Talk:Welcome to KDE UserBase

This page is for discussion about content. If you want to discuss technical issues concerning UserBase, please use Userbase Technical Issues

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Cool Site I think your site really rocks. How can I help? --exampleuser 11:25, 19 September 2008 (UTC) What are your interests? --danimo 11:30, 19 September 2008 (UTC) I read mailing lists a lot so I could help out with FAQ collection. --exampleuser 11:35, 19 September 2008 (UTC)

And now for the actual questions:

Consistency between application pages

In my opinion, there are serious consistency issues between various application pages: Kontact, Amarok, Kopete and Konqueror all appear to be quite different in layout, some more different then others. I think a single, consistent application template needs to be created and applied to these pages and any others that are spied as being inconsistent. The madman 22:36, 11 September 2009 (UTC)

My personal preference is for such consistency, but the rule 'he who does the work gets to decide' does apply. Certain pages were written by the application team, and they choose the format. However, it is a wiki. If you think you can improve the layout there's nothing to stop you doing so. I'm personally reluctant to work on other folks' additions unless invited to do so ;-) --annew 12:45, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

I actually was going to approach the problem as soon as I saw it, but there was another problem: if there were just two templates going, one that older apps were using and one that was newer, it would be a no-brainer; however, there's actually closer to four or five different templates floating around and being used by different applications.

Multilanguage

Are there any plans to have pages in other language than english? In Techbase it is really nice to have it. Specially users are frequently using only there native language. Cheers. --Mark Ziegler 12:52, 20 September 2008 (UTC)

The multilanguage template is in place, see (and use) this template. --danimo 16:17, 20 September 2008 (UTC)

Should we add i18n template to every page or just for main pages? --Mark Ziegler 09:59, 23 September 2008 (UTC)

Is it possible to just provide a wiki platform, and let users to fill it in our own native language instead of translating the original page? I mean, for example, make a page http://userbase.kde.org/zh_TW/ or a site called http://zh_TW.userbase.kde.org/. -- Franklin

The problem as I see it is that information would not be exchanged across all available languages. I don't know the answer to that, so would welcome any suggestions. --annew 09:21, 23 September 2008 (UTC)

I do not see any problem, this is how wikipedia.org work. If needed, we can develop a script to do some verifications accross all userbase wiki. What do you think about that? --Sheedy 05:45, 1 January 2009 (UTC)

You mean it would be possible to pick up content from any language and have it translated to all the other languages? Even if it could only be done to English plus three or four languages it would be awesome. This is way beyond my capability, so please tell us more about what you envisage. --annew 20:49, 1 January 2009 (UTC)

Hi there, nice initiative for KDE fans! Uh, just raising a question here. Should the Random page link really take you to a page in a different language? I personally guess not. Not much fun / use / value in being redirected to a random chinese page (obviously I can't read chinese). Any other opinions?

Fair point, but I think it might need webdev/php skills to do anything about that, and I don't have them. Sorry. --annew 16:15, 28 December 2008 (UTC)

KDE versions

How can we easily indicate at each page, for which KDE version this information is valid ? Maybe some templates, at least with 3.x, 4.x, distribution-specific. Or each app can have box on their page with info about "what you have to do to have this app on your system". So for example for konqueror there will write that it is available in every kde install. For plasmoids there will be info that you need kde4 and packages this and that. Etc. --Ajuc 15:02, 21 September 2008 (UTC)

I vote for it. Having a small indicator for kde3 or kde4 would be nice. --Mark Ziegler 11:00, 22 September 2008 (UTC)

I would like to see that, as well as indicators for skill levels where appropriate. To get started we really need some dedicated icons, though. I don't think they need to be as detailed as oxygen icons, so maybe this is something we could do ourselves? Open to suggestions on that.

