Hello.

I noticed a few days ago, a lot of updated KDE packages on my Debian's apt-get:

# apt-get dist-upgrade
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
Calculating upgrade... Done
The following packages will be REMOVED:
karm kaudiocreator kcontrol kde kde-core kdeaddons kdebase kdebase-bin-kde3 konq-plugins konqueror
libkiten1 quanta superkaramba
The following NEW packages will be installed:
akonadi-kde akonadi-server bomber bovo bsd-mailx dolphin dragonplayer exiv2 freeglut3 gnokii-common
google-gadgets-common google-gadgets-gst google-gadgets-qt google-gadgets-xul gwenview kaboom kalgebra
kapman kblocks kbreakout kde-icons-mono kde-icons-oxygen kdebase-runtime kdebase-runtime-bin-kde4
kdebase-runtime-data kdebase-workspace-libs4+5 kdeedu-kvtml-data kdegames-mahjongg-data
kdegraphics-strigi-plugins kdelibs-bin kdelibs5 kdelibs5-data kdepim-groupware kdepim-strigi-plugins
kdepimlibs-data kdepimlibs5 kdiamond kfourinline killbots kiriki kode kollision ksirk ksquares ksudoku
ksystemlog ktimetracker kubrick kwrite libakonadiprivate1 libarchive1 libboost-program-options1.34.1
libcfitsio3 libclucene0ldbl libdbd-mysql-perl libdbi-perl libeet1 libexiv2-5 libfftw3-3
libggadget-1.0-0 libggadget-qt-1.0-0 libgnokii4 libgps18 libical0 libjasper-runtime libkabcommon4
libkcddb4 libkde4-ruby1.8 libkdecorations4 libkdeedu4 libkdegames5 libkdepim4 libkholidays4 libkipi6
libkiten4 libkleo4 libkonq5 libkonqsidebarplugin4 libkontactinterfaces4 libkopete4 libkpgp4 libksane0
libksieve4 libkwineffects1 libmaildir4 libmarble4 libmimelib4 libmsn0.1 libnet-daemon-perl libofa0
libokularcore1 libopenbabel3 libortp8 libotr2 libpcsclite1 libphonon4 libplasma-ruby libplasma-ruby1.8
libplasma3 libplrpc-perl libpoppler-qt4-3 libqca2 libqca2-plugin-ossl libqedje0 libqimageblitz4
libqt4-core libqt4-help libqt4-qt3support libqt4-ruby1.8 libqt4-sql libqt4-sql-mysql libqt4-test
libqt4-webkit libqt4-xmlpatterns libqtruby4shared2 libqzion0 libsmokekde4-2 libsmokeplasma2
libsmokeqt4-2 libsoprano4 libstreamanalyzer0 libstreams0 libstrigiqtdbusclient0 libterm-readkey-perl
libtunepimp5 libvncserver0 libzip1 mailx marble marble-data mysql-client-5.0 mysql-server
mysql-server-5.0 okteta okular oxygencursors parley parley-data phonon phonon-backend-gstreamer
plasma-dataengines-workspace plasma-desktopthemes-artwork plasma-scriptengine-googlegadgets
plasma-scriptengine-javascript plasma-scriptengine-python plasma-scriptengine-qedje
plasma-scriptengine-ruby plasma-scriptengine-superkaramba plasma-scriptengine-webkit
plasma-scriptengines plasma-widget-folderview plasma-widgets-workspace python-kde4 python-pexpect
python-pycurl python-qt4 python-qt4-common python-qt4-dbus python-sip4 python-smartpm smartpm-core
step sweeper system-config-printer-kde ttf-sazanami-gothic
The following packages have been kept back:
kappfinder kdeartwork kdebase-bin kdebase-data kdegraphics kdepasswd kscreensaver
The following packages will be upgraded:
akregator amor ark blinken indi juk kaddressbook kalarm kalzium kalzium-data kamera kanagram kate
katomic kbattleship kblackbox kbounce kbruch kcalc kcharselect kcron kdeaccessibility kdeadmin
kdeartwork-style kdeedu kdegames kdemultimedia kdemultimedia-kio-plugins kdenetwork kdepim
kdepim-kresources kdepim-wizards kdessh kdetoys kdeutils kdewebdev kdf kfilereplace kfind kfloppy
kgamma kgeography kgeography-data kget kgoldrunner kgpg khangman kig kimagemapeditor kiten kjots
kjumpingcube kleopatra klettres klettres-data klines klinkstatus klipper kmag kmahjongg kmail kmines
kmix kmousetool kmouth kmplot knetwalk knetworkconf knode knotes kolf kommander konqueror-nsplugins
konquest konsole konsolekalendar kontact kopete korganizer kpackage kpat kpilot kppp krdc kreversi
krfb kruler ksame kscd kshisen ksnapshot kspaceduel kstars kstars-data ksysguard ksysguardd kteatime
ktimer ktouch kttsd ktuberling kturtle ktux kuser kwalletmanager kweather kwordquiz kxsldbg lskat
109 upgraded, 165 newly installed, 13 to remove and 7 not upgraded.
Need to get 315MB of archives.
After this operation, 543MB of additional disk space will be used.
Do you want to continue [Y/n]? n
Abort

