== Open Week -- Introduction to Kubuntu -- Valorie Zimmermann -- Thu, May 5 == {{{#!IRC [17:01] Hello, I'm Valorie Zimmerman, a Kubuntu Member. I'd like to tell you about Kubuntu, my favorite Linux distribution ever. https://launchpad.net/~valorie-zimmerman [17:02] I have some prepared stuff, but I hope you'll ask lots of questions too === ChanServ changed the topic of #ubuntu-classroom to: Welcome to the Ubuntu Classroom - https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Classroom || Support in #ubuntu || Upcoming Schedule: http://is.gd/8rtIi || Questions in #ubuntu-classroom-chat || Event: Ubuntu Open Week - Current Session: Introduction to Kubuntu - Instructors: valorie [17:02] Logs for this session will be available at http://irclogs.ubuntu.com/2011/05/05/%23ubuntu-classroom.html following the conclusion of the session. [17:02] heh [17:02] Hello, I'm Valorie Zimmerman, a Kubuntu Member. I'd like to tell you about Kubuntu, my favorite Linux distribution ever. https://launchpad.net/~valorie-zimmerman [17:02] Kubuntu is friendly computing. Kubuntu is part of the Ubuntu community, and since it uses the KDE Plasma Desktop, it is also part of the KDE community. As a Debian-based distribution, many of our developers are part of the Debian community as well. Also, we cooperate with Gnome through the FreeDesktop initiative, and hold a large joint developer summit with them every other year. Friendly! [17:03] As an official part of Ubuntu, we share the same system and distribution schedule, as well as Launchpad, the wiki, mail lists, IRC name-space, and Ubuntu-Forum. Many Kubuntu users also post on the KDE Forums, and there is the independent Kubuntuforums.net as well. Also, if you become a Kubuntu Member, you are also a Ubuntu Member. :-) [17:03] http://forum.kde.org/ - http://ubuntuforums.org/ - IRC channel #kubuntu , and #kubuntu-offtopic [17:03] Wiki: https://wiki.kubuntu.org/Kubuntu [17:04] If you like lists, the Kubuntu user list is great: https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/kubuntu-users [17:04] hmmm, no questions yet [17:04] I have a few questions which are common [17:05] Is Kubuntu a fork of Ubuntu? No, it is an official part of Ubuntu. All our packages are in the same archives. In fact, you can use Kubuntu packages in Ubuntu without installing Kubuntu itself. Kubuntu users can use their favorite Ubuntu apps as well. [17:05] I already have Ubuntu installed, how can I get Kubuntu? Install kubuntu-desktop with Software Center, Synaptic, or the command line apt-get install: [17:05] sudo apt-get install kubuntu-desktop [17:05] See InstallingKDE for a full explanation: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/InstallingKDE [17:05] I've been asked to be slower [17:05] this is the first time I've done this [17:06] so I'm a little nervous [17:07] Would you like to take a short tour around Kubuntu? http://www.kubuntu.org/feature-tour [17:08] Wikipedia has an excellent article about Kubuntu: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kubuntu [17:09] I hope I don't overwhelm with links, but there is great stuff out there! [17:09] we have a friendly, hard-working community [17:09] and are community driven [17:10] Main website: http://www.kubuntu.org/ . Here users will find news about new apps, themes, and wallpapers available, and find links to help (user) documentation, team coordination and developer documentation. [17:11] Questions would be great! [17:12] we have one exciting project this cycle, Project Neon [17:12] Contributions "upstream" to Debian and KDE - a team of our Kubuntu packagers have developed Project Neon, which provides daily builds of KDE trunk. https://launchpad.net/~neon , https://wiki.kubuntu.org/Kubuntu/ProjectNeon [17:12] the young guys are really enthusiastic and knowledgeable [17:13] fun to work with [17:14] Join our community! We need expert users who are willing to help out the newcomers in IRC, the list and the forums, we need folks to translate, to write and update documentation, to make our website beautiful and useful, package, triage and kill bugs. [17:14] Challenges ahead: we are losing our founder Jonathan Riddell for a cycle, at least as a full-time staff member. We have an ambitious initiative called Project Timelord, which has been designed to improve developer workflow, and bring and keep Kubuntu at the top of the available distros. [17:14] so we will especially welcome more hands on deck [17:15] from [17:15] New contributors to Neon are always welcome ... we need loads of testers and people who are willing to maintain new packages and what not for the long term :) [17:15] [09:14] we idle in #project-neon ;) [17:15] for sure [17:16] but they are working hard, not much idling! [17:17] please ask your questions in #ubuntu-classroom-chat, and start with QUESTION: [17:17] so I can see it properly [17:17] we have a bot to help [17:18] and I welcome questions [17:18] :-) [17:19] josker asked: ubuntu comes with the unity, kubuntu will implement something in that way with kde ? [17:20] we are working with KDE upstream and with Gnome in opendesktop, to come up with sound menus and such [17:20] I'm not a developer, so I only know a bit about that, from listening in the devel channel [17:21] we already have our netbook version, which anyone with kubuntu installed can try out [17:21] it's a setting in systemsettings [17:22] when you install onto a netbook, that is the interface which will be automatically displayed, but if you would rather the classic interface [17:22] you just change it in systemsettings [17:22] super simple [17:22] himcesjf asked: Hi valorie. Great information #ubuntu-classroom! Could you introduce me about graphics which Kubuntu uses? Like the compositing types openGL and XRender, etc ... [17:23] this is a bit technical for me, however, openGL and XRender are two of the choices available, simply again in systemsettings [17:23] people sometimes think that KDE is graphics-heavy [17:24] however, the various desktop effects are easily turned on and off, as well as the rendering mode [17:25] what works for you best, depends on your installed drivers, speed of