I just created two templates for those:

Note: See follow-up below

Please put comments in the Discussion tab of Template:KDE3 and Template:KDE4 if there's something you need done with it. --Jucato

It was decided that the KDE4 tag is redundant so it was removed. The default information that should be on the wiki is for KDE 4. Only KDE3-specific information needs to be tagged with {{KDE3}}. All references to the KDE4 tag have been removed. --Jucato

Also, suggestions on form of icon - a circle with KDEx? circle with Skillx? They may be difficult to read at small sizes. Please give us some ideas. --annew 11:55, 22 September 2008 (UTC)

hm, what about things that are written for 4.2 only for example (new features)? could it be done that the changes appear then when 4.2 is released? and perhaps a new icon is needed then to distinguish 4.1 and 4.2. Katastrophe 00:23, 26 September 2008 (UTC)

The contents of the wiki should reflect information about the current stable release when it's available. Features planned for future releases can be found in [1] while new features or changes are provided in release announcements. For features that are available in the current stable but not in previous stable releases, those should just be noted when appropriate. I don't think a separate icon tag is necessary.

However, when a new feature like that is added it would be wise to mention which version first carries it. --annew 07:18, 26 September 2008 (UTC)

KDE4 feature from KDE 3

There is a very useful feature in KDE 3 that I am waiting for in KDE 4. The ability to click anywhere on the desktop and have it pull up my application menu. I do not know what this feature is officially called, but This is really the last big piece of functionality that I am waiting on before taking the plunge to KDE 4 on all of my machines.

Please, keep up the good work.

--Eric

Please record wishes on bugs.kde.org - developers may not see these pages. --annew 11:55, 22 September 2008 (UTC)

Fixed (I think)! There is now a configuration dialogue for desktop/mouse actions, including left-click, right-click, middle-click and scroll-wheel, I believe. Coming in 4.4. The madman 14:49, 9 December 2009 (UTC)

Rendering in different browsers

Moved to http://userbase.kde.org/Userbase_Technical_Issues

OpenID issues

Moved to http://userbase.kde.org/Userbase_Technical_Issues

Length of this page

To make reading easier I propose that we clean up this page from time to time, removing threads that are resolved for the present. On this occasion I propose to remove

Content from http://wiki.kde.org/

Icons on the main page

Dictionary page with terms not known by non-linux users and

User name/password login

unless I hear objections in the next 24 hours. Bear in mind that it is possible to retrieve text from History, should it be necessary. --annew 14:00, 3 October 2008 (UTC)

I would be good to have a page where we can discuss about technical issues. IMHO users should start here to ask for content or to place their ideas, technical issues should not be discussed here --Mark Ziegler 14:48, 3 October 2008 (UTC)

http://userbase.kde.org/Userbase_Technical_Issues --annew 17:57, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

Stubs and empty pages

Moved to http://userbase.kde.org/Userbase_Technical_Issues

Please help make documentation more visual

I noticed many pages in the documentation wiki are text only (that goes for techbase too), for example: Plasma [2] New users reading that might have no idea what that page is about.

In truth I had found that applications do have a screenshot (such as Okular [3]), but I don't think it is enough.

--BogdanBiv 08:57, 26 March 2009 (UTC)!

I do agree. It was never intended to be enough - merely a starter. Do help us improve this. Collect suitable images and upload them with the link on the left, then add them in at appropriate places. The more people that contribute, the better the resource will be. --annew 20:29, 28 March 2009 (UTC)

Plasmoid shell: I hate it...

Is there a way in KDE 4.3 and up to get back the look and feel of KDE 3.x, I liked KDE 4.2 better, but in Ubuntu 9.10, there is not an option I see to use KDE 4.2, which I think has a much better look and feel.

First, this would have been better on a user mailing list. This page is intended for discussion of UserBase content.

There is no option to go back to earlier versions of KDE software if you want to use a distro that brings you the latest apps. What you can do, of course, is to change your desktop behaviour so that it behaves mostly like a KDE desktop. To do that, right-click on the desktop and select 'Desktop Activity Settings' (some distros have a slightly different wording, but it should be recognisable). In the Activity section, 'Type' should be changed to Folder View. You will find that that is the more familiar workspace.

