Desktop normalization

Rob Current rob at cgsa.chem.und.nodak.edu
Mon Nov 23 12:22:24 PST 1998


On Mon, 23 Nov 1998, Marcin Krol wrote:
> Probably E and GNUStep are. However, it is not important which desktop is
> most popular *right now*.  KDE would be very important even if it were not
> very ergonomic or aesthetic.

It's NOT. KDE is ugly as sin.  Following Motif'ish styling clues to create
an "environment" from which users get the impression of running a "blocky,
clunky, slow" system.  Even some of KDE's biggest supporters will admit
that it's "bloated/slow" and the styling is not for everyone.

If LINUX were to consider KDE it's base, I sware to god, I will go back to
using IRIX.

I agree with Alan, and would even go so far as to say, a file somewhere
placed which included such things as:

NAME      Large Icon Small Icon         Command Line
MAIN--
Netscape netscape.xpm netscape-mini.xpm /usr/local/netscape/netscape
EMACS    emacs.xpm    emacs-mini.xpm    /usr/bin/emacs
SUBMENU1-

etc.. Now, little shit like that would be a rocking idea if standardized,
and slowly all existing windowmanagers could evolve to read the standard
menu structure that was simple, easy to edit, and be universally read in
the end.

But, beyond that, the Window Manager "race" is something that is a
strength of GNU software in general, and to pick one before any of them
are mature (with the exception of fvwm and maybe *step), would be a big
misake.

X itself has a ways to go, like it or not, user interface is a very
personal thing, a rapidly developing thing, and something that "isn't
there yet."

If one UI was for everyone, people would have never bought Macs, If UI
mattered to evryone, no one would have ran UNIX over the last 20 years.

Starting to lay out some X standards to which all WindowManagers could
start to conform is a nobal idea.  But, just how much do you want to have
a LSB?  I mean, it's going to hard enough to get the base down, and keep
it maintained (as libs versions get newer and basic applications get
better).

CDE as the standard, and how that all came about could have killed all of
UNIX, let's not do that...  Maybe if you feel strongly about it, work
on/with something to do with a "XSB" where X is the focus, not Linux.
Believe it or not, Linux has a large user base who run "headless" boxes,
and just don't care about X at all.

I dunno, I am going to shut up now.
No wait.  WINDOWMAKER RULES!!! KDE MUST DIE!

Ok, done now. (^^But think, that is what emotions your going to envoke in
millions of people if you choose to pick and push some standard X).

Out... Rob C.



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