Date: Mon, 01 Feb 1999 22:22:45 -0700 From: Allen Campbell <allenc@verinet.com> To: Dag-Erling Smorgrav <des@flood.ping.uio.no> Cc: freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Lets Endorse KDE Message-ID: <36B68BA5.86D5DFDD@verinet.com> References: <Pine.BSF.4.05.9902011726110.3728-100000@s8-37-26.student.washington.edu> <xzpaeyxsojj.fsf@flood.ping.uio.no>
next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
Dag-Erling Smorgrav wrote: > > "Jason C. Wells" <jcwells@u.washington.edu> writes: > > Again, making KDE a default will help new users. Thos of us who know how > > to swing our X configs to and fro don't need or necessarily like KDE. > > Don't judge this issue on the fact that KDE is not a 20 year development. > > Judge this issue on the help KDE will provide newbies. Put yourself in a > > non-cs degreed non-programmer non-unix users shoes and then look at the > > issue. > > I mostly agree with Jason on this point. Making KDE an easily- > installable option, if not the default (remember, even XFree(& isn't > installed by default), and having somebody look after KDE to make sure > it works out of the box, may (will?) do wonders for FreeBSD's > popularity with the "masses". > > I am considering switching to KDE myself (I've used twm / tvtwm so > far, but it has a few annoying bugs which I haven't been able to fix; > its greatest strength is simplicity). It's either that or Windowmaker; > if I end up using KDE, I'll certainly be willing to help maintaining a > "newbie's KDE package". I am really encouraged by the ratio of positive remarks about KDE to those of its detractors in this thread. I have become rather accustomed to the anti-KDE dogma. I personally find KDE to be an excellent general purpose desktop for my day-to-day personal and professional use. When shown to neophytes they make an immediate connection. KDE 1.1 is shaping up to be a nice refinement release; it is good to see that KDE development has had the discipline to focus on the details and I am really looking forward to it. Along with the clueless masses attracted by shiny things like GUI desktops, come a certain number of developers who find mpegs more interesting than mbufs. This is exactly what is needed for multimedia progress. When you think about it, an engaging desktop environment is a necessity to foster this sort of work. A well integrated and polished desktop has done an inestimable amount of 'good' for the RedHat and Caldera crowd. If you want a successful FreeBSD Desktop Contest, I would suggest that the incentive of rewarding the winner by adopting the result would be a good start at a second attempt. KDE is highly theme-able and is easily tailored to be very functional and provide a unique result. I envision the kdm login screen with Chuck decorating the scene in a muted red background appearing right off the RELEASE distribution CD. Is there a genuine possibility that KDE could be adopted as default[1] desktop? I dare say that KDE is worthy of it. We have the opportunity to bless KDE with an entire operating system, as opposed to just YALD[2]. You bring these people into the fold and you _will_ get a multimedia desktop. [1] Avoid the word 'standard' here. [2] Yet Another Linux Distribution -- Allen Campbell | Lurking at the bottom of the allenc@verinet.com | gravity well, getting old. To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-chat" in the body of the message
Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?36B68BA5.86D5DFDD>