Linus Torvalds Tries KDE, Likes It So Far 289
sfcrazy writes "Linus Torvalds has never been a big fan of Gnome owing [to] its extreme simplicity. Even Gnome 3.x failed to impress the father of the Linux kernel. He has now given KDE a try after a long time. Linus using your software is double edged sword, especially if Linus doesn't like it — get ready for the harshest, yet the most honest and useful criticism. Interestingly, Linus has so far liked KDE, and for one simple reason: 'But ah, the ability to configure things. And I have wobbly windows again.' This should make KDE developers a bit happier." Evidently, Linus didn't get the message that desktop UIs for Linux don't matter any more, since he keeps acting like they do.
KDE is keeping the configurability torch alive (Score:5, Interesting)
It seems like every other environment has decided that letting the user configure things how they want them to be is "too hard". Thus, they figure, it's better to remove every shred of choice. Because, you know, choice is hard and confusing.
KDE is one of the only environments left that doesn't treat its users like morons. It isn't a perfect piece of software, but it's one of the only remaining things that isn't after the "dumb everything down!!" mantra. The others: Windows, Gnome, Unity, OSX, IOS, Android, all seem to be chasing the other roads.
For that reason alone, I've found it worth giving them money, which you can do here: http://www.kde.org/community/donations/ - I've given them about euros 100 over the last year.
Disclaimer: I have no association with KDE except for being a user of their desktop environment.
GNOME 3: the most disastrous OSS project ever. (Score:5, Interesting)
I think we can all finally admit that GNOME 3 has become the most significant OSS project disaster to have ever occurred. It has been worse than the XFree86 licensing debacle. It is much worse than pre-EGCS GCC strife, or the Perl 6 inaction.
Never before have we seen an open source project drive away some of its most valuable users (including Linus) so quickly and so efficiently. It's like everything that possibly could have gone wrong with GNOME 3 did go excruciatingly wrong.
The user experience is absolutely terrible. GNOME Shell is universally hated. And even now, 1.5 years since GNOME 3 was first released, it isn't getting any better. In fact, it may be getting worse, as many developers and potential developers are now repulsed by it, and want nothing to do with it.
The rest of us who lead or are otherwise involved with OSS projects can learn a lot from the GNOME 3 disaster. They've made it very obvious what not to do. First of all, do not buy into hype. The hype around tablets, which are now obviously an outgoing fad, is the force behind many of the horrible UI decisions that were made. Second, don't be afraid to reject stupid UI ideas coming from failed "web designers". Third, at least have the courtesy of listening to what existing users are saying about your application or system. Fourth, don't shit down the throats of your existing users.
There absolutely no need for a GNOME 3-style debacle to take place. It can be easily avoided by just thinking a little bit, and acting sensibly. It worked well for KDE, XFCE, and the multitude of other open source desktop environment projects that are out there.
Bullshit. This is very important and relevant. (Score:2, Interesting)
People need to know just how fucking horrible GNOME 3 is. People also need to know that there are alternatives. KDE is a good once, as Linus is finding out.
I think the revolution happening within the open source desktop environment space is massive news, and very worthy of Slashdot. Within the past year, we've seen GNOME go from being the most widely-used open source desktop to being utterly disgraced. Users are flocking to KDE, Xfce and other environments very rapidly.
It's not often that we see such a significant open source project die such a tragic death, but that's exactly what's happening to GNOME. It has been completely crushed, not by the efforts of outside forces, but merely by its own internal idiocy.
There are other projects facing a similar fate. Firefox is the obvious one. They're making exactly the same kind of mistakes that the GNOME project made. At least they have time to learn from what happened to GNOME. At least the Firefox developers still have a chance to turn their ship around, and return to offering software that users actually want to use.
Re:Configuring/tweaking (Score:5, Interesting)
It is because many IT-types got into computers because they couldn't stop messing with the settings. Tweaking a computer to (personal) perfection is something many Slashdot-readers can relate to.
Re:KDE is keeping the configurability torch alive (Score:5, Interesting)
KDE is one of the only environments left that doesn't treat its users like morons.
This can't be said enough. But not only that, there seems to be a fad in the other direction to be as user-hostile as possible in the name of extensibility. Dwm doesn't even have a config file, you are expected to edit the source and compile it, because a dwmrc would be "bloat." Another window manager requires you to learn haskell. GUI based configs like those found under WindowMaker are eschewed as "bloat." Well, damn, if I'm going to have to learn a whole new programming language just to change the background color, I may as well go back to twm and write a twmrc on clay tablets or write my window manager.
I don't get it. I don't understand the goals of the above. On one hand we have "the user is stupid, don't let him configure anything" and the other is "let the user configure anything, but make it artificially difficult."
KDE is a sane middle ground between the two paradigms.
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BMO
Re:KDE looks like ass (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Configuring/tweaking (Score:5, Interesting)
If you rent a ready-furnished flat, you don't move any piece of furniture? If I use a workbench for a longer time, I arrange the tools for my convenient use. Doing otherwise, accepting a choice of someone who knows nothing about me and my work, would be insane. All people are different so elevate "one size fits all" to a dogma like gnome is doing amounts to ignoring reality.
Re:KDE is keeping the configurability torch alive (Score:5, Interesting)
>Never used XFCE
I have actually. I even used it back when it was a clone of CDE.
>or Enlightenment
Enlightenment is one of those things that you wished worked, but I installed it the other day via a PPA because of the Enlightenment article here, and I couldn't even get the Debian applications menu to show up. Nor could I quit normally, I had to go to a terminal and kill X. It was worse than it was 10 years ago, when I had it as a window manager with the waves plugin to "impress" passers-by.
> They both put KDE to shame\
No they don't. Neither has kioslaves and neither has dolphin or konqueror. Those two reasons alone are enough to use KDE.
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BMO
Gnome used to be a desktop solution of Linux (Score:4, Interesting)
Gnome used to be a desktop solution of Linux. But like Hurd it never really "got it".
KDE was the first but since it, at the time, was closed source Gnome was created as an alternative, even if it ended up as 2nd rate citizen, always choking in the dust.
Gnome had it its purpose up until KDE went GPL, i.e. more than 10 years ago. Now it is time to move on, with KDE or xfce.
Gnome has become the bearded lady in the corner (Score:4, Interesting)
Gnome stopped be a point of disatisfaction for me and became a part of history about six months ago. It would take a massive reinvention and a reason from some other cause to ever get me to look at it again. Gnome has microsofted itself for me and while perhaps Wayland can help it, I doubt it. It's going down Nokia Alley on the greater stage too, becoming the bearded lady in the corner when it used to be centre stage.