KDE Stamps Out KDE SC 4.9 RC2

[phoronix]

Phoronix: KDE Stamps Out KDE SC 4.9 RC2

Less than two weeks after releasing KDE SC 4.9 RC1, the KDE development community is out with a second release candidate...

http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=MTEzODM

[david_lynch]

I've noticed that full screen opengl games hang. Specifically openarena in my case, but I've seen other opengl games mentioned in the bug reports. It's a shame because kde 4.9 is noticably snappier and more responsive than 4.8. I will try -rc2 hopefully.

[schmidtbag]

My Arch setup with KDE recently screwed up because some package refused to update and somehow every binary in the filesystem became corrupt - I can't even chroot. I'm on the fence about reinstalling with KDE and/or arch, since I seem to get issues copying over KDE settings and Arch is a royal pain in the ass to set up, especially on a slow internet connection. I'm pretty content with LXDE but there's some things about KDE I just like more.

Anybody have any recommendations? Does anyone know if the transition to KDE 5 will be a smooth one? Think I should try using Wayland instead of X?

[ShadowBane]

KDE 5 is going to be a small update from the user point of view. The main change will be that it is using Qt5 rather than Qt4 (there will also be the normal batch of incremental changes,) they aren't throwing out the old stuff like they did on the KDE 4 release.

As for wayland, it seems promising but it isn't really ready yet. I will probably play with it whenever kde (kwin specifically) gets support for it.

[Awesomeness]

KDE 5 is going to be a small update from the user point of view. The main change will be that it is using Qt5 rather than Qt4 (there will also be the normal batch of incremental changes,) they aren't throwing out the old stuff like they did on the KDE 4 release.

That comment is utter rubbish because there will never ever be a “KDE 5”. First of all: KDE is the name of a community, not of software.
2nd: The product formerly known as K Desktop Environment and formerly abbreviated as “KDE” is now called KDE Plasma Workspaces. There are not even any plans for Plasma Workspaces 5.0.
Only KDE Frameworks 5.0 (the successor to kdelibs) is currently in the works and Workspaces and the various KDE Applications will gradually transition to using that but so far nothing is planned to receive a new major version number just because of the Frameworks upgrade.

[TheBlackCat]

2nd: The product formerly known as K Desktop Environment and formerly abbreviated as “KDE” is now called KDE Plasma Workspaces. There are not even any plans for Plasma Workspaces 5.0.

That is not entirely accurate. Plasma 2 is currently planned, although I am not sure how specific those plans are or what has been accomplished towards its release. It is planned to break binary compatibility, and will have some API changes, but it should be pretty similar API-wise.

Only KDE Frameworks 5.0 (the successor to kdelibs) is currently in the works and Workspaces and the various KDE Applications will gradually transition to using that but so far nothing is planned to receive a new major version number just because of the Frameworks upgrade.

Also not entirely accurate. Plans for Phonon 2 are underway, and will also have binary incompatibility and some API changes.

However, none of those is anywhere close to what happened with KDE SC 4. It will be much more similar to the KDE SC 2 to KDE SC 3 transition, which was based on improvement to existing components rather than a whole slew of new components like with the KDE SC 3 to 4 transition.

[Teho]

If I'm not mistaken there are talks going on about having different release cycles for differt parts of KDE Software Compilation. This way it's possible that KDE Applications and Developement Platform 5.0 could be released soon after KF5 but the KDE Plasma Workspaces and Artworks (new theme) could be pushed futher (when plasma2 transition is ready for example). In any case the version numbers don't really mean much a side from the libaries.

[Awesomeness]

That is not entirely accurate. Plasma 2 is currently planned, although I am not sure how specific those plans are or what has been accomplished towards its release. It is planned to break binary compatibility, and will have some API changes, but it should be pretty similar API-wise.
[…]
Also not entirely accurate. Plans for Phonon 2 are underway, and will also have binary incompatibility and some API changes.

I am very accurate, you just misunderstood me.
What you are referring to as Plasma 2 is libplasma2. libplasma is the main framework that power the Plasma Workspaces. libplasma and Phonon are both part of KDE Frameworks. As I wrote: The development of KF5 is underway but not KDE Plasma Workspaces 5.0. Before Qt 5.0 was postponed, it was planned for a while that KPW 4.9 would use Qt 5 and KF5. KPW will move to KF5 once all important Plasma applets are ported to QML but that move will not mean that KPW will jump to 5.0. KDE is currently collecting ideas for a Worksapce vision which may result in an eventual KPW 5.0 in two or so years.

The idea of a “KDE 5” would suggest that everything moves to Qt 5 at the same time. This will not be the case.

[TheBlackCat]

If I'm not mistaken there are talks going on about having different release cycles for differt parts of KDE Software Compilation. This way it's possible that KDE Applications and Developement Platform 5.0 could be released soon after KF5 but the KDE Plasma Workspaces and Artworks (new theme) could be pushed futher (when plasma2 transition is ready for example). In any case the version numbers don't really mean much a side from the libaries.

I don't think it is so much talks, but a firm plan. Some distribution packagers (*cough* fedora *cough*) don't like it because their setup scripts depend on all packages having the same version, but it doesn't sound like that is going to prevent it.