Red Hat Explains Stance on KDE/Gnome Desktop Changes

An anonymous reader writes "A lot of people are angry over the changes RedHat has done to KDE and Gnome in their latest beta, code-named Null. They have basically "nullified" all the default themes and settings with which each desktop attempts to posture for more users. Instead, there is now a beautiful unified look. To explain RedHat's stance, Owen Taylor writes this piece here. I hope that RedHat successfully forces both Gnome and KDE to become compatible with one another which would result in the creation of a single desktop. This would be the greatest gift to the Linux world."

Comments

No, a beautiful gift for Linux

[PhysicsGenius]

would be choice. Which they've "nullified" by quashing the innovations that each project has made over the last year. I'm noting to say which manager I prefer[1] but let me just say that Linux is all about choice. RedHat, in removing that choice, has proved themselves once again to the Microsoft of the Linux world. If I wanted to subsume my options under whatever some corporate entity wanted I'd use XP or MacOS.

[1] Because every time I say that "KDE rules and Gnome is the ugliest piece of crap I've ever seen" a flameware erupts.

Hmmm

[hattig]

I thought the real issue was that RedHat had basically removed the KDE software options from the menus. So you didn't get the choice to run KMail, it was always Evolution, and so on.

The issue wasn't about changing the look of the desktops. The issue was making KDE just another interface for loading Gnome applications.

RedHat has always been pro-Gnome. Why don't they just ship Gnome only and leave KDE out of the default installation - that would create a single unified desktop.

what I would REALLY like to see...

[a7244270]

Is KDE and Gnome BOTH being completely abandoned.

I mean, they both just plain suck. They look like windows, but with a few slightly different features here and there.

Not to mention they both rely on XWindows, which just plain needs to die.

Its obsolete, its shit, its missing waaaaaaay to many features, it needs to go away. Sure it was great 20 years ago, but for god's sake, haven't we carried that albatross around our necks for long enough ?

I say toss them both and put the osX interface on, and go from there.

Re:screens pls!

[static55]

i am underwhelmed. it looks about as good as the kde 3.0 default theme.. kde 3.1's keramik will blow this away.. i wonder what's up with redhat's blind hatred of kde, anyway? oh well.. nice to finally see some screen shots of it..

Re:Two points missed--

[zerocool^]

What linux needs is a device manager.

I want to install a wireless network card and connect to a W-lan. How?
Windows: Insert card, insert drivers CD, click install file, Click yes, reboot.

Linux: Find driver. Check kernel for driver support. Insert module into kernel. Recompile kernel. Burn Incense. Reboot. Hope new kernel works. Edit config files. Reload xinetd. Hope you're magically online.

When linux handles drivers like this, it will be used by government.

~Will

OT Re:Have your cake and eat it too?

[jdcook]

Entering Off-Topic Pet Peeve Mode:

It's "eat your cake and have it too." Having it and then eating it is no trick at all.

Re:Why do we need "one unified" desktop?

[foobar104]

Oh, whatever. The "diversity is good" defense is often invoked to explain why there are fifty different window managers for Linux. It's a crock. Having both KDE and Gnome means that half the desktop developers out there are wasting their time. Rather than having one desktop that sucks hardly at all, we have two that each suck somewhat.

"Perfection through variety" is only meaningful in the aggregate. That is to say, not at all.