a new Kubuntu Mobile variant using the Plasma Mobile workspace
  68 [17:22] <Riddell> it's very much a technology preview for now
  69 [17:22] <Riddell> but I did see them making a phone call with it at Akademy
  70 [17:22] <Riddell> in Kubuntu 10.10 we also have an updated package manager, now application focused (like Software Centre or App Store)
  71 [17:23] <Riddell> ooh and a new web browser
  72 [17:23] <Riddell> Rekonq is based on Webkit and has an innovative user interface
  73 [17:23] <Riddell> global menu: a new freedesktop spec led by canonical has allowed for a menu bar which is in a panel rather than in the app frame
  74 [17:24] <Riddell> we use this in the netbook workspace now
  75 [17:24] <Riddell> the installer now lets you download MP3 support during the install
  76 [17:24] <Riddell> it also starts the install as soon as you set your partitions, so it's ready sooner
  77 [17:24] <Riddell> we use the new Ubuntu font by default
  78 [17:24] <Riddell> which I think looks lovely
  79 [17:24] <Riddell> and of course all the latest software versions, KDE Platform 4.5, Qt 4.7, Amarok 2.3.2...
  80 [17:25] <Riddell> 17:21 < luis_lopez> QUESTION: Riddell: Tell us something about Qt Quick awesomeness :)
  81 [17:25] <Riddell> Qt Quick is a new feature with Qt 4.7
  82 [17:25] <Riddell> it's a library which lets you write user interfaces in a language similar to CSS stylesheets
  83 [17:26] <Riddell> then write the transitions you want to happen in that UI when actions happen
  84 [17:26] <Riddell> it makes writing desktop apps similar to how I believe Adobe Flash apps are written
  85 [17:26] <Riddell> it allows for designers to gets the results they want sooner and easier
  86 [17:26] <Riddell> we did a tutorial on it a few months ago as part of Kubuntu Tutorials Day
  87 [17:27] <Riddell> Kubuntu developers apachelogger has been playing with writing a video playing in Qt Quick, so we may see some fancy new app in Natty
  88 [17:27] <Riddell> 17:22 < crunch2> Question: why doesnt kubuntu receives all the goodies ubuntu is developing, such as full ubuntu one integration? thks
  89 [17:28] <Riddell> "Ubuntu" is a project that makes distributions such as Ubuntu Desktop or Kubuntu, but there's very little software written by Ubuntu
  90 [17:28] <Riddell> Ubuntu One is written by Canonical
  91 [17:28] <Riddell> and they've done their sums and reconned it's not economically sensible to write Kubuntu frontends to Ubuntu One
  92 [17:29] <Riddell> which is a shame, but that's business for you
  93 [17:29] <Riddell> we did have a project to write them which got quite far but the Ubuntu One team in Canonical hasn't learnt how to work with the community very well yet
  94 [17:29] <Riddell> so they made changes that stopped our bits from working
  95 [17:30] <Riddell> we'll be talking to them about that at the Ubuntu summit
  96 [17:30] <Riddell> 17:21 < Chell> Question: In the past Kubuntu was critiqued of not having as much spit & polish as Ubuntu. Did the Kubuntu team do anything about that for 10.10?
  97 [17:30] <Riddell> we took the more polished KDE software and made it all work for you :)
  98 [17:31] <Riddell> 17:26 < MyPlanetWars> QUESTION: is it possible to have both KDE and GNOME together? if yes, is it stable and which files are shared? (e.g. home directory?)
  99 [17:31] <Riddell> yes very much
 100 [17:31] <Riddell> there's no reason to limit yourself if you need a feature from an app
 101 [17:31] <Riddell> all your files are shared
 102 [17:32] <Riddell> 17:21 < boulabiar> Question: How much developers are working on KDE/Kubuntu compared to Gnome/ubuntu inside Canonical
 103 [17:33] <Riddell> I think a better question is how many people in total work on Kubuntu compared to Ubuntu Desktop
 104 [17:33] <Riddell> I don't know the answer to that
 105 [17:33] <Riddell> but I do know the Kubuntu team is busy and friendly and you should come and join us
 106 [17:34] <Riddell> (I'm avoiding the original question because I don't count how many gnome developers canonical has it's not something I spend much time looking at)
 107 [17:35] <Riddell> here at Kubuntu we pride ourselves on being friendly
 108 [17:35] <Riddell> friendly software, friendly people
 109 [17:35] <Riddell> if we're ever not, do call us out on it!
