Ubuntu Open Week - Kubuntu - Sat, Dec 2, 2006

see also Monday Session.

06:14   imbrandon       ok since i'm running a little late we'll just skip right to the Q & A , if you would keep those to #ubuntu-classroom-chat and nixternal and elkbuntu will paste them in here

[TheGateKeeper] I like kubuntu but what has motivated me to look to another distro is that you if you upgrade there is a more than reasonable chance the system will break, a clean install (seems to be required) & (k)ubuntu is slow when compared to other distros like arch. So my question is there anything you can do to address these issues?

: yea we even developers hate that about a transition , we are working very very hard so that is no longer the case. but yes, that is a major issue, and is very high priority to have fixed from this release onwards

• [TheGateKeeper] imbrandon, I get the feeling, may be incorrectly, that upgrading from breezy --> dapper is likely to be safer/more successfull than dapper --> edgy?

  • currently , that is the case , unfortunately

[kalon34] maybe could you shortly describe what are you doing in Kubuntu, imbrandon ?

• well , My Name is Brandon Holtsclaw, I'm one of the ubuntu Core Developers that work on Kubuntu, no i'm not paid by canonical, My main goals are to have devices in kubuntu "just work" like when you plugin your Zune or iPod it works etc etc etc. along with that. I mostly maintain Amarok and Konversation in Kubuntu and touch alot of other projects along the way ( like mythtv etc ), and work very closely with people like hobbsee , Riddell , Tonio etc daily to make Kubuntu what it si

[anschel] How did you decide which KDE programs to use (konversation, konqueror, etc.) and jordi which "generic" ones (openoffice)

• well durring Kubuntu meetings ( that have been sus[ended untill after the holidays ) we look at what apps we use by default, we try to use the best kde app for the job whenever humanly possible. as far as the openoffice, that really is the only "generic" app and we're working closely with the koffice guys to get koffice 2 by default, the reason its not now it simple it wont support MS office formats

[ma1kel] What's are the major prioritys for the next Kubuntu release?

• there are ALOT of things we're going to be working on, but as far as "overall" we're really looking to take the inovation and bold new things we put in in edgy and make them polished into a smooth system, really put some polish and clean up the rough edges [Lure] also update-manager to make upgrades more robust

[kalon34] It's more personal, but how can you do such important things in Kubuntu and not jorgp working at Canonical ?

• i'm not sure what your asking but , i think its "how can i do important things in kubuntu without working for canonical?" if thats correct of me, then i have to say Canonical underites Ubuntu and its projects like Kubuntu but I'm part of the community and a Core Developer and just made my way through the processes, you dont have to work for Canonical to become a Core Developer or even a MOTU or just contribute

  [kalon34] i believe even deeper, a majority of us enjoy working for free to create freedom

<nixternal>What are Kubuntu's plans for composite by default for 7.04?

• === nixternal knows the answer, but everyone should know as well ;) we wont be using a composite manager this round, we are waiting to see what kwin support ( it should have support ) in kde4. so thats on track for the feisty+1 schedule if at all

06:29   imbrandon       BTW just as a side note , Kubuntu is always looking for contributors , you dont have to be a "Core" dev etc to help out, just stop by on irc and we'll always point you in the right direction
06:29   imbrandon       nixternal is a poster child for a none coder helping :)
06:29   imbrandon       ( thats a good thing )
06:29   nixternal       adding to what imbrandon just said: if you can't code, document ;)

[rmjb] Since Ubuntu and Kubuntu are the same "underneath" where does Ubuntu end and Kubuntu begin?

• where does ubuntu end and kubuntu begin, thats kinda a fuzzy line, but mostly its in the default setting of the desktop programs and the selection of them

06:31 imbrandon the "core" and the core goals stay the same like getting it all on one cd , the the beleifs etxc. if you are on the tech side of the house it ends at "ubuntu-desktop' and kubuntu-desktop packages thats how we make those choices. so the base system "ubuntu-base" is still exactly the same untouched

[lotusleaf] Kdar will not install in Edgy (and some have said it doesn't install in feisty, will Feisty include Kdar, if not, what will replace it?

• if it wont install at all that is a bug and should be address with a SRU foe edgy ( some things slip through the cracks unfortunately ) and durring the release cycle of feisty it will be installable so for now i dont beleave we are looking for a replacement

[Bourlotie] Would you rather be a Canonical employee and work full time on Kubuntu? Do you think that this would make your work more efficiently?

• Bourlotieris: personaly this is a hard question, I would love to work for canonical sometime , but on that other side of that I have a great job that my company fully supports FLOSS and they let me take time in my day to work on kubuntu some and i spend a whole lot of free time on it too but "would i LIKE to" yes i think its every techies dream to do something they love for a living

<siretart> when is kde4 scheduled for release?

