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Windows XP Edges Out KDE in Usability Test

Posted by michael on from the click-and-drag dept.

AstroDrabb writes "Linux, once viewed as an operating system that only computer geeks could appreciate, is today a much more user-friendly software that companies, public administrations and consumers can master almost as easily as Microsoft Corp.'s Windows XP."

46 of 918 comments (clear)

  1. not a kde user but by Mantorp · · Score: 4, Funny

    does it have a Start button?

    1. Re:not a kde user but by Altrag · · Score: 5, Insightful

      It says -as- competent though. Which could range anywhere from "I could rig this box tight" to "I think I know how to double-click the email icon".. To "What's a double-click?"..
      On the other hand, it stated only that the users had no prior experience with XP or Linux. They made no mention of whether they had prior experience with 95/98/ME or NT/2K, all of which would give a fairly large boost to the XP side of things since most non-administrative tasks are accomplished in the same way, with XP only adding a few colors and curves to the mix.

  2. How true by Slack0ff · · Score: 4, Insightful

    KDE is a very simple interface. To tell you the truth I had a harder time going from windows 200 to xp then going from gnome to kde. I know thats like compairing apples to oranges but i like oranges better anyway.

    --
    Everyday You see me is the worst day of my life -Office Space
    1. Re:How true by ceejayoz · · Score: 5, Insightful

      To tell you the truth I had a harder time going from windows 200 to xp then going from gnome to kde.

      Well duh... going from stone tablets to a modern operating system is quite the jump.

      Seriously though, you had problems going from 2000 to XP? It takes like three clicks to set it all back to looking exactly like Windows 2000, and even if you leave it on default there's nothing much changed... just the new themes, an extra panel in Explorer, and a slightly rearranged Start menu...

    2. Re:How true by AvitarX · · Score: 5, Interesting

      And a god-awful network browser and control panel (or are they in Win2K also?)

      Everytime I try to browse a LAN from XP I am like, where the fuck is Entire network, it pissess of and humiliates me.

      --
      Wow, sent an e-mail as suggested when clicking on "use classic" banner, and got a fast response that addressed my msg
    3. Re:How true by malelder · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I'll bite...stupid me (;

      It sounds like you are mentioning the listing of shares collected by the auto-browse thingie in XP. For a small home network, seeing "MP3's on (insert machine name here)" is nice, IMO. Especially when there are multiple shares with the same names on different machines (I love the home user...no really!). You actually only see the comments field if you use the "Details" view, and even then, those comments come after the share and machine name...Although I haven't used XP Home, so if its different in that version, well...you shoulda mentioned which version (;

      When browsing the "Entire Network", machines are listed by machine name only, and if you find yourself browsing the Entire Network alot (or a specific domain) then you should just make a shortcut to that item and save the hassle of the multiple clickthroughs. But thats the same hassle that is in Win2k, not something new to XP.

      Next show at 10...

      --


      Yuma, AZ...You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious.
    4. Re:How true by FCKGW · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Let's see some pictures, shall we?

      Windows 2000 Professional
      Here's my network in Win2K SP4. Mapped drives are marked neatly as "share at machine." Machine names show in My Network Places, with the comment showing to the right in details view.

      Windows XP Professional
      This is my network in WinXP SP1. Microsoft got rid of the nice mapped drive names of Win2K, so now it uses the longer and less useful "share at comment (machine)." That's one thing they shouldn't have changed IMHO. The Entire Network part of My Network Places hasn't changed at all; however, the root of My Network Places shows all the shares on the network in alphabetical order, which I think is stupid and disorganized. Worse, it still uses "share at comment (machine)" for the listing so it's even harder to follow, especially on a large network.

      --
      It's an operating system, not a religion.
  3. start leading.. by Suppafly · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I really don't see KDE or any other linux desktop software beating Windows or MacOS in usabilities tests anytime soon. KDE and GNOME keep playing catchup to windows instead of leading the way. Sure there are some unique features, but the bulk of linux desktop development is recreating features that windows and macos have had for years. The KDE team does unquestionably good work, but they are going to need to keep stepping it up if they expect anyone to find their software more useable than the already existing mainstream products.

