Is there a way to get the latest kde-apps 17.04 in Artful?

[sonnet]

I'd like to have the latest kde (including latest kde applications release 17.04) on a base that is at least as recent as ubuntu 17.04.
Neon and Maui are not an option because all their releases are based on Ubuntu 16.04 .

Kubuntu 17.04, even installing kubuntu backports I'd get the latest plasma but not the latest kde apps.
I've looked at Artful hoping it would have the latest of everything, but unfortunately kde apps are still 16.12 release.

Does anybody know anything that could be of help?

[acheron]

We have them almost ready to upload.

Has just been a delay getting the translations and a few other issues sorted, and getting actual upload permissions for some of it.

May or may not happen before Alpha 2 on Thursday. :/

[sonnet]

Thank I'll check it out the alpha2 then.Btw may I ask what meta-packages choices are available if someone wants to install kde using the server image?
I remember with kde 4.xx there were 3 choices: the kubuntu metapackage which installed would result in exactly as kubuntu is, kde-full which was the standard kde and kde-plasma which was minimal kde.
With kde5 what choices are out there?

[acheron]

Candidate isos have build for Alpha2, so sadly no way apps 17.04 are going to make it for that. They will be uploaded in the next week or so though, if at all possible.

Regards meta, we really only have kubuntu-desktop and kubuntu-full now. However, while not strictly a meta-package, the plasma-desktop package has dependencies which from it name, as you would expect, should install a minimal functioning plasma desktop AFAIK.

[NoWorries]

I suspect that acheron will not totally agree with what I am going to write, but you can get the 17.04 kde apps from:

:~$ sudo add-apt-repository ppa:kubuntu-ppa/staging-kdeapplications

I got over 300 packages installed and currently I have not had any problems. I guess I have a lot of trust in the sterling work that the developers are doing with this system as I have the staging option for other Artful sources.

[sonnet]

I suspect that acheron will not totally agree with what I am going to write, but you can get the 17.04 kde apps from:

:~$ sudo add-apt-repository ppa:kubuntu-ppa/staging-kdeapplications

I got over 300 packages installed and currently I have not had any problems. I guess I have a lot of trust in the sterling work that the developers are doing with this system as I have the staging option for other Artful sources.

Thanks I'll try that in a vm and see how it goes.
But there's one thing that puzzles me: if I do that, get the applications I need from it and then disable the ppa, will I be able in the future to get my apps updated to the incoming 17.08? (I assume that kubuntu 17.10 will ship 17.08 kde apps).
I'm asking that because sometimes when I install exotic mesa-git ppas, then it's hard to get the latest stable even if the stable is newer and superior version (number) than the git.

[acheron]

Thanks I'll try that in a vm and see how it goes.
But there's one thing that puzzles me: if I do that, get the applications I need from it and then disable the ppa, will I be able in the future to get my apps updated to the incoming 17.08? (I assume that kubuntu 17.10 will ship 17.08 kde apps).
I'm asking that because sometimes when I install exotic mesa-git ppas, then it's hard to get the latest stable even if the stable is newer and superior version (number) than the git.

Our ppa builds are versioned so that archive build or later versioned ppa builds will always supersede the earlier ones.

We always have a mind on what will be the upcoming versions we will be releasing, and version accordingly on a dependable versioning scheme.

Regards apps 17.08, the release date of 17.08.0 is 1 week before the ubuntu artful feature freeze. Seeing that in a shipped release of kubuntu on something as important as KDE applications we really want to release with quite stable releases, then it's debatable whether we will just stick with 17.04.3 (3rd bugfix release on 17.04 apps series) or risk updating and only at a push squeezing in a single 17.08.1 round of bugfixes before artful goes out the door. It's one of those problems you get with distro release dates and deadlines. Go with the slightly older but stabilised and bugfixed stuff, or risk the shiny and new at the expense of maybe (but not always) a less stable experience for users?

[Snowhog]

It's one of those problems you get with distro release dates and deadlines. Go with the slightly older but stabilised and bugfixed stuff, or risk the shiny and new at the expense of maybe (but not always) a less stable experience for users?

As the adage goes: "You can please all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but you can't please all of the people all of the time."

[NoWorries]

Thanks acheron for the update on what is ahead for Artful. As Artful is still in the early stage of development and I am not using this for a production system at the moment, I like to try the developer's staging ppa for frameworks, plasma and kdeapplications.

I never disable these ppa and I have never had any problem following updates on this system. I never cease to be impressed with the progress on this system. I think Microsoft can learn a lesson or two on Alpha and Beta releases when it comes to their abysmal progress in the development of Skype for Linux.

[acheron]

As the adage goes: "You can please all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but you can't please all of the people all of the time."

Very true.

Will try to please most though. I hope that what we perhaps can't get into the artful release due to release deadlines etc, we will be able to make available in say the backports PPA either on release date or shortly after.

[dequire]

[slightly off-topic]
Which brings up another point for new users - should the backports PPA be enabled by default for a new install? How would a new user know about this unless they followed the blog for the news and instructions on how to add said PPAs? I guess what I'm asking (and have myself come to the opinion of) is: Why not enable backports PPAs by default, or at least ask during the install process if a user wants them enabled? IMHO, if a sys admin is deploying Kubuntu to a school or business, they might want to disable backports (presumably for security & stability reasons, although ironically the paradigm has shifted to where now one would want the backported applications to actually fix bugs and keep their systems safer).

TL/DR; Why don't we make backports enabled by default and let power users and sys admins remove them if needed? Shouldn't the typical use case should always be the default?
Image already added

[acheron]

I'm not entirely sure canonical would permit such a thing on an official flavour iso.

Personally I would rather have an opt in rather than opt out, so perhaps do a better job of informing people of backports.

That could be in some random thoughts:

- one off notification in kubuntu or updates notifier via system tray.
- in a welcome screen on 1st boot similar to mate welcome etc.
- on one of the installer slideshow slides (if anyone actually reads these)

[acheron]

Mega amounts of updates on the way...

Sorry for the big delay. The transition to Qt 5.9 resulted in almost everything I uploaded getting stuck in the artful-proposed pocked for quite some time.

[GreyGeek]

Translation: the fire hose is about to be turned on! Open your mouths and drink deeply!

[NoWorries]

Mega amounts of updates on the way...

Sorry for the big delay. The transition to Qt 5.9 resulted in almost everything I uploaded getting stuck in the artful-proposed pocked for quite some time.

Thanks for all that you are doing for those who do not use the proposed repositories. Thankfully you gave me a leg-up on this one, as from your cautioned suggestion, I have had Qt 5.9.1 in my Artful system for some days now and my system status is shown here: https://www.kubuntuforums.net/showth...Conflict/page2