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.
TheRiddick Nov 16, 2021
Quoting: TermyToo be quite frank, since plasma matured there is little to no reason for choosing almost any other DE.
There is plenty of people who don't like the amount of options plasma throws at them and prefer minimalist desktops with very few choices (gnome). Also I don't know if Plasma is setup for touch screen stuff out of box as gnome, so if your into touch screens then gnome probably still a good choice.
Last edited by TheRiddick on 16 November 2021 at 10:52 am UTC
Quoting: CatKillerRight-click on the clock widget -> Adjust Date and Time.
BTW, what I couldn't believe Windows doesn't do - but it in fact doesn't:
Mouse wheel on speaker icon for changing volume.
Quoting: slaapliedjeI obviously can't know what others speak to, but I personally find their settings / control panel to be a bloated mess. Many articles I have read point out the wish for a Basic / Adanced mode toggle.Avoiding basic/advanced modes is one of the lessons that KDE folks have learned over the years:
https://community.kde.org/Get_Involved/Design/Lessons_Learned#Basic.2Fadvanced_modes
There are a number of reasons outlined why they generally avoid having basic/advanced settings separation, but this stood out:
QuoteUsers who doubt their technical prowess will fear entering the advanced view, while users of great ego will find the basic view insulting even if it meets their needs better than the advanced view.I've seen the last half of that sentence in particular happen with all kinds of software over the years and there are pretty good chances that it will happen again sometime after this comment.
Also, that wiki page in general gives a lot of insights into what KDE has learned over decades of designing user interfaces and their design philosophy. Well worth a read for anyone interested in all that.
Mohandevir Nov 16, 2021
I really do like the look and feel of KDE, but I admit that Gnome's simplified menus is to my liking. Aside from switching wallpapers, I don't really care about customization, but KDE has features that I need and can't find anywhere else... That's another reason why I look forward to SteamOS 3.0.
Last edited by Mohandevir on 16 November 2021 at 1:47 pm UTC
Quoting: win8linuxI've seen the last half of that sentence in particular happen with all kinds of software over the years and there are pretty good chances that it will happen again sometime after this comment."I know about computers; of course I should use Arch rather than this 'beginner' distro. 'Remove essential packages'? Do as I say!"
In my catch-up studies (2009 to 2012) I then have Ubuntu and Unity on my study laptop. I got quite warm with it. But after my studies, the benefit for Linux was gone for me for the time being.That's why I went back to Windows again. Again because of gaming.
Then in 2017, when MS refused to support new CPUs (Ryzen) for Windows 7, I switched completely. In the meantime, you can already play quite well under Linux with Proton. My choice fell on Linux Mint with Cinnamon, because I read that it is easier for Windows migrants. And that's where I'm currently still at.
Well, I'll have a look at a Manjaro with KDE in Virtual Box. Maybe I'll switch the distro at the same time, if I like KDE. Or I still wait for the full release of SteamOS 3.0. Let's see.
Last edited by KuJo on 16 November 2021 at 2:19 pm UTC
slaapliedje Nov 16, 2021
Quoting: TermyToo be quite frank, since plasma matured there is little to no reason for choosing almost any other DE.I've tried to like KDE ever since 1.0. Part of the reason I haven't liked it is that it feels awfully close to Windows. Now I do find it amusing that KDE how it sits now came out before Windows 7 and 7 felt like it'd full on copied KDE for once. But one of the reasons I've always liked Gnome (even running it from pre-1.0) was that it was rather different in how it did things. Then again the first thing that got me to run Linux was Enlightenment's power of theming. It was wonderful, and I'd likely use it today if there were a suite of applications for it that used EFL...
Plasma is fast as hell while being fully customizable and having more than enough eye candy, you can mimik the behaviour of almost any other DE while being either more performant or more feature-rich. Plus, the KDE-Apps are among the very best in most cases imho.
So i tend to agree with Nate ^^
Given, i'm not saying the other DEs don't deserve to exist, it's always nice if someone has passion for something and thus can bring out new great ideas! But from a standpoint of choosing a "default-DE", KDE probably is the best bet for vendor-customization while keeping compatibility.
And with new funding from Valve, it can only get even better :D
slaapliedje Nov 16, 2021
Quoting: win8linuxHa, so their decision to not be practical (or to clean up all the extra cruft) is based upon feelings instead of good design requirements?Quoting: slaapliedjeI obviously can't know what others speak to, but I personally find their settings / control panel to be a bloated mess. Many articles I have read point out the wish for a Basic / Adanced mode toggle.Avoiding basic/advanced modes is one of the lessons that KDE folks have learned over the years:
https://community.kde.org/Get_Involved/Design/Lessons_Learned#Basic.2Fadvanced_modes
There are a number of reasons outlined why they generally avoid having basic/advanced settings separation, but this stood out:
QuoteUsers who doubt their technical prowess will fear entering the advanced view, while users of great ego will find the basic view insulting even if it meets their needs better than the advanced view.I've seen the last half of that sentence in particular happen with all kinds of software over the years and there are pretty good chances that it will happen again sometime after this comment.
Also, that wiki page in general gives a lot of insights into what KDE has learned over decades of designing user interfaces and their design philosophy. Well worth a read for anyone interested in all that.
I have great technical prowess (at least I like to think so), I just want a better, more logical layout of options, and some clean up of things that aren't used by a lot of people. Unfortunately without enabling analytics (which we all freaking hate), I don't know how they can really judge on what is useful to have and what is not. Maybe they should do more user polls?
slaapliedje Nov 16, 2021
Quoting: CatKillerHa, I perhaps should have used a different example. But hopefully my point is still relevant to many of the other system settings. Also... why have System menu, and Settings menu, then have System Settings? Should be called Preferences or something...Quoting: slaapliedjeA good example of this is the clock settings. In Gnome, you can change it in the settings -> Date & Time. It lists 'Automatic Date & Time', or you can manually change it. And Time Zone. And 24 hour or AM/PM.Right-click on the clock widget -> Adjust Date and Time.
Then it is smart enough to do the reast based on location.
KDE on the other hand (which it looks like it is better, is still terrible)...
Settings -> Regional Settings -> Date & Time Or Time Zone (they are on separate tabs).
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