Quick hits

• Jonathan has announced on a mailing list that the next Kubuntu will ship with KDE 4.0. This really caught me by surprise. Being a LTS candidate, I would have bet a lot of money that Kubuntu would have used 3.5 and made a final rock-solid LTS version, giving KDE 4 18 months to mature before the next LTS release. We all know that different distros with different users bases and different vendor contracts will pick up KDE 4 at their own pace (with prudent advice from our community I’d hope). This move by Kubuntu is aggressive. (Note for sake of clarity: 3.5 or 4.0 both options in 8.04)
• Speaking of Kubuntu and vendor contracts, there’s a new video out by Linux MCE. Based on Kubuntu and with preinstalled hardware options through Fiire, the video is nearly a half-hour long and goes through Linux MCE’s many capabilities. Like any new Linux offering, all the work is rightfully done on the functionality and little on the interface. In other words, the UI for Linux MCE currently looks cluttered and half-done. Once you get past that though (as I’m sure that will improve), the demo is seriously impressive. They rightfully put notices about the truth and legitimacy of the demo, because the skeptic in me was saying, “There’s no effing way – that’s too cool.” This product has serious potential.
• The message that Linux/BSD will become more and more attractive as hardware prices fall continues to get press. Here’s a new one by SJVN. How far can hardware prices drop if vendors have a fixed variable in MS OS pricing? How long have manufacturers been glancing at that negotiated $50/100/150/200 OS license and thought that once Linux/BSD is mature enough, they can drop the majority of that amount, look more attractive to the consumer and pocket a percentage themselves? These amounts are easily double or triple their current profit per unit. Best Buy currently lists a new install of Windows Vista Ultimate for $399. And hey, what a coincidence! Their site also offers, for the exact same price down to the penny, the Asus Eee PC. That, gentle readers, is called a point of intersection. Do I want the best current MS OS (although many would argue that’s the upcoming XP SP3), or a full ultraportable laptop loaded with software?