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.
LiamMcBride 16 Nov, 2021
Quoting: furaxhornyxI also find it buggy and clunky as well
Can you be specific? What bugs did you encounter? How is it clunky?
I loved Cinnamon and still have three of my four devices (for my wife and two sons) running Mint in the house. But after using KDE on my own machine, I've found my new home. And the reason for the change remains - xrDesktop doesn't support Cinnamon - it only supports Gnome and KDE, so those are my choices. Gnome is great (with enough extensions), but I'm blown away by KDE.
TheRiddick 16 Nov, 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.
Vortex_Acherontic 16 Nov, 2021
For now I am on Gnome (Which has their own issues with X11/Nvidia tho) but the desktop is smoother :D
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 16 Nov, 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
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