Getting rid of Unity?

[Goh Lip]

On 05/01/2011 12:40 AM, Pastor JW wrote:
> On Saturday, April 30, 2011 9:12:42 am Gilles Gravier wrote:
>
>> The option I'm considering is KDE.
>
> A good option, that is what I use, BUT, remember back to 8.04 when KDE3 moved
> to KDE4?  It seemed Gnome users just laughed at all our problems and suggested
> we move to Gnome.  I said then just wait till the new edition of gnome which
> was already in the works to replace Gnome 2.  I think Unity, although quite
> rough yet, leapfrogs Gnome 3 in actual function.  I'd also suspect by next
> release to see alot of the faults we are finding now with the larger user base
> to be addressed just like it was for KDE4 .  Several have stated that they are
> moving to a different distro.  However, what they are doing is just postponing
> the inevitable!  The lagging distros are set to make this type of move too!
>
>

JW (pastor, really?), I've been silent on this because I use kde (but 
I'll try out gnome3/unity someday) so I'll just comment on your message 
on kde3-->kde4.

I think Douglas Knapp put it very well in his recent post and I have 
nothing more to add to his.

But I think it is unfair that you mentioned gnome users laughed at us; 
it is the kubuntu users who left that laughed at us. While I do not 
blame them for leaving as kde4.0 was really unusable, and there was no 
option to revert back, it was really not a laughing matter. I've kept 
using my 8.04 for at 2 years (and testing newer versions and other 
distros) until I was satisfied kde4 has reached the level of usability 
(at kde4.2.3; it's now 4.6.2 and as good as 3.5.10 with extra eye 
candies and other unnecessary widgets/plasmoids which I do not use).

There is a broader lesson here. While I hope unity is going to be much 
better and there is an option to use 'classic' (albeit slightly not 
gnome2), the lack of "community-camaraderie" in explaining or "selling" 
the reasons of the change can be improved.

After all, we feel more than just consumers, we are "community" and 
expect to be treated as such. While consumers will walk away, community 
will stomp off in disgust. I suspect former kubuntu users will not 
return not because kde4 is not better now, but they had avowed never to 
return (sorry for triple negatives, for emphasis, see). Communities can 
accept mistakes but not be slighted.

Furthermore, the handling of the shutdown of Sounder, however valid that 
some posts are 'off the mark', is further perceived as the lack of 
respect to the community. (Popey, no personal offense here, you're fine 
in my book).


Lastly (since I'm on a roll here), even on this technical list, the 
calls of [OT] like - this is not ubuntu-related, ask on the firefox 
list, the thunderbird list, the ubootnetin list,  go to sounder...gives 
the image that we are all .....(well, I still cannot find the right word).

Cheers :)  - Goh Lip (reverend? not)