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Sunday, December 11, 2005

live with an ubuntu




Space: 116.5 GB
Kernel: 2.6.12-9-686
KDE: 3.5
Qt: 3.3.4
GCC: 4.0.2 20050808
amaroK: 1.4-SVN
Media Player: amaroK + Codeine = World Domination :P
Status of config-merging: KDE -> 85% | system -> 30%

That's my kubuntu's current status, after approx 3 days of usage (well, I used a 5gig test installation for 2 weeks).

So what's the main difference to suse?
I really don't know, since I mostly only use(d) KDE apps I havn't used yast at lot and therefore I don't miss it a lot. Though there are times _any user_ would be happy about an YaST like application.
For example the X configuration: kubuntu doesn't yet have an application to easy configure the X server, so you have to hack xorg.conf yourself, which is compared to the 5-click-configuration of SaX2 a lack of usability IMO.
Another problem is home-server-configuration: SUSE = not starting http module in YaST ;-) | Kubuntu = bunch of serverside solutions
The easiest way to configure a apache (for example) is to install webmin and it's apache module, this wouldn't be bad if webmin wouldn't be a serverprocess which is 1st: a security risk 2nd: running always and therefore using memory.
So YaST/SUSE got an big advantage in home-server solution (however I have to note that webmin is designed for an even deeper configuration)
Another point of criticism is the security.
Kubuntu doesn't ship a firewall configuration tool or a virus scanner (default installation). Well, there aren't real 5-click-firewalls out there and klamav+clamav which would be a virus solution isn't installed (well klamav isn't in the repos at all, it's probably not compiling - like on very much other distros too).
So it's mostly not Kubuntu's fault, there are just no useable solutions out there.

BUT there's potential ;-D
Kubuntu's KDE is sometimes if more adapted than SUSE (which isn't always an adavantage -> example <- something is missing!). I really love it's concept of cleaning-up the interfaces, since I'm sometimes a real minimalist but removing menu entrys is a evil thing (at least for me) I now have to use shortcuts for things I've done for 3 years by using the menu :-/

Let me sum up before I start writing a novel:
Installation: Easy, but bad looking (thanks debian :P)
System's Configuration: can take some time because of manual editing
Usage: Well, KDE - light interface edition ;-)
Server Configuration: only non-kde/qt applications
Repos: w00t all the good software ;-) .. but the officials are missing codeine :|
And since kubuntu is a quite young distro we can expect great proceedings.

btw, I'm now also ircing in #kubuntu and #kubuntu-de