KDE 4 - Is it really bad?
KDE, which stands for the 'K Desktop Environment,' is one of the many graphical environment for Linux. Some of the environment include Gnome & Xfce.
I use all three regularly for different reasons. I like Xfce on my Eee PC because it's lite and takes little resources. When introducing someone to Linux, I stick to the default Gnome environment since I find it reasonable easy to get started with. For my day-to-day, I recently switch to KDE 3.x.
In January 2008, the KDE team released version 4 of their desktop environment — a dramatic departure from the original design. The original reviews were remarkable positive for a first-generation desktop.
However, now that the party is over, the hangover starts. The bugs are starting to make itself known and users are getting more and more impatient to see their favourite KDE 3.x feature ported to version 4.
So, this begs the question: Is KDE 4 the new Vista?
I would like to answer the question with an emphatic no.
It's true that it's easy to draw parallels between KDE 4 and Windows Vista. For starters, it was late, it did not include all the promised features and was riddled with bugs upon delivery.
So, why is this different?
For starters, I don't think KDE 4 is mean to immediately replace KDE 3.x. Both are being developed in parallel. It may be preferable to think of KDE 4 as another desktop environment as opposed to the next version of KDE. The changes are too dramatic to liken it to an upgrade. Think Mac OS 9 -> Mac OS X.
Another important point is that KDE 4 is available for early adopters. As opposed to Microsoft which is scrambling to get everyone to upgrade to Vista, the KDE developers are not forcing anyone to move to the next version. Of course, anyone who is interested can try it, and having used KDE 4 since before January, I can tell you that it's an impressive endeavour. It's a bold departure from KDE 3.
Finally, KDE 4 is free software, and that's what matters. You like it? Great! Don't like it? Then fix it! Don't care to fix it? Then go back to KDE 3 or Gnome or Xfce or whichever desktop environment tickles your fancy — and I think that this is what makes KDE 4 so different from Windows Vista. As opposed to Vista, where the license clearly states that 'you may not
work around any technical limitations in the software,' KDE 4, like any free software, encourages you to work around any limitation of the software.
Just like anything else in Linux, it's about choice. I personally congratulate the KDE developers for their bold foray into new territories with KDE version 4. It may not yet be to the level that KDE 3 users out of their environment, but it's getting there. And in a few years, I think that we'll see KDE 4 become an important player in the realm of desktop environments.
I use all three regularly for different reasons. I like Xfce on my Eee PC because it's lite and takes little resources. When introducing someone to Linux, I stick to the default Gnome environment since I find it reasonable easy to get started with. For my day-to-day, I recently switch to KDE 3.x.
In January 2008, the KDE team released version 4 of their desktop environment — a dramatic departure from the original design. The original reviews were remarkable positive for a first-generation desktop.
However, now that the party is over, the hangover starts. The bugs are starting to make itself known and users are getting more and more impatient to see their favourite KDE 3.x feature ported to version 4.
So, this begs the question: Is KDE 4 the new Vista?
I would like to answer the question with an emphatic no.
It's true that it's easy to draw parallels between KDE 4 and Windows Vista. For starters, it was late, it did not include all the promised features and was riddled with bugs upon delivery.
So, why is this different?
For starters, I don't think KDE 4 is mean to immediately replace KDE 3.x. Both are being developed in parallel. It may be preferable to think of KDE 4 as another desktop environment as opposed to the next version of KDE. The changes are too dramatic to liken it to an upgrade. Think Mac OS 9 -> Mac OS X.
Another important point is that KDE 4 is available for early adopters. As opposed to Microsoft which is scrambling to get everyone to upgrade to Vista, the KDE developers are not forcing anyone to move to the next version. Of course, anyone who is interested can try it, and having used KDE 4 since before January, I can tell you that it's an impressive endeavour. It's a bold departure from KDE 3.
Finally, KDE 4 is free software, and that's what matters. You like it? Great! Don't like it? Then fix it! Don't care to fix it? Then go back to KDE 3 or Gnome or Xfce or whichever desktop environment tickles your fancy — and I think that this is what makes KDE 4 so different from Windows Vista. As opposed to Vista, where the license clearly states that 'you may not
work around any technical limitations in the software,' KDE 4, like any free software, encourages you to work around any limitation of the software.
Just like anything else in Linux, it's about choice. I personally congratulate the KDE developers for their bold foray into new territories with KDE version 4. It may not yet be to the level that KDE 3 users out of their environment, but it's getting there. And in a few years, I think that we'll see KDE 4 become an important player in the realm of desktop environments.
Labels: free software, gnome, kde, linux, xfce
posted by J-F Bilodeau at
7:40 AM
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