Which Kubuntu?
in [UK Linux]
|
Prev: Best fast-booting text-console Linux?
Next: Acer 9303
From: Theo Markettos on 20 Apr 2008 19:21 I want to upgrade a machine from Xandros 3 OCE (which seems to be entirely neglected by its vendor) to Ubuntu with KDE. The machine is on expensive dialup and I rarely have access to it so having something that needs minimal post-installation updates is important. The Xandros install is 3-4 years old and I hope the Ubuntu install will last about as long without attention. I'm in a bit of a dilemma. Hardy Heron (8.04) is due out on Thursday. This is a Long Term Support version - this would be the ideal candidate for such a limited-net-access situation. Except Kubuntu isn't under LTS because of the KDE 3->4 transition. So what to do? Should I: Grab Hardy Heron with KDE 3 on Thursday, install it and hope there aren't too many update packages that come later. Upgrade after 18 months (when HH KDE 3 support expires) and hope a new KDE LTS release has appeared. Or accept the KDE bits aren't supported and just keep on using it, hoping that the important stuff (Firefox, ssh etc) will have security holes fixed. Install Gutsy Gibbon (7.10) now, wait until its support expires (a year) and then upgrade as above. Hopefully there will be fewer updates to download. Something else? 6.06 LTS because there seem to be many fewer updates? But then it's almost as ancient as Xandros. I'm planning to install by doing an install on another machine and taking the hard drive to the remote machine (and a pile of CDs in case it goes wrong). So I can do network updates immediately post-install but none later. I need the install done by the end of this week so timing is tight as regards waiting for updates to come out. Suggestions? Thanks Theo
From: Thor on 20 Apr 2008 20:04 Theo Markettos wrote: > I want to upgrade a machine from Xandros 3 OCE (which seems to be entirely > neglected by its vendor) to Ubuntu with KDE. The machine is on expensive > dialup and I rarely have access to it so having something that needs > minimal > post-installation updates is important. The Xandros install is 3-4 years > old and I hope the Ubuntu install will last about as long without > attention. > > I'm in a bit of a dilemma. Hardy Heron (8.04) is due out on Thursday. > This is a Long Term Support version - this would be the ideal candidate > for such > a limited-net-access situation. Except Kubuntu isn't under LTS because of > the KDE 3->4 transition. > > So what to do? Should I: > Hardy will probably have several updates in the next year or so, esp if you enable the multiverse, universe and backport repos. It might be better from a financial point of view to make contact with a local lug if there is one in your area and see if some kind person will burn you off an update disk every few weeks, for a couple of pints or something similar. Then when you have access to the machine put the files into /var/cache/apt/archives/ and run the update and dist-upgrade options Another way of having a good stable distro that will not give you a lot of updates is to go to debian stable instead of kubuntu. PS I probably will not be going to kde 4, I have had a look and found it to be a silly lot of useless eyecandy with little to recommend over kde 3 Thor
From: Theo Markettos on 21 Apr 2008 16:53 Thor <thor(a)valhalla.enzed.corn> wrote: > Hardy will probably have several updates in the next year or so, esp if > you enable the multiverse, universe and backport repos. It might be better > from a financial point of view to make contact with a local lug if there is > one in your area and see if some kind person will burn you off an update > disk every few weeks, for a couple of pints or something similar. Then when > you have access to the machine put the files into /var/cache/apt/archives/ > and run the update and dist-upgrade options Hmm... personally I have plenty of bandwidth, just it goes nowhere near the machine in question. And I'm only there every 3-6 months so I'd only be able to do an update at that frequency. It sounds like Gutsy might be better... there are still occasional updates but they seem to be declining in frequency. I'd have to upgrade in a year's time but hopefully that would just be a case of taking along a pile of CDs - I could upgrade at that point to Hardy LTS when it's hopefully more stable (my Dapper LTS install has almost no updates these days). > Another way of having a good stable distro that will not give you a lot > of updates is to go to debian stable instead of kubuntu. That's an idea. etch is a bit old though, and a bit lacking in it-just-works which is why I went for Xandros originally. I was hoping Ubuntu would be a suitable replacement. > PS I probably will not be going to kde 4, I have had a look and found it > to be a silly lot of useless eyecandy with little to recommend over kde 3 Thanks, that's useful to know :) Theo
From: Thor on 21 Apr 2008 18:48 Theo Markettos wrote: > Thor <thor(a)valhalla.enzed.corn> wrote: >> Hardy will probably have several updates in the next year or so, esp >> if >> you enable the multiverse, universe and backport repos. It might be >> better from a financial point of view to make contact with a local lug if >> there is one in your area and see if some kind person will burn you off >> an update disk every few weeks, for a couple of pints or something >> similar. Then when you have access to the machine put the files into >> /var/cache/apt/archives/ and run the update and dist-upgrade options > > Hmm... personally I have plenty of bandwidth, just it goes nowhere near > the > machine in question. And I'm only there every 3-6 months so I'd only be > able to do an update at that frequency. A pity you couldn't have a similar machine at your place, set it up to get the updates regularly then burn them to disk and take the disk with you or post it to where the computer is with instructions on how to use it. >> Another way of having a good stable distro that will not give you a >> lot >> of updates is to go to debian stable instead of kubuntu. > > That's an idea. etch is a bit old though, and a bit lacking in > it-just-works which is why I went for Xandros originally. I was hoping > Ubuntu would be a suitable replacement. Ubuntu is basically is the cutting edge of the home user aimed distros these days and as such probably not really suitable for the situation you are in. Debian etch has rc3 out now and I have had little difficulty setting it up on a variety of different machines from pentium 1G to the latest system that was running vista up to that stage. > >> PS I probably will not be going to kde 4, I have had a look and found >> it >> to be a silly lot of useless eyecandy with little to recommend over kde 3 > > Thanks, that's useful to know :) > It's a matter of opinion of course but I have never seen the point of even the stuff in kde3 such as animated windows and icons that leap out at you, so adding more of that rubbish is not going to appeal to me anyway :) David
From: Chris on 22 Apr 2008 04:39
Theo Markettos wrote: > Thor <thor(a)valhalla.enzed.corn> wrote: >> Another way of having a good stable distro that will not give you a lot >> of updates is to go to debian stable instead of kubuntu. > > That's an idea. etch is a bit old though, and a bit lacking in > it-just-works which is why I went for Xandros originally. I was hoping > Ubuntu would be a suitable replacement. > Mepis is the 'it-just-works' of debian stable. Stick it in and switch it on and you're away. It's also better integrated with KDE than Kubuntu. As it's based on debian you needn't worry about updating every six months :) |