Ubuntu KDE

[Eric Dunbar]

For an otherwise moderately balanced e-mail I have to call you on this claim:

On Mon, 17 Jan 2005 08:30:26 -0500, Buffalo Soldier wrote:

> 2) Both GNONME and KDE are better than Microsoft/Windows.

However much I hate Microsoft and its ill-conceived Windows spawn, I
do have to admit that Windows is still quite a bit ahead of either
GNOME or KDE where it really counts: "it (more-or-less) just works"
and does so without crashes (which I can't always say for GNOME/KDE).

Yes, GNOME/KDE are more configurable than Windows XYZ, yes they're
OSS-type free but those traits only make them different from Windows
since the kind of configurability they offer at the moment is the kind
that inhibits the typical user rather than works for that user (too
much choice is no choice, some choice is "just right", too little
choice is no choice).

What would make the X11 desktop environments _better_ is if people
could adopt better working practices *and* experience exceptional
stability. Stability certainly is on the way and will probably be
more-or-less achieved in a year or two (GNOME is light years ahead of
where it was two years ago stability wise).

Better working practices? I don't see that happening (yet) which is
quite a tragedy. GNOME and KDE are essentially Windows clones which
means they are limited by the Windows GUI paradigm. It's time for a
little creativity to come into the mix and show the world what can be
done with X11.

Perhaps I'll give a different window manager/desktop environment a
whirl in the near future... unfortunately they sound like they're
pretty limited on the utilities front (I'd like to see "skins" for
GNOME or KDE instead... they're desktop environments which provide
good foundations but the GUI leaves a lot to be desired... Expose (OS
X, show all windows) would be one nice feature to see if it's not
patented, fixed menu bars are another).

Eric.