 110 [17:35] <Riddell> so we should be friendly on support channels for users, on IRC, mailing lists, forums etc
 111 [17:35] <Riddell> and if you want to help out making Kubuntu better, we're always very friendly to that
 112 [17:36] <Riddell> yes we want you for Kubuntu contributors!
 113 [17:36] <Riddell> now is the start of the cycle so we have lots of things to do to get Natty going
 114 [17:36] <Riddell> lots of packages need updating and merging with Debian
 115 [17:36] <Riddell> lots of bugs need triaged (to find out if any stable release updates for 10.10 are needed for example)
 116 [17:36] <Riddell> lots of users need support with 10.10 of course
 117 [17:37] <Riddell> if you want to propose feature ideas for Natty we have UDS
 118 [17:38] <Riddell> the Ubuntu Developer Summit
 119 [17:38] <Riddell> which you can participate in remotely if you aren't in Florida
 120 [17:38] <Riddell> if you are a kubuntu contributor not only do you get international recognition by millions of users
 121 [17:38] <Riddell> you may well also get to come to the next Ubuntu Developer Summit
 122 [17:38] <Riddell> as I say we're having one in a couple of weeks in Florida
 123 [17:39] <Riddell> and some of the people coming were, like many of you, kubuntu users six months ago, but are now fully fledged contributors
 124 [17:39] <Riddell> ideas for natty are being collected at http://wiki.kubuntu.org/Kubuntu/UDSNatty
 125 [17:40] <Riddell> mostly we do our kubuntu development in #kubuntu-devel
 126 [17:40] <Riddell> so if you're interested in helping out do join us there
 127 [17:40] <Riddell> any more questions?
 128 [17:40] <Riddell> or any I've missed?
 129 [17:42] <Riddell> seems not, thanks for listening and asking, let me know if you do have questions and if you want to help with Kubuntu we're waiting for you to join us
 130 [17:43] <Riddell> 17:42 < crunch2> Question: how tight is the cooperation with debian (kde maintainers)?
 131 [17:43] <Riddell> we share beers at events
 132 [17:43] <Riddell> we share patches
 133 [17:43] <Riddell> as with Ubuntu in general we get a lot more from Debian than we give back, but we try to make sure we give back when there are changes they'll be interested in
 134 [17:44] <Riddell> 17:44 < maco> Riddell: how do patches work between kubuntu and kde?
 135 [17:44] <Riddell> most of our patches come from KDE upstream
 136 [17:44] <Riddell> and most of the rest go to KDE upstream
 137 [17:44] <Riddell> shadeslayer got his first patch into KDE today, go shadeslayer!
 138 [17:45] <Riddell> we try to keep any long running patches to a minimum, it becomes unsustainable very quickly if we don't
 139 [17:45] <Riddell> 17:44 < MyPlanetWars> QUESTION: besides the look, is there any difference in kubuntu and ubuntu?
 140 [17:46] <Riddell> all the GUI programmes are different programmes
 141 [17:46] <Riddell> so it's like asking is there any difference between Windows and MacOS, they all let you browse files and look at websites but the details are all different
 142 [17:47] <Riddell> 17:45 < maco> qt and gtk are both LGPL
 143 [17:47] <Riddell> that's true and worth repeating since people seem to forget
 144 [17:48] <Riddell> the main non-technical difference between those two toolkits it Qt is actively developed by a large community and a commercial sponsor
 145 [17:51] <ClassBot> There are 10 minutes remaining in the current session.
 146 [17:53] <Riddell> thanks again for listening, next up it's "How to contribute to Ubuntu" with devildante
 147 [17:54] <devildante> hi guys :)
 148 [17:55] <jcastro> wait until the time, don't start too early!
 149 [17:55] <devildante> okay
 150 [17:55] <jcastro> it's like ubuntu, strict time schedule! :)

MeetingLogs/openweekMaverick/KubuntuIsAwesome (last edited 2010-10-15 01:57:26 by ABTS-KK-dynamic-251)