    1. Re:start leading.. by sheemwaza · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I can't live without virtual desktops... The poor man's multi-monitor setup. Barring extensions like litestep, Windows has never done this. This is a big useability feature puts linux desktops ahead of Windows. How can you multitask when you can only have one desktop. KDE could include spikes that stick out of the computer and pierce my skull every five minutes, and I would still prefer it over the single desktop windows interface.

    2. Re:start leading.. by MarkusQ · · Score: 5, Funny

      KDE could include spikes that stick out of the computer and pierce my skull every five minutes,

      You could probably rig something up by hacking xscreensaver to run a usb link to one of those battle-bot kits off e-bay.

      Just a thought.

      -- MarkusQ

    3. Re:start leading.. by rapett0 · · Score: 4, Informative

      Um, hello. Go to MS, download powertoys, right click on the taskbar, go to toolbars, check desktop manager, and viola, msvdm with support for 4 desktops you can toggle between or view all 4 at once. How much simpler can that be?

    4. Re:start leading.. by ceejayoz · · Score: 4, Funny

      How can you multitask when you can only have one desktop.

      Alt+Tab?

      You get pretty quick at it if you need to multitask in Windows, and I personally find it easier to use than multiple window setups... now if only I could get my second flatpanel working on dual monitor... mmmmm.

    5. Re:start leading.. by connsmythe96 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Argh. I'm tired of hearing people say that the multidesk features are too complicated. They're NOT. They're only confusing when people click em before they know what they do. If you included that in a little "tour of KDE" like windows does then I really don't think it would be a problem. Everyone I've ever showed that to has understood it, and they weren't all computer geeks.

      Everyone says we need more unique features, but then when we do have a good feature they say it's just confusing and we shouldn't use it. Every new feature needs to be learned. That will always be the case. You don't throw out good ideas because people haven't seen them yet. You show people the new ideas so they can make their lives easier too.

      --
      if(!cool) exit(-1);
    6. Re:start leading.. by Arandir · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I really don't see KDE or any other linux desktop software beating Windows or MacOS in usabilities tests anytime soon.

      Did you read the article? Of course not, this is slashdot!

      Let me quote: "Linux, once viewed as an operating system that only computer geeks could appreciate, is today a much more user-friendly software that companies, public administrations and consumers can master almost as easily as Microsoft Corp.'s Windows XP."

      SuSE/KDE came damned close to meeting or beating Windows XP. I suspect that "anytime soon" they WILL meet or beat WinXP.

      Why did WinXP win by a narrow margin in this test? The answer is simple. Look at the test subjects. Although none had previously used WinXP, they were familiar with computers, which means a very high probability that they were familiar with Win9x/NT/2K. WinXP isn't that much different from the older Windows desktop. It has some nice new features, and a huge facelift, but its foundation is still the familiar Windows desktop. WinXP beat out SuSE/KDE simply because the test subjects were already familiar with the basics of the WinXP desktop.

      The hurdle facing the new UNIX desktops is not usability, but a public completely unfamiliar with UNIX.

      --
      A Government Is a Body of People, Usually Notably Ungoverned
    7. Re:start leading.. by toga98 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Done this. Although they do offer multiple desktops, it's poorly implemented. When I tried using it on XP, the items in the taskbar reorder themselves in what seemed like a random fashion. Sometimes I would have trouble switching to apps and getting focus. Sometimes I would "lose" applications entirely - they were there but I couldn't get focus or see them in the taskbar. There were quite a few annoying aspects. Enough to make the feature useless. I think this is one feature that could be made more useful, but I'm afraid it is only for power users. I know too many people that use windows and can't grok the fact that you can have more than one application open at a time.

    8. Re:start leading.. by pi_rules · · Score: 4, Insightful

      My biggest beef with Win2k usability is how often is just acts funny. I've never gotten entirely comfortable with it just because it's so damned touchy. Things that I can do on my Gnome/Linux machine here just plain suck sometimes on Win2k.

      I sometimes have to map a large number of drives when I need to push/pull configuration files to machines. This is horrendously slow. I've got it scripted through a .bat file to mount and umount them all but some of these links are across a WAN and encouter 200ms ping times. I open up 'My computer' and -boom-! explorer.exe just halts while it pulls who knows WHAT back from these systems just to let me know that drives G-L are still working. I still have no idea what it's doing.

