[ydl-gen] Question on YDL.net

[Derick Centeno]

Hi Ted:
I'll intersperse my comments with yours so that it reads better, ok?

> this is very odd. I did not get your message, but learned of it 
> through Gavin's response. So I looked it up in the archives.

Ted, sometimes everything is just weird and weird things just happen.  
Let's not take the fun out of the mystery, let's just enjoy it and move 
on to whatever can be understood.
There's a chance that with time, effort in learning and sufficient 
experience, we'll come to understand.  Meanwhile we do what we can with 
whatever we understand to do.

> Yes, though I am a technical dummy when it comes to *nix geek issues, 
> I understood the "trickiness" of my question. That's why I started 
> with my willingness to PAY for KDE support.

We are all dummies at something Ted.  Didn't you ever notice how 
popular the book series "..... for Dummies" are?   Cut yourself some 
slack....
If my approach was at all irksome, my apologies, that was not my 
intention.  I'm considering purchasing one of that series and no I 
won't admit to which one.

> Here's where I am coming from. I installed fedora core 5 on an old 
> intel machine. I have YDL 4.0 on an old PowerBook. Each is used as a 
> desktop, meaning desktop applications. For me that is KDE.
>
> YDL's preferred desktop is KDE, while Fedora's is Gnome.

Actually, this is not really so.  After the initial YDL installation 
process is complete the option exists at any time to switch between 
Gnome, KDE or a third desktop -- I forget which.
I believe in YDL 2 or 3 there was even option available to switch 
between 4 desktops including Enlightenment and Afterbox or Fluxbox, all 
it took was to select from the available options.  I guess you missed 
those options and have been missing them for a while.

In any case, all the desktops have the same access to all the features 
of whatever was installed.  There is no doubt about that.  The 
different desktops have very different menu appearances and structures. 
  It is quite possible to be in Fluxbox for instance and think nothing 
is going on and there is no way to do anything -- not true.   Invoking 
commands from each desktop environment is rather unique and distinct 
from the others.  This is why some people prefer one desktop over 
another, we all work and think differently.

Anyway, the flexibility within the YDL environment was always there.

>
> If you use KDE at all, you will quickly be impressed by the promise 
> but frustrated by all the things that aren't quite there. It basically 
> means that if you depend on KDE, you'll want the latest KDE. I'd call 
> it mission critical.
>
> Fedora came with KDE 3.5.2, and an active community of volunteers 
> provides extremely timely yum feeds of stable and testing KDE rpms, 
> plus a helpful support list. This is free, of course.
>
> Meanwhile, I have this old KDE on my beloved PB which I cannot 
> reliably use. It seems I can get an update to KDE 3.4.2 from 3.3.2 
> only by extreme pain in trashing 4.0 and going through that multiple 
> boot business and then resetting all the preferences, last time taking 
> two days - well you know the drill. And then I am stuck at 3.4.2 
> again.

I'm sympathetic regarding your experience regarding KDE.  You always as 
I presented above, had the option to switch to Gnome.  I appreciate the 
musical themes of KDE, but I work seriously in Gnome.  I've heard 
similar complaints from others regarding KDE, I always recommend Gnome.

Maybe you consider using Gnome?

> I'm now in the process of possibly converting a better and more 
> beloved PB to Linux. YDL is the only game in town for these machines, 
> it seems. I will pay for 4.1, as I always do.
>
> But I see that it will rankle the bejees out of me to be running a 
> constantly updated Fedora on the new MacBookPro (via parallels) and an 
> out of date KDE on the older PB.

You do know about tar, downloading and recompiling all sorts of stuff 
by now so why stick with the old stuff, if your skills allow you to be 
and remain current.

>
> So my question was sorta simple. IF I PAID, using the one means 
> TerraSoft provides for consumers to be "fresh," will I indeed be?
>
> Its not an accusation or anything. I'm just trying my best to actually 
> use YDL.

Why pay anything right now.  It appears you need to have some questions 
addressed, tested and satisfied.
It appears to me, that setting Gnome as your preferred desktop could be 
an answer for you.  Even using Gnome within YDL 4.0 is so much better 
than KDE.  And even though both KDE and Gnome are improved in YDL 4.1; 
I remain believing that Gnome remains better than KDE still.  All the 
programs which work under KDE remain available in Gnome.
Try it out, I'm sure you'll feel better.

Now since you don't have YDL 4.1 yet, why not consider exploring Gnome 
in YDL 4.0?  Get the feel of what I'm suggesting and see if your work 
within YDL can be such that you work in Gnome instead.  You can 
consider other desktops like Enlightenment (enlightenment.org), but see 
if working with what is already available helps you.

Try using Gnome in YDL 4.0 and see if that is a workable solution for 
you, after that you should be even better and stronger in confidence in 
moving up to Gnome in YDL 4.1.

Good Luck and sincere best wishes....
Derick.