Well, for everyone with a story like this, there is someone with a story like mine. I hate KDE. It's cluttered, and it tries too hard to be like Windows (could we not spell it in infantile ways, by the way? It's Windows. Let's just call it what it is instead of using hack puns or dollar signs eh). Might I ask: if I am someone who has just decided that Windows is bung, and I want to try something else, what am I going to prefer? 1. Something that pretends to be what I'm trying to get rid of. 2. Something that is okay with being what it is. Personally, I find option 2 more compelling. Similarly, if you're a newbie who has been put on Linux by someone else (say at work), which are you going to find less confusing? 1. A gui that tries to emulate Windows, but fails, and presents you instead with a lot of options that you don't understand. 2. A gui that makes it clear that it's not Windows, and presents you with the options you're most likely to need. Once again, I personally find option 2 more compelling. I don't think that the default setup of Gnome with Ubuntu is perfect; but I think it's pretty good. I will, myself, modify it to a single, bottom-oriented taskbar, since I find this most comfortable. To address your concerns: 1. What did you find hard to configure about Ubuntu? I have found it the easiest distro to use. It's extremely user-friendly. What exactly do you want to *do* with Linux, and is it what the average newbie will want to do? I can think of no distro I would recommend above Ubuntu for a newbie. I have tried Fedora, Mandrake, Debian, Gentoo, and SuSE (that I recall). 2. What is WVdial? I gather it is a utility for making dialup connections? Since most people these days (I think it's fair to say) are on DSL, I wouldn't consider this a major issue, but if WVdial is indeed what I think it is, and is terrible, what is stopping a dialup user from simply downloading something better using Synaptic? They will have access to a fast connection at the InstallFest. 3. What about Gnome do you find hideous? I personally think that Ubuntu's Clearlooks theme is very attractive <http://bnonn.orcon.net.nz/clearlooks.png>. I don't want this to turn into a Gnome vs KDE flamefest. Each DE has its advantages and disadvantages, and will appeal to different people. If you don't like Gnome, I'm sure that Kubuntu will be available. I'd just like to address concerns about installing Ubuntu, because if you do have genuine concerns, they should be put forward for consideration so we're aware of them beforehand. Sorry if this seems overly authoritative too. Don't mean to tread on anyone's toes :) Bnonn On Thu, 2005-04-07 at 20:29 +0000, Denise Bates wrote:
Craig Box wrote:
Wow, it only took 20 mins for KDE to be mentioned.
If people request Kubuntu on the installation form we will try and support it. It is probably easier to use it as our "KDE distro" than Mandrake etc due to shared packages. However, unless people specifically ask, due to the overwhelming experience and support with GNOME that most of the "senior" WLUG members have, plain Ubuntu it will be. It's great. You should try it.
I was sent a heap of Ubuntu CDs, which I started to give away and I installed the distro on one of my machines. It was unacceptable to me: hard to configure, no KDE, and WVdial is hopeless.I only had one response from the CDs that I gave away. My friend thought that Gnome was hideous, and she too,found WVdial useless. When I called, she was about to re-install Windoze, but fortunately, I had a mini-CD with SLAX on it in my purse. I gave it a spin, and she loved it! I called back next day and installed Slackware 10.1 and that impressed her even more. There have been no problems since the install!
I would like to help at the installfest, but I would be reluctant to foist Ubuntu on anyone. I would be happy to install a range of distros, if requested: Slackware (preferably), or Yoper or Mandrake, but I couldn't force a distro on a newbie which I do not feel comfortable with. I would also be prepared to install a mini-distro on any machines with low specifications. How/when would I find out whether my services might be required?
I am not surprised that Slackware has recently dropped Gnome entirely its current version. I can't see how Gnome would be an attractive enticement for many Windoze users. It doesn't look or work like Windoze - KDE comes much closer. If we _had_ to convince a newcomer to change desktop appearance and function from what they were used to in Windoze, there are far better desktops than Gnome (XFCE, IceWM, etc).
I still have a heap of Ubuntu CDs. I might as well drop them off at next meeting or at the installfest. I couldn't recommend this distro, and I wouldn't want to have to sort out any muck-ups resulting from me passing on the CDs to friends.
Regards, ********************************************* Dr Denise J. Bates, School of Geography & Environmental Science University of Auckland Private Bag 92019, Auckland New Zealand E-mail: d.bates(a)auckland.ac.nz Telephone 09-3737599 ext 86592 *********************************************
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