      Doing anything with a "large" set of files just plain sucks. I tried moving 30MB of data (mostly 1k files) into a different directory today in Windows. I don't know why it took darned near 3 minutes to do. Cripes, you just relink the file -- it doesn't even have to do that much I/O. Something braindead going on there.

      I just love clicking 'Start' and having it take 2-3 minutes to come up sometimes. I haven't the foggiest as to why this happens. It's usually over a Terminal Services session though.

      Why the heck can't I right click -> properties on a directory and just turn off all the read-only bits? Seems like the folder itself has to be read only for the option to show up. It's just confusing. I usually drop to Cygwin and just do a chmod -R 777 on it. Works for me.

      Oh, and the last time I actually did tell explorer to remove the read only flag from a large set of files it popped up a counter telling me it would take 5 minutes to complete. That damned box was there until my next reboot. That's usability.

      Why the snot do minimized windows like to magically pop back up when I restore a -different- application? I see this more often than I care for. Restore Mozilla Firebird and, oh thanks Windows, I wanted to see that minmized My Documents folder! Thanks!

      Why can't the OS read an ISO9660 image natively? It's not like it's that hard -- ISO 9660 is already in the OS for cds.

      Of course we have the braindamaged idea that deleting an open file is impossible. Just unlink it. It's worked fine for years and years in other filesystems -- get with the program. I don't want to hunt down every process that might have something open when trying to trash a large directory. Just get rid of it.

      Oh, and what's with "Preparing to Delete..." crap? That cancel button never works either on that little ditty. Do I cycle exploer.exe like an impatient little snot and jump into Cygwin to just get rid of it or let myself stew for 3 minutes at a dialog box that does nothing for me and refuses to go away nicely?

      Every day I have to work with that pile of drivel I remember why I installed Linux for the first time 5 years ago.

    9. Re:start leading.. by AntiOrganic · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Here's why Windows XP's multiple desktop manager bothers me so much:

      Windows XP's Fast User Switching is implemented using Terminal Services. Each user has their own, isolated virtual desktop space; they can be loaded concurrently. Terminal Services was robust enough in Windows 2000 to do this, and I'm glad they chose this approach; take an existing server technologuy, and bring it to the desktop in an attractive way.

      But why can't it create multiple desktops in Terminal Services and just switch between those like if it were switching between users? It would really be multiple desktops, each desktop would have its own GDI resources, so if something screwed up, your other desktops would be entirely unaffected.

    10. Re:start leading.. by fwarren · · Score: 4, Insightful
      One of my favorite tricks is to log into the user account I have on my system for web development, So I have 4 virtual windows for user B. Then I open a console and su to my normal account and do a "nohup gaim &" and "nohup kmail &"

      So here I am with my 4 (virtual) desktops, running 2 apps from another users account.

      Just another feature in addition to virtual desktops that I can not live without.

      Try that ONE on XP.

      --
      vi + /etc over regedit any day of the week.
    11. Re:start leading.. by 2short · · Score: 4, Insightful


      Hate to break it to you but I'm on Windows XP and I can open a remote file in the file browser of every single application I use. And ctrl+s saves in every single one.

    12. Re:start leading.. by alexburke · · Score: 4, Informative

      Why can't the OS read an ISO9660 image natively? It's not like it's that hard -- ISO 9660 is already in the OS for cds.

      I quickly stopped bitching about this once I found DAEMON Tools. Get it, install it, love it.

      Also go here and download awxDTools, a great shell extension addon that allows you to mount any supported image type by right-clicking it.

    13. Re:start leading.. by passthecrackpipe · · Score: 4, Informative

      "Do you want to get started on the path of what window comes with working, out of the box, compared to KDE?"