• there isnt a "hard" schedule atm but they are shooting for about the end of the feisty cycle for an "official" / "final" release, thus we are looking at it for feisty+1 but will have the librarys and snapshots in feisty ( they are in the repos now ). KDE from what i understand is looking to make KDE4 releases time based like GNOME ones so distros like us can count on certain times. if thats a 6 month table or not is yet to be seen

if kde4 comes out during the end or right after the release of feisty, will we backport?

• not officialy, it might end up on kubuntu.org for early adopters

[anschel] If KDE is on a different schedule from Gnome will Kubuntu Still come out every six months?

• yes, definately , for the forseable future we have no plans on splitting the kubuntu/ubuntu releases, there has been talk about it in the past but it would not help us or our users or upstream to doso at the moment

<nixternal> would you happen to know the current status of Kubuntu Herd 1?

• afaik its right on time, the first disk release of a devel cycle is always a bit shakey as they need to work out things like the D-I etc etc , but everything is going right on as planned in the FeistyReleaseSchedule afaik. also that brings up, if you would like to help our semi-orginised testing efferts you are more than welcome to. join #kubuntu-testers and test things like the Herd 1 release etc , and give feedback directly to us

[rmjb] how is Kubuntu art handled?

• since Dapper kubuntu Artwork has been handeled by Ken Weimer ( kwwii on irc ) , he has done a bangup job imho and has been asked to come back this cycle also, he works with input ( and sample art from the community ) and makes sure its smooth in the distro. BUT also this time nuno will be joining kwwii , they will share the AiC title for Feisty

  [rmjb] AiC?

  • Artist in Cheif, a role choose by Mark Shuttleworth each cycle for ubuntu and kubuntu ( they are both paid Canonical Contractors )

[ lotusleaf] Do you have any plans to throw new releases of Amarok, Koffice, etc. into one directory so additional entries for new versions between each don't have to be manually added to sources.list each time, and instead can be checked for updates? maybe a bleeding edge or beta repo, so only one line is added and remains for all new bleeding edge builds? (rather than adding amarok, koffice, etc. individual lines each tim

• i know we are going to "clean up" kubuntu.org repos , but for the mostpart we are working with the backports team more closely now and you will see alot more of that in official backports but all in all , yes it will hapen one way or another [Lure] Riddell kind of preffer to have it separated... problem is that we would need something like "kubuntu-backports" (half-official)

[ LKRaider] how large is the core kubuntu team right now?

• ummm if i'm not missing anyone 4 to 5 , Riddell , Lure, Myself , Tonio and ...... [nixternal] Raphink but we have some dedicated MOTU's also like Hobbsee and Nixternal but all in all MOTU's + Core-Developers we numnber in less than 10 === nixternal isn't really a MOTU yet, but I play one on IRC [Lure] 3-4 core-dev's (Riddell, Tonio_, imbrandon, raphink) that work most on kubuntu... and there are active upstream supporters (SIme_, sebas, toma...) and debian (allee, fabo...)

anschel wonders how he can join the kubuntu cult?

• [LaserJock] sacrifice some C++ on the kdelibs alter? just kidding well the best way at the moment since its not really documents and i just realized that is .... hang out in these three IRC channells and start asking for "jr jobs" #kubuntu-devel ( where we work on the core kubuntu ) #kubuntu-testers and #ubuntu-motu thats for the coding side. if you want something non coding nixternal can fill you in. BTW everyone , nixternal is our helpfull Kubuntu Doc guy that works relentlessly on the Ubuntu Doc team [nixternal] there will be plenty of non-coding work starting soon

[ lotusleaf] will Kubuntu ever have Cinelerra?

• lotusleaf: I hosnestly am not even aware of that program , but we are always open to sugestions and go through the sugestion list semi often

[Lure] you may want to add it to https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MOTU/Packages/Candidates/Kubuntu

[sid] How many core kubuntu devs are there?(full time?)

• well 3 , one paid ( for kubuntu ). full time core devs for kubuntu is myself ( community ) tonio ( community ) and riddell ( canonical )

And how many core gnome devs?

• ubuntu there are about 10 to 15 , depending on the day

<nixternal> will Kubuntu continue calling itsel the GNU/Linux distro for everyone? (emphasis on GNU/Linux since Ubuntu doesn't state that)

• yes officialy , and no personaly. haha if that makes sense

[sid] Does it say GNU/Linux on the website anywhere? I think this is important also

• on the kubuntu.org website , yes. but there is differing opinons on weather the GNU/ should stay

• [sid] http://www.ubuntu.com/news/sunfire. It says GNU/Linux on some parts of Ubuntu.com, but not on the main page.(where it counts)

  • correct and IMHO it /shouldent/ but thats something thats just my opinoin and should be left to the CC. stay tuned to my blog as to why IMHO we should not have GNU/ listed in the name, i'll post my personal opinon today sometime

07:03   imbrandon       everyone feel free to email me imbrandon at kubuntu.org with any other questions and i'll try to blog about them or get back to you
07:04   imbrandon       everyone have a great day and rember "Kubuntu for president!!' :)