I noticed these are for v4. I heard many bad things about v4 and I am quyite happy with v3.5.10. I recalled the first few versions of v4 were bad and stuff. Newer v4 versions improved, but how much?

I have never tried v4, except looking at screen shots and reading people's comments. Can I easily roll back to v3 with apt-get?

Thank you in advance.

Personally, I recommend you *not* to upgrade to KDE4 since you're so happy with your KDE 3.5.10. Stick with debian stable might be a better idea at this stage. or you can simply "hold" those KDE3 pacages and prevent future upgrade.

KDE4.2 has improved vastly since KDE 4.0 and KDE 4.1, but it is hard to say whether it is better than KDE 3.5.10 or not, it depends...

Debian users are generally conservative and you can *not* easily roll back to v3 with apt-get,

you have been warned.

pansz wrote:Personally, I recommend you *not* to upgrade to KDE4 since you're so happy with your KDE 3.5.10. Stick with debian stable might be a better idea at this stage. or you can simply "hold" those KDE3 pacages and prevent future upgrade.

KDE4.2 has improved vastly since KDE 4.0 and KDE 4.1, but it is hard to say whether it is better than KDE 3.5.10 or not, it depends...

Debian users are generally conservative and you can *not* easily roll back to v3 with apt-get,

you have been warned.

Thanks. How can I tell apt-get not to show me any KDE4 stuff? Maybe I will upgrade later on when it is more mature.

if you use aptitude then it is simple, this only works for aptitude:

Code: Select all

sudo aptitude hold


where is the package name you want to hold.

if you use apt-get, should be something like the following:

Code: Select all

echo " hold" | sudo dpkg --set-selections


you can check the status later by

Code: Select all

dpkg --get-selections ""


pansz wrote:if you use aptitude then it is simple, this only works for aptitude:

Code: Select all

sudo aptitude hold


where is the package name you want to hold.

if you use apt-get, should be something like the following:

Code: Select all

echo " hold" | sudo dpkg --set-selections


you can check the status later by

Code: Select all

dpkg --get-selections ""


Thanks. I have to do this for every package name? How do I unhold in case I change my mind?

Also, is Compiz fully compatible with KDE v4.22?

I would suggest you to try out KDE4 first. I was a happy KDE3 user until a few days ago; after trying KDE4 for a couple of weeks on my netbook I decided it was finallt time to install it on my desktop too.

Surely there are some features I miss, and some annoying bugs (most noticeable in global shortcuts - however, it doesn't seem to be KDE's fault). Overall KDE4 feels pretty stable and snappy to me. It does what I need, and some more.

Regarding Compiz, kwin in KDE4 has its own effects. http://www.undefinedfire.com/kde/41-42-kwin/
I haven't tried Compiz, so unfortunately I don't know how well it works with KDE4.

Hans wrote:I would suggest you to try out KDE4 first. I was a happy KDE3 user until a few days ago; after trying KDE4 for a couple of weeks on my netbook I decided it was finallt time to install it on my desktop too.

Surely there are some features I miss, and some annoying bugs (most noticeable in global shortcuts - however, it doesn't seem to be KDE's fault). Overall KDE4 feels pretty stable and snappy to me. It does what I need, and some more.

Regarding Compiz, kwin in KDE4 has its own effects. http://www.undefinedfire.com/kde/41-42-kwin/
I haven't tried Compiz, so unfortunately I don't know how well it works with KDE4.

Is there a LiveCD/DVD that has KDE v4.22 already?

I haven't tried any anyself, but there's for example KDE Four Live (openSUSE). The current version ships with KDE 4.2.3, and there's also an experimental with KDE 4.3 Beta 1.

Hans wrote:I haven't tried any anyself, but there's for example KDE Four Live (openSUSE). The current version ships with KDE 4.2.3, and there's also an experimental with KDE 4.3 Beta 1.

Thanks. Hopefully, it will work in my old VMware Workstation v4.5.3 image.