Kubuntu with KDE 4.1 is installed and the GUI seems… strange
I have gotten Kubuntu installed and upgraded to KDE 4.1 and I am not sure what it is but the GUI seems like it is lacking consistency. I haven’t been able to put my finger on something concrete as of yet, however as I noticed when moving from XP to Vista, this upgrade from KDE 3.x to 4.x feels like a bit of a step backwards.
Some parts of it are completely visual. I think that this is partly to do with Kubuntu releasing KDE 4.x before they have had a chance to put a theme or skin on certain things (ie. Firefox). We’ll see how that pans out with future official releases of Kubuntu with KDE 4.x.
The rest of it has to do with things like the “start” menu (I don’t know if I will ever call it something else, I know… bad Marcus!) changes. Like with Vista it feels like there were changes; not to improve the functionality, but to change it. I am frustrated with things being changed just to change them. I have felt that Microsoft has done that often in the past simply to roll out a new version of software (as with Office suites when all you notice is new icons) simply to gain revenue.
To compare this to my first experience with KDE 4.x when it was still in beta and RCs would be a positive thing. When installing those versions I was usually greeted with usability problems of insurmountable proportions causing me to drop the idea within a day. Don’t get me wrong, I am still going to be using my Mac as my main computer as I still have no desire to move away from OSX. This is one of the first times that I will test and OS in this fashion. In the past I have usually switched my main computer over to the test OS, partially because it is a good test method and partially due to my tiredness of Windows. To continue this test I will be running the operating systems side by side and try to perform the same tasks on the Kubuntu machine after having done it in OSX.
I know that my initial reaction is not positive but I will try to remain unbiased and really look at the functionality of the interface.
2 Comments
Bobzilla
August 21st, 2008
at 7:09am
I just can’t understand the way people think when comparing operating systems. Many want the new OS to do the same thing as their previous OS. Guess those folks don’t understand that the new OS is not going to do everything the same way. If it did… why switch? Oh well, I’m sure glad my Ubuntu Linux does not preform like Windows.
Marcus Hamaker
August 21st, 2008
at 7:22am
I agree with you that a new OS will not act the same as a previous version, however I don’t like change just for change. If you are making a change and it negatively impacts the experience that I question the motive for that change.