KDE developer Nate Graham, who is known for writing the 'This week in KDE" blog posts keeping us up to speed on all the latest changes has a fresh update about plans for taking over the world, and Graham has some interesting things to say.
There's certainly no shortage of desktop environments on Linux and a number of ways to build software, each with their own goal and way of doing things. It's both a strength for choice and a reported weakness with so much. It's always interesting to read the point of view from developers whose work we rely on so much in the FOSS community. Especially when Graham came from a background in working with Apple, while now a KDE developer.
Here, it wasn't quite what I expected to read. The post goes over talking about the market leaders like Windows and Android, noting neither was the first to come to market but they've successfully captured the biggest slices. Noting that "Neither is picky about what kind of software you run on them or write for them, so they are used on a wide range of devices by lots of different people. Both work with others in adjacent industries, rather than taking a 'my way or the highway' approach. They are flexible."
The flexibility, Graham thinks, is the key to success.
Comparing KDE to Apple, they're clearly very different in how they do things explaining that "we’ve always dreamed of a broad scope and being useful for everyone" on why the Plasma desktop is so flexible and why "the Steam Deck handheld gaming console, PinePhone smartphone, and JingPad A1 tablet are built on top of KDE technology".
Some interesting words aimed at two other big names in the Linux space too, with Graham's post mentioning "So I think ultimately we will become the Windows or Android of the Free Open-Source Software world, with projects like GNOME and ElementaryOS competing to be the Apple of FOSS". You could easily take that as putting them in the firing line but it's more positive than that as Graham continues "I think there will absolutely be room for projects like theirs; in fact I think it’s highly likely that they’ll offer a better user experience than we do for people who fit within the usage paradigms they focus on–just like Apple does".
It's part of why I ended up moving from GNOME to KDE myself, that flexibility of setting it all up how I want it to be, not how designers think it should be. I cannot see myself moving away from Plasma as my own desktop environment on Linux any time soon. Looks good, works well and doesn't get in the way of gaming.
What are your thoughts? Will KDE and Plasma become the biggest players? Going by our own stats from users, Plasma is currently on top but GNOME is not far behind at all.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Quoting: NezchanAnd here's me sitting back on MATE with a bowl of popcorn, watching the show.
Does KDE still have all those large, ugly desktop widgets that were still around a couple of years ago when I last checked it out?
Nah, the widgets seem very refined these days, but they're still there if you want them, or ignore them if you don't. Before my conversion a few months back, I was (like you, I suspect) put off by KDE's insistence that I create a fairly ugly "desktop" widget just so that I could see my desktop icons.
Ironically, I rarely use desktop icons these days, but they work normally now, so you only use widgets (like I do) if you want some core functionality - in my case, a groceries list. The clock is actually conky.
BTW - Mate can be quite pretty, but I felt that it needed quite a lot of customisation to be be so. The absolutely tiny window grab handles were also an issue, especially on 4K. Haven't used it in about two years though, so maybe they fixed both!
Anyway, more choices are always good. I don’t think they are equivalent to macOS or Windows or anything else for they are totally different things. Apple sells hardware from powerful chips, true wireless earphones to smart phone, and also build softwares. Apple build a truly closed ecology that no other companies have. Gnome, KDE or System76 don’t. Whether you consider them closed or open, their software are open sourced and they produce products on the top of a open sourced Linux kernel. Open is in their DNA. To say the least, if anyone of them choose to be very closed then others could fork the code and start a new journey. But we can’t do that to Apple.
( _the_ tip for having a good Gnome experience, learn the keyboard shortcut’s)
Last edited by jens on 15 November 2021 at 6:24 pm UTC
fearnflavio Nov 15, 2021
Also, I miss Amarok a lot.
Quoting: jens( _the_ tip for having a good Gnome experience, learn the keyboard shortcut’s)That sounds very plausible. But I don't wanna learn keyboard shortcuts to be able to use my DE. I'm fine with the WIMP style interface, thanks.
I should probably give KDE another try one of these days. Tried it two or three times in the past; each time it was like, I respected it, but it didn't feel comfortable and there was something or other that didn't work.
I'm happy with MATE. It works like a basic normal (yes, fairly Windowsy except with more control over it) desktop with sane defaults. I probably can't do as many things with it as I could with KDE, but all I really want is a taskbar, a menu, and the ability to stick another taskbar or something (preferably on the side because screens are wide so I don't miss the real estate there) with launchers on it. MATE does that for me and is just comfortable to use.
Quoting: Purple Library GuyQuoting: jens( _the_ tip for having a good Gnome experience, learn the keyboard shortcut’s)That sounds very plausible. But I don't wanna learn keyboard shortcuts to be able to use my DE. I'm fine with the WIMP style interface, thanks.
This is perfectly OK of course. Just saying that Gnome might take some investment to get its intention.
But anyway, users and workflows are different and I think it would be to much to fit all use cases into a single Desktop. So I'm happy to hear that MATE works nicely for you!
I wish though KDE and KWinFT projects would collaborate. I'd also like to see KWin stop using OpenGL / EGL and switch to Vulkan / WSI.
Quoting: scaineBTW - Mate can be quite pretty, but I felt that it needed quite a lot of customisation to be be so. The absolutely tiny window grab handles were also an issue, especially on 4K. Haven't used it in about two years though, so maybe they fixed both!
MATE is something of a comfort zone for me, so I'm unlikely to be swayed by pretty and shiny. I used Linux for quite a while before briefly changing to Windows for practical reasons for a few years. At the time I left, Gnome2 was the the big thing and, finding MATE after a while of using vanilla Ubuntu (with Unity) it was kind of like coming home.
I have done the tweaking to make it prettier and more comfortable though, worry not.
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