No I will not "get used" to or like the "New Look". One of the many reasons I have liked KDE has always been the menu based options for launching programs. Right now, it feels like theres always an unwanted app open, that is literally preventing me from accessing the desktop, since the desktop itself is always covered with some form of "clear" bubble.

Sorry, but you are being irrational. You clearly haven't bothered to find out what this 'clear bubble' is, or how it can help you. It is a folder view which can be set to display any directory you choose. It can be resized - I use them at a size that displays just four quite small format folders. It can be removed if you don't find it useful.

I hate the look, and the feel of the plasma crap, and cannot figure out how to get back to something that to me is more functional. while I can limp along, The organizational structure sucks. it's not easy to get from point a to point b. It has this useless broken Akonadi crap, that is always crashing, and yet, in all the annoouncemnts from KDE 4.3 is "way more stable than 4.2", yet I don't have any crashes in my 4.2 box with ubuntu 9.04. Part of the reason I have used KDE for so long is the ability to configure the desktop to do what I want. Apparently that ability is now gone. It feels more like gnome....if I wanted the look and feel of the gnome, I'd use it instead.

This paragraph is pure troll, and I will ignore it. If you genuinely want to get a functional desktop, read the pages in UserBase and ask questions on a mailing list. A good place to start is https://mail.kde.org/mailman/listinfo/kde.

No...Pure troll indicates ALL BS. In this case, there are some facts: Akonadi does keep crashing..on 4 or 5 systems I have. (I rolled 2 back to ubuntu 8.x due to this.) The fact that the KDE homepage touts more stability than previous versions is true too. I have not experienced this new stability. True...I could have been more polite, but then I'm not a believer in PC.

Insulting language is not likely to encourage anyone to help you, so you'd be wise to re-consider your attitude.

My attitude is a result of having hopes made falsely high by a bunch of hype on the kde website, which has afore now been pretty accurate as to the claims on the product. My experience for the first time in using KDE for the past several years is that the new release is not living up to the announcements, etc. For the first time I feel like KDE is blowing smoke, and not giving an accurate representation about the status of the product. And I was on less sleep than usual. So Sorry for the over bearing attitude, but to some extent, since most of what I needed should have been in A) the FAQ, (nothing of this in the FAQ, or B) A getting started screen or first run screen with tips and pointers. No such monsters. I make platform recommendations to well over a thousand clients a year, and for the first time I feel ike I cannot offer KDE as a viable solution to newbies...so color me disappointed w/ the new release.And if there's a way to move this to the appropriate forum. Great. (i.e Rather I think the educational portions though small) need to be available on the wiki..the rest of this discussion does not. .My experience as a software developer says that if your documentation isn't up to date, then the software isn't ready for release. I could understand if this were a beta, but it is not.

--annew 11:30, 21 February 2010 (UTC) Ok, after having to read instructions on how to use a desktop for the first time in 15+years of computing, I finally found a way to make the plasmoid play nice. I still don't understand how it works, or why its so easy to screw it up. Anyone who says the plasmoid stuff is intuitive is someone who has not worked w/ a desktop before. The only way this could be deemed "intuitive" is to someone who has no prior experience. If it were "intuitive" there wouldn't be a need for documentation to figure it out. I have been using UI's since the 80's, and this so far is the most cumbersome one I've come across. Before you can use the icons on the "bar" you must first figure out that you have to have the widgets "locked" otherwise you are in configuration mode. Which for some dumb reason is the default mode of said widgets. (i.e. You cannot use the lock/logout or an Application widget on the panel/bar unless all widgets are locked. Why it isn't in the "use me" mode to begin with is frustrating. I can understand having to read how to customize it, but it's not intuitive to "use" it if it's not set in "use" me mode to begin with. Why this info isn't in the FAQ I don't know. (And no this site is not intuitive either, if I could figure out how to get back to the FAQ, I might make some suggestions to put in.)