ubuntu and kubuntu

[Eamonn Sullivan]

On 9/2/06, marc <gmane at auxbuss.com> wrote:
> ... their interface "dirty"! What does "clean" mean in the sense of an
> interface? Is this a word losing it's meaning, like "solution" and
> "experience"? Or losing ("loosing(sic)") even?

No disrespect meant. Perhaps (relatively) sparse or bare would be
closer to what I meant. I actually like the default, brown theme in
Ubuntu, but I can see how others would see that as "dirty."

> > to tweak every aspect
> > of their system (so that they can launch a dozen applications, pay
> > their bills and wash the dishes with one keystroke) *tend* to like
> > KDE. Try both and make up your own mind.
>
> Nah, nah, nah. It's not about 'liking' to tweak the system, it's about
> being able to do what you want to do when you want to do it.
>
> Gnome, for example, makes assigning keyboard shortcuts to apps
> unnecessarily complex - and certainly a new user wouldn't be able to
> work it out. This is a 101 feature for many users.
>
> Another 'out of the box' feature I like in KDE is being able to launch
> apps in the same location and with the windows sized to my preferences.
> I don't consider this tweaking any more than I would consider using the
> brakes or steering wheel on my car 'tweaking'.
>
> I would say that KDE supports user interaction with their apps a lot
> better than Gnome.

Agreed, although I'm still primarily a Gnome user. I'm an unusual
case, however. I spent most of the 1990s as a computer
software/operating system reviewer (for PC Week, which is now called
eWeek). I've used Linux since 0.9something, on TAMU and then
Slackware, where the graphical user interface was some Motif thing. I
used to be very interested in user interfaces and happily got paid to
review CDE (once on Sun workstations and others), Windows 3.X/98/XP,
Mac, OS/2, and then Gnome and KDE. I got burnt out. Now, user
interfaces rank up there with toe-nail clipping on the interest scale.
I regularly switch between Windows (at work), Mac, Gnome and KDE and
barely notice the difference. I use mostly Web apps and emacs (another
religious war-starter), anyway. What's under the app window is
irrelevant.

If I designed an ideal user interface, it would probably resemble Mac
OS X (God intended application menus to be on the top of the screen,
in my opinion), but with no icons on the desk at all. Completely
blank. And then I'd use something very similar to Quicksilver to
launch applications. Type one keystroke and then start typing the name
of the application and hit enter once recognized. But it would run on
Linux, not locked down with Apple's proprietary formats and DRM. I
haven't found it yet.

It just occurred to me today that I actually should let my wife and
kids decide for themselves too, so I put kubuntu-desktop on both of
our Ubuntu computer and told them how to change the session in gdm.
It'll be interesting to see which wins.

-Eamonn