your equipment, and your preferences, really [17:25] is that specific enough, himcesjf? [17:26] doctormo asked: You mention 'opendesktop' is this a different group from freedesktop.org? [17:26] oops, I might have misspoken [17:26] freedesktop.org is where we collaborate [17:27] and ever other year, I think it is, we actually meet together [17:27] this summer, KDE and Gnome are meeting in Berlin [17:27] doctormo asked: Has there been any update on Akonadi and what do you feel about further chaos with the new elementary postler backend? Is the KDE community concerned at all about fragmentation of data standards? [17:28] akonadi seems to run well to me, but I'll have to say I don't know much about it specifically [17:28] not sure what the "elementary postler backend" might be -- have not heard that phrase, sorry === m4n1sh_ is now known as m4n1sh [17:29] I think everyone is worried about the fragmentation of standards [17:29] I'm not sure what the solution to that is, beyond continuing to work with everybody [17:29] that said, KDE is upstream of Kubuntu [17:30] and while we work with them, Kubuntu is an Ubuntu distro [17:31] I mentioned Project Timelord earlier [17:31] Project Timelord: http://www.kubuntu.org/news/timelord [17:31] for those who are interested [17:33] I have one question in queue I don't know the answer to [17:33] don't mean to ignore anyone, but I'm not a developer [17:33] I do want to encourage non-developers to become part of the community, whether it is Kubuntu, Ubuntu, or one of the other flavors [17:34] or even part of an application team [17:34] Community is more important than code [17:34] we need community people, we need documentation [17:35] we need enthusiastic people writing, and making screencasts, and art, and all other kinds of things [17:35] of course we need coders and packagers [17:35] they make it happen [17:35] but people like me can contribute too, and that's why I was granted membership [17:36] Want to see a video? David Wonderly (DarkwingDuck) did this talk at SCaLe: http://people.ubuntu.com/~david.wonderly/scale also available here: http://www.socallinuxexpo.org/scale9x/presentations/your-guide-kubuntu [17:36] himcesjf asked: How often is KDE version updated in Kubuntu wrt to KDE releases? [17:36] each time KDE makes a point release, our packagers make it a point of pride to be the first to release it [17:37] not absolutely sure we make it *every* time [17:37] since I haven't been around forever [17:37] :-) [17:37] but we often are first to have it up in a beta PPA, or in backports where that is possible [17:38] since I like testing, I'm nearly always running the latest KDE version [17:38] himcesjf asked: Would you introduce me on application framework/toolkits Qt/GTK+ with reference to Kubuntu/KDE? [17:38] heh [17:39] this is a bit over my head, but we use Qt [17:39] ubuntu itself is starting to use Qt as well [17:39] and KDE applications are all in C++ using Qt [17:40] we do often work with GTK applications as well, since any app which Ubuntu offers is available in Kubuntu as well [17:40] if you are using our Oxygen theme, which is standard [17:41] you can get a GTK-Oxygen plugin (I think it's a plugin) to help your GTK apps look more "kubuntu" [17:42] we have a great channel #kubuntu where there are extremely knowledgeable people to answer technical questions [17:43] and for packaging problems and such, #kubuntu-devel channel is also very helpful [17:43] eagles0513875 asked: what is being done in regards to nvidia issues with drivers locking up a system rather badly. i posted a bug and got alot of confirmations, latest one and suggestion is downgrading xorg as well as nvidia drivers whats canonical doing to ensure newer drivers fix this issue [17:44] hmmm, eagles didn't stick around [17:44] and I don't know the answer to this one anyway [17:45] I monitor the #kubuntu channel when I have time [17:45] and I don't see many driver problems [17:46] I don't have time to monitor #ubuntu , so I'm not sure if there is a wide-spread issue or not [17:46] bugs are certainly worth filing [17:46] the developers work hard to smush all of them flat [17:46] :-) [17:47] josker asked: what are you opnion about having both apps with QT and GTK in kubuntu, sometime i get bad looking with GTK app with kde. [17:47] I [17:47] 'm not sure what the package is called [17:47] but search for GTK and Oxygen [17:48] and install that package [17:48] should make your GTK applications much more attractive, josker [17:49] for more of a technical perspective, [17:49] The expert speaks - Jonathan Riddell, Kubuntu is Awesome from 10.10 OpenWeek: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MeetingLogs/openweekMaverick/KubuntuIsAwesome [17:50] that's in the past, but good stuff there! [17:50] we have a few more minutes, so I'm open for more questions [17:52] There are 10 minutes remaining in the current session. [17:52] shadeslayer says, very kewl blogpost http://hugo-kde.blogspot.com/2010/11/oxygen-gtk.html [17:52] about the oxygen-gtk issue [17:53] and http://hugo-kde.blogspot.com/2011/04/taste-of-things-to-come.html [17:53] I blog at linuxgrandma.blogspot.com [17:53] you are welcome to raise questions there, or chime in with your own suggestions [17:53] I try to work through the problems I encounter [17:54] mostly so I have the blog to consult next time I founder! [17:54] but I get great ideas from my commenters [17:55] to wrap up then, since there are no questions [17:55] I would like all of you who are interesting to apt-get install kubuntu-desktop [17:55] and give it a try [17:56] if you like it, but encounter difficulties, please ask for help in #kubuntu [17:56] very friendly, helpful channel [17:56] and ubottu hangs out there too, with helpful hints on tap === yofel_ is now known as yofel [17:57] and if you are interested in joining the team, please stop in at #kubuntu-devel and tell us how you would like to contribute [17:57] we're friendly, and will welcome your help [17:57] There are 5 minutes remaining in the current session. [17:58] this was a great experience [17:58] thanks everyone! [18:00] now for our next great speaker! }}}