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An Alternative Look for KDE

Posted by timothy on from the tweaking-away dept.

An anonymous reader writes: "I'm a huge OS X/Gnome fan, but still highly respect the KDE project. I still try and keep up with it's developments and recently came across this posting on KDELook which proposed a totally new GUI design for KDE, which I think could be quite easily adopted in other environments as well. A rolling Slashdot discussion I think would help keep the open-source innovation going. Thoughts?" Update: 11/27 20:12 GMT by T : Amended to give credit where due, which in this case is to the anonymous submitter :)

4 of 50 comments (clear)

  1. Re:ARRRRGH by iangoldby · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Forget the pixel-shading. The point of it seems to be the functionality, not the exact appearance. From that perspective, it does look like a nice idea. It would require a lot of reworking of almost all applications though.

  2. Re:ARRRRGH by purplebear · · Score: 2, Insightful

    How is this copying XP? I am working on a XP system right now, and I see no resemblance.
    This concept is a new idea in the taskbar, menu, tray utilities layout. It appears to me that this would make the desktop a much more usable and informative space.
    I do agree with one poster at KDE Look that this should be a separate project from KDE core. It should be some type of plugable kicker replacement.
    All in all, I would love to use a desktop based on this concept. It IS quite innovative compared to today's desktops.

  3. a few thoughts by bay43270 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Overall, I like it a lot, but I have a few notes:

    - I don't understand why the term and home buttons are on the clock panel. Both are simply shortcuts to applications and should go on the quick launch.
    - If the task bar is on the upper left, then where does a screen maximize to? Does the taskbar cover part of the frame (I hope so, or it might as well cover the entire top of the screen). If it does overlap the top of a maximized frame, then all controls will have to be on the right for this to be usable.
    - Static screen shots don't show the interaction well. Will there be a lot of OSX-ish animation. I would suggest a minimal amount of flash. It seems to fit the *nix crowd better (everyone wants to run it on their 90mhz p1), and it would set it appart from XP and OSX.

    It has a very clean and simple look, (which everyone always likes but we rarely see in a finished product). I hope, if this does take off, it remains clean and simple.

    1. Re:a few thoughts by sweetooth · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I don't see any need to try and please a particular crowd. When creating something new and innovative it's very easy to fall back into old habits to please certain users. The interface should have useability in mind first and foremost.

      Things like animation and flashy graphics are eye candy that appeal to many people even the "Unix Crowd." If that weren't the case Enlightenment would never have been so popular and many of the things it did wouldn't have carried over into other window managers. The key is that those items can be enabled/disabled. That way those that like flashy work environments can have them and those, like yourself, that don't like flash don't have to deal with it.