So, I finally bit the bullet and installed OSS 11.2 which uses KDE4 rather than KDE 3.5. It was a bit of a learning curve, but so far I like it.
I had to make sure I had all the package repositories necessary, including compiz and skype supporting libraries, which are not in the community list, but easily accessible from opensuse.com.
It took a couple of days to get used to the new desktop with plasma widgets. But they are quick, handy, stable and look good.
The other issue was setting up my mice – I use the touchpad right-handed and the external (wireless) mouse left handed and switch between them depending on whether I’m at my desk or on the road. Previously with Sax2 there was a configuration module for mice, but not any more because now mice automatically configure, but its difficult to differentiate settings. I had to fiddle a bit and used this guide to remap the mouse buttons on the external mouse.
All in all an improvement and a fairly manageable learning curve. I would have had to switch to KD4 eventually and the transition was fairly painless and offers an enhanced desktop. Probably easier than moving from Doze Vista to 7 and done at my choice. (I also installed gnome and have played on that desktop a bit, but I still prefer KDE for configurability, and now even looks are sexier.) Yes, I like it.
Thanks to linux programmers, hackers and users for making open computing the best experience.
See how it looks … A little flash of the desktop.
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