      Yes, lets :-) I run SuSE 8.2 with a KDE setup (KDE is part of the Linux OS, just like the WindowsXP GUI is part of the WindowsXP OS), and last time I checked, it came with over 3000 usable, working applications. These applications are Free as well as being included in the purchase price. I have roughly 3 different options for Office suite to use, more email clients then I can shake a stick at, and a wide array of browsers. So as not to confuse anybody from the get-go, a sensible set of default applications are installed out of the box, while a very nice intuitive menu system lets me do a point and click install (for those who have never tried this little gem, on SuSE, click the "SuSE Work Menu/Administration/install software packages", and all the software you can install for that application/GUI combination is available as a one-click install). If that is too simple for your needs, or your application is not listed, you can invoke the powerful YaST software installer, that allows you to search on lots of criteria. After all, shipping 3000+ apps without a way to sensibly choose between them would be stupid.

      There are Webservers, portal systems, mailers, exchange replacements, 4 different major DB systems, development environments, compilers, code management systems, version management systems, common infrastructure components, such as DNS, DHCP, windows file sharing, as well as other file management stuff, such as NFS, OpenAFS, and other nice toys like that. I have grid applications and toolkits, several scripting languages, including some BASIC variants, artificial intelligence applications, a BOATLOAD of cool games, debuggers, profiling tools, educational software, scientific software, graphics software, including some really top quality 3d rendering software. I have financial planners, business planner, Internet communication tools, stuff to work with a whole load of palmtops. the list goes on and on. Oh, yes, using something like WINE or Win4Lin, I can run most native windows applications as well.

      I can spend a good year just assessing all the software that comes on my 2 DVD's that came in the SuSE package. I also have over 1000 pages of truly useful printed documentation, something those bastards in Redmond are too cheap to include. and to be sure, that same documentation is also included as softcopy. All this for 50 pounds sterling.

      Besides all that, I have access to the source code of all these applications. If I were so inclined, I could actually start rummaging around in the guts of the thing, making it just the way I want it to be, or learning how something worked. I know who the developers are, and I can take any questions or problems straight to the source, so to speak. No secrets, no hidden gotcha's, no "call home" stuff that reports my every move. No registration, no nazi software gestapo, no jack-booted thugs that will come to raid my business for license compliance.

      So, let's talk about what Windows ships with working out of the box, shall we? (not a troll, just something to ponder...)

      --
      People who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do.
  4. A different perspective by GeckoFood · · Score: 5, Insightful

    For those of us that work with Linux and UNIX on a daily basis, especially in the work place, and have been at it for years, it's even easier than Windows. (That's not sarcasm, BTW).

    --
    Be excellent to each other. And... PARTY ON, DUDES!
    1. Re:A different perspective by moosesocks · · Score: 5, Funny

      Unix is a very user friendly Operating System. Any genius can use it.

      --
      -- If you try to fail and succeed, which have you done? - Uli's moose
    2. Re:A different perspective by Aadain2001 · · Score: 4, Funny

      Unix/Linux is VERY user friendly. It's just picky about who it conciders a friend :)

      --
      Space for rent, inquire within
  5. It's a short article by randyest · · Score: 5, Interesting

    And rather short on details (such as what is the nature of the assigned tasks used in the test? Copying a file? Formatting a drive? Partitioning a drive?) Also, they had 60 users "aged 25 to 55 with computer skills but no prior experience with Linux or Windows XP" work on KDS, and "20 users with the same qualifications who performed the exact same tasks on Windows XP."

    Eh? Why not have them all do it on each? Or even out the groups a bit more?

    Anyway, a short, vaguely interesting pro-Linux article. So I'll just be happy, but this could have been much cooler with bigger samples, better planning, and more detailed reporting of the results.

    --
    everything in moderation
  6. Bad study by oyenstikker · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I'd be more interested in seeing a study in which half the group tried it on GNU/Linux,KDE first then on Windows, and the other half, vice versa. I've never heard from someone who has never used either operating system having new experiences with both of them.

    I wonder, did they consider experience with Windows 9x as _no_ experience with Windows XP?

    --
    The masses are the crack whores of religion.
    1. Re:Bad study by guacamolefoo · · Score: 4, Funny

      I'd be more interested in seeing a study in which half the group tried it on GNU/Linux,KDE first then on Windows, and the other half, vice versa. I've never heard from someone who has never used either operating system having new experiences with both of them.

      I think that they should find a tribe of african bushmen who have never used computers, and test it out on them. While these bushmen are familiar with IBM databases (remember the ad with the clicking bushman?), they seem to have no familiarity with desktop computers, sort of like the mainframe guys most of us keep in the back room.

