Date: Mon, 1 Feb 1999 03:37:54 +0000 (GMT) From: "Jason C. Wells" <jcwells@u.washington.edu> To: Terry Lambert <tlambert@primenet.com> Cc: freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Lets Endorse KDE Was: some slashdot thread Message-ID: <Pine.BSF.4.05.9902010307470.94114-100000@s8-37-26.student.washington.edu> In-Reply-To: <199902010241.TAA17102@usr04.primenet.com>
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On Mon, 1 Feb 1999, Terry Lambert wrote: >It isn't really worth it to me unless the reboot after the >install results in a graphical login. This is good! >You might want to rehold the contest, if you can promise that the >winner's code will go on the CDROM as something other than a port, >and that the components necessary to easily make it the default >view of the system were included in the system startup files as >a switch that can be flipped. If not, you probably don't want to I think that the X desktop doesn't have to be too complicated. KDE out of the box or FVWM2 with a slicker rc file would be sufficient for new users who _need_ something to click on. I also think the GUI is mostly important to newbies as oldbies can/will do GUI as they please. This was my vision, which, I never submitted. Patch X with entries in .xsession for Fvwm2. Run XF86Setup. Run X, run fvwm2 with a nicer config than that stupid purple thing. Put the .fvwm2rc and .xsession in /usr/share/skel permanently. Since then I have installed KDE. I propose this. Let's not get too fancy. Let's not worry about NIH. Let's endorse KDE and give option to install (via sysinstall) the K Desktop Environment. (Yes, I know that users can already do this if they know what they are looking for. Put a more visible hook for KDE where it is more easily seen for newbies. "Would you like to use FreeBSD's default graphical desktop? It's very nice.") Wham bam! One decision and the whole thing is decided and done with. New users get eased into Unix. Experienced users can go on using customized fvwm2 as I do. An easy to use and very nice GUI exists for FreeBSD. No hacking required. Here is the million dollar question: Do we want to plug KDE as the default GUI for FreeBSD? I say let's do it. It requires no change in direction for the FreeBSD project. I know Jordan said "server server server" and I completely respect that. FreeBSD doesn't have to become desktop-centric _AT ALL_. The KDE people can do it for us. I am certain that KDE will help new users. It appeals to the FreeBSD desktop people, all 50 of us non-hackers who love FreeBSD yet still can't program their own .bash_profile. The KDE issue that I raise right now is (to me) a no brainer. KDE, KDE, KDE. Do you really wanna jump? Do you? Common let's do it! (P.S. I hope I hear not one word about the GPL. Also, I left out GNOME as it is still beta. I will say this. The GNOME people seem to have a more platform independent philosophy. Perhaps in time.) Catchya Later, | Give me UNIX or give me a typewriter. Jason Wells | http://www.freebsd.org/ To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-chat" in the body of the message
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