Bug 402600

Summary:	Removal of KDE 3 from Opensuse is Premature
Product:	[openSUSE] openSUSE 11.1	Reporter:	Forgotten User x7Ms9HcTTQ <forgotten_x7Ms9HcTTQ>
Component:	KDE3	Assignee:	E-mail List <kde-maintainers>
Status:	RESOLVED INVALID	QA Contact:	E-mail List <qa-bugs>
Severity:	Normal
Priority:	P5 - None	CC:	novell
Version:	Alpha 0
Target Milestone:	---
Hardware:	Other
OS:	SUSE Other
Whiteboard:
Found By:	Other	Services Priority:
Business Priority:		Blocker:	---
Marketing QA Status:	---	IT Deployment:	---

Description Forgotten User x7Ms9HcTTQ 2008-06-22 21:08:54 UTC

Stephan Binner stated on OpenSuse mailing list regarding KDE3:

Linked here: http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse/2008-06/msg02231.html

Quote:

 "It will be removed from the distro release (and continue to be only available
   as build service project) some time. This may happen with openSUSE 11.1."


This is a mistake, and premature as KDE4 is incomplete.

Further, KDE4 will likely never be as complete as KDE3, because Anders Johansson has stated here: http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse/2008-06/msg02226.html

Quote: 
  KDE4 is not just a rewrite, it's also a cleanup,
  and features that go unrequested may be ignored

Comment 1 Stephan Binner 2008-06-22 21:45:54 UTC

Not a bug report, seems you missed the pointer to the discussion invitation two posts prior the one you cited.

Comment 2 Dotan Cohen 2008-10-29 09:00:07 UTC

I am reopening this bug as KDE 3 removal is in fact premature. KDE 4 does not yet support many critical features of KDE 3 including application support and accessibility issues. Furthermore, the level of polish of KDE 4 is not yet up to par with the level of polish of KDE 3.

Applications that do not currently run at the level of stability as KDE 3 include the Kontact suite (Kaddressbook and Korganizer in particular). Critical accessibility issues in KDE 4 include the lack of accessibility applets such as the Show Modifier Key Status, which is critical for users with manual disabilities and the lack of truly accessible high-contrast themes which is critical for users with visual problems. These two issues alone are mission-critical and mean that a good portion of KDE 3 users cannot currently upgrade to KDE 4.

While not mission-critical, examples of lack of polish in KDE 4 include desktop and panel display issues. Icon transparency and placement is problematic, user settings are often ignored, and text in dialogs and programs such as Dolphin is often truncated.

If need be I can list specific KDE bugs on most of these issues and more.

Until KDE 4 can run flagship KDE applications such as Kontact, and includes at least minimal accessibility support, it cannot be considered a viable replacement for KDE 3 for many users. I understand the developers' wish to promote the high level of technological advancement that is KDE 4, however, it is not yet ready for desktop use for many people. Please keep KDE 3 as optional for us users who cannot move to KDE 4 due to accessibility issues or application non-support.

Comment 3 Stephan Binner 2008-10-29 09:11:16 UTC

KDE3 will not be removed in openSUSE 11.1: http://news.opensuse.org/2008/09/09/kde-in-opensuse-111-and-beyond/

Comment 4 Dotan Cohen 2008-10-29 15:06:22 UTC

Thank you Stephan. I am just getting my feet wet with Opensuse and I did not see that.