KDE Programs Naming Convention

[Stew Schneider]

WANSTALL Malcolm wrote:
> Simply put, a _potential_ user saw an incredibly minor aesthetic issue
> and it turned her off using the entire system (what a shame). 

We are clear, aren't we, that the naming convention, in all likelihood, 
*wasn't* the problem? I don't disagree that the K naming convention is 
cute to the point of pointlessness, but that's hardly the problem. The 
problem is that KDE is different.

Sit down at anybody else's computer. Try to do anything. Does not, "this 
is *wrong*", scream at you, even if the computer is well maintained and 
functioning? It's just human inertia. We don't like to change things 
after we've become used to something else.

For most folks "the computer" is synonymous with MS Windows. Ask most 
folks where the computer is and they'll point to the screen. The box is 
just there to hold the carpet down. The Start button is at the lower 
left, because that is where it was prophesied to be by the prophet 
Jeremiah and it darn well better have that Windows thing on it. Most 
folks have no idea what an operating system is, and don't care to. What 
they want to do is type a letter or browse the web and anything that 
gets in the way of their doing that by being different or looking 
different screams "this is wrong". This is part of the reason why VISTA 
uptake is so slow. It's different. Of course, the rest of the reason is 
that it's trash, but I digress....

Linux users tend to be those too cussed to deal with Microsoft's 
nuttiness, or interested enough to know why "the computer" has to have 
that box hooked onto it, or people who actually know and care what goes 
on inside the box. We're a distinct subset of the typical computer user.

It's like the Jimmy Dean sausage commercial. Sun is cooking up a Jimmy 
Dean breakfast and offering it to Cloud. Cloud says he only eats cold 
cereal.

Sun asks "Come on! Why wouldn't you try something different?"
Cloud responds, "Cereal is cold and wet. It's a cloud thing. You 
wouldn't understand."

Windows is cold and wet. It's an ordinary user thing...

 Just my 2 cents worth.

stew