      I expect that the bushmen (not buschmen -- those can be found in Appalachia watching NASCAR) will decide to worship the superior desktop environment, and thus, anthropologists and geeks alike will finally know which is the better desktop environment -- KDE or XP. Mac users, as usual, will be left out.

      GF.

      --
      Lots of petrified grits
  7. Firstly... by JessLeah · · Score: 4, Interesting

    ...the ease of use is only for USE. Not for support. There are a bajillion different variants of "desktop Linux" system, and each has to be supported differently. (Compare and contrast with Windows, where its much-berated centralization actually makes it easier to support. You see users helping OTHER USERS with Windows-- e.g. "Yeah, you just have to click on X, then click Y and you're done". You'd never see that with Linux.

    What's more, to most of the people I've talked to about Linux, ease of use is not even a factor so long as commercial games won't run on Linux. (No, I'm not talking about WineX or VMWare. I'm talking about native support.) Most users are unwilling to talk about how easy Linux-based systems can be to use if they can't use them to game. You may poo-poo something that seems so frivolous, but it's a HUGE factor to many (most?) Windows users, particularly those under 30.

    I love Linux. But frankly, this sort of story just seems like the Linux community patting itself on the back. Here's a challenge: Go to a college computer lab (make sure you fit in, i.e. don't do this if you're 45 and have a long gray beard) and ask random students if they've heard of Linux. (It may help to wear a Debian pin, or a Tux pin, or both, or the like). Then ask if they've considered switching to it. Be sure to tell them that some distributions of Linux can be quite easy to use. It won't matter... You may be surprised by what they tell you. And I guarantee games will be on the menu (in the majority of cases, anyhow).

    --
    Honey, I shrunk the Cygwin
  8. Ah, but there's a trick by MarkusQ · · Score: 5, Funny

    I really don't see KDE or any other linux desktop software beating Windows or MacOS in usabilities tests anytime soon. KDE and GNOME keep playing catchup to windows instead of leading the way.

    Then you obviously don't know the trick to winning this kind of game. The trick is to stop implementing new features at the exact moment that the "leader" commits to becoming an unusably bloated, worthless feature ladden pile of... Oh my gosh! Stop! Stop!

    -- MarkusQ

  9. Good to see by failedlogic · · Score: 4, Informative

    Considering Microsoft fortune of, according to this website (http://www.microsoft.com/usability/lab.htm) :

    Most of our research is conducted in Usability Labs based in Redmond, WA. On average, approximately 750 participants per month evaluate our software. A database of 35,000 people in the Seattle area helps us find the right person to match the profile required for each given study.

    MS has invested millions of dollars (and hours) on usability testing on its software. To consider that KDE is rated almost equally should be humbling to its UI designers and programmers. Way to go.... can't wait for KDE 4!

    1. Re:Good to see by dirk · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Considering Linux UI is basically a copy of Windows (for the most part) this isn't surprising at all. Take something you know people like and copy it and people will like what you will do. When I boot RH9, it looks like a Windows knock-off, which means any person with Windows experience will have an idea of what to do. That said, it will get them close to being as easy to use as Windows, but always a step behind. Until they start actually innovating UI usability instead of trying to copy what Windows does, it will always be a step behind.

      Where Linux really lags behind Windows is 2 areas. Install/uninstall programs and UI conformity. Installing/uninstalling many programs is still a chore. Where does it install? What's this stuff about compiling (if there isn't an RPM). How do I uninstall? And the UI conformity is nonexistant. Almost all Windows programs have the same setup. The menus have the same option in the same places (cut/copy/paste is always under Edit, which is always second from the left on the menu). In Linux, every app has it's own look and feel. Which means most apps have to be completely learned from scratch instead of building on the base. Until Linux overcomes these 2 major hurdles, it will always be 2 steps behind Windows.

      --

      "Information wants to be expensive" - Stewart Brand, the same guy who said "Information wants to be free"
  10. I'm a 98% Linux user but Surprised! by erroneus · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I live in the real world. The real world runs on Windows. In my private life, the world runs on Linux and MacOS (currently)... with an unavoidable smidgeon of Windows because it's necessary in the real world. (One of these days I'm going to get off my butt and learn to use WINE or VMWare or something...)

    I knew that "something Linux" would become equal with Windows eventually but I didn't expect the time to arrive so soon. Bravo but "beating Windows" isn't the point exactly is it? It's fun but not the purpose of Linux, KDE or OSS.

    The next "what if" is "what happens when Linux rules the desktop?" I tend to see a touch of chaos in the future. Very unpredictable. The next "what if" is about innovation. If Linux becomes king of the hill, where will innovation lead? Where will it come from? I don't want to open the debate about whether or not Microsoft "innovated" anything but when Linux finally captures the hill, where will it come from?

    I know of a very prominant financial institution known for its stodginess...still running WinNT 4.0 on many of their machines who is starting to run Linux on their machines as well. Linux is an eventuality.

    This is definitely a milestone. This is a "sit up and take notice" moment. But once Linux leads, Microsoft will have no choice but to make "compatible" software... and this time they won't dare to make their stuff lock out the competition or they will be ignored... in the future...

  11. Re:just another year by Overly+Critical+Guy · · Score: 4, Insightful

    People said that last year, and the year before, and so on into the past.

    There are entire interface violations dying to be fixed, as well as technology problems like X itself, before Linux can be a desktop environment. For instance, sane install/uninstall procedures that don't require an "RPM manager," or app writers who don't use "://" as the button for their open dialogs.

    I don't understand why it's so hard for free software to have good interfaces. The easy answer is because it's "programmers writing for programmers," but anyone who is used to Windows freeware and shareware knows that their interfaces are typically as high-quality as any other commercial application. Why are Windows programmers doing it and Linux programmers not? I'm genuinely curious. Is it the difference in easy-to-use development environments?

    --
    "Sufferin' succotash."
  12. Re:XP wins? not suprised by Overly+Critical+Guy · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Ultimately make computers easier to use and you will get more idiots using them. What we really need is a computer operation license like a driving license :)

    Welcome to the reason Linux has taken so long to gain desktop market share--attitude.

    By the way, people love to say XP "holds your hand," but all it does is require you to click to show the hard drive's contents for the first time, and provides a grouped view for Control Panel. Um, that's it, unless you count system tray popups that alert you to things like low disk space, which is a damned good idea anyway.

    --
    "Sufferin' succotash."
  13. games by David+Jao · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Back in 1996, I gave up games completely in order to switch to Linux.

    Everything you say about games is correct, and none of it matters. Windows will always be the best gaming platform. There is nothing the Linux community can possibly to do change that fact. The power of numbers is just too much to overcome.

    If someone values gaming too much to switch to linux, it's really not my problem.

    From your tone it almost sounds as if you think Linux has to win over gamers in order to survive. Nothing could be further from the truth. Linux does not need a large userbase in order to thrive. All it needs is a small group of dedicated developers and the assurance that it will not be outlawed. Anything more than that is nice but not necessary.

    Linux is not useful for gaming. Linux is not meant for gaming. I don't use Linux for gaming. Gaming is not the only thing in the world that computers are used for.

    The mindset that a computer platform has to win market share or die is an artifact of the commercial software paradigm that has no relevance to open source software like Linux. With Linux, the users are the developers, and while new users are certainly welcome, there will always be certain markets like the gaming market where Linux serves no purpose and plays no role.

  14. Close, but no cigar by OzJimbob · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Yeah, KDE is pretty usable. But it's lacking real smarts. I consider usability to mean "the interface is efficient, and acts as I expect it to". Here are a few (what I consider fairly obvious) features that would really improve KDE for me.

    1. Drag-and-drop menus. In Windows, the Start menu is really just a directory structure, and a special case of the Explorer view. You can drag and drop new items into the Start menu / Taskbar and they appear there instantly. You can "Explore" the Start menu and arrange / delete / add items as you please. Compare and contrast with the latest version of KDE that I've tried, where you essentially need a "menu edit" application to set up new shortcuts. Painfully old-fashioned.

    2. Faster file access and directory listing in Konquerer. Comparison:
    Windows - to view C:\mp3 takes 3 seconds.
    Mandrake - to view \mnt\Windows\mp3 takes 9 seconds.
    What's more, in