Installing KDE4 on Ubuntu (Hardy Heron)

I had an urge to try kde4 on my Ubuntu installation yesterday. I was using gnome in the laptop and I was a loyal KDE 3.5.x user on my office desktop (with Debian etch upgraded to Lenny a couple of days before) for a long time. With all the new applications details going around about kde4, I wanted to give it a try. After upgrading the Debian etch at my office desk to Lenny, I was a bit over confident that upgradinng my Ubuntu Gutsy to Hardy wouldn't break my heart (applications). I changed the sources.list to do a dist-upgrade. But since my home connection is not that great considering the speed, I decided to update to kde4 to start with, because something was telling me that things wont go so fine with kde4. I ended up with a shiny new kde4 interface in about 40 minutes. I logged into the kde4 and the first impression was not so great. I was welcomed with a windows vista look-alike interface. The new application launcher (K menu) was there with a new design to complete the vista's clone. I didn't like the way KDE4 gave me the desktop. The icons were oversized, menu was difficult than the old style (The classic menu is still there, which you might want to add to the panel). I like it when things have changed for good, but when it makes things difficult for users to adjust, its not improvement. Its disastrous design for the sake of improved flashy interface. The fact that I most dislike is the way kde4 resembles my windows vista. I was with the desktop for about 45 minutes and still have not figured out how to move a application launcher in the panel. Call me ignorant or noob, but I think simple things like these should not be so hidden (It was not in kde3.x). The fact that default gnome optimized window manager gives me more screen real estate made me switch back to gnome in less than 1 hour. Oh yeah and I did tried out the new improved konsole and the file manager. File manager was good (I can always install a similar polished file manager in my old, and the best, KDE - like krusader). Konsole doesn't "look" good and the new settings tab which is said to be improved and easier to use than previous, looked not a bit more easy than the former version. Overall, I did not like KDE4, and I am not going to use it again, not in the near future. What a great desktop kde3.x was, and how the new kde4 put me off from even trying it out. Maybe its just the fact that kde4 looks more like windows vista desktop, that had made me feel uneasy with kde4. I do not understand why there are people who believe, things will be more user friendly when it looks like windows desktop. Well, fine with all the thoughts, all I wanted was to let you know this is what you can expect as a welcome with the new KDE desktop. Try it and ditch it

What do you mean by free software

I like the way debian.org explains what "free software" is.

When we speak of Free Software, we mean freedom, not price.

Have a read here

My birthday balloon in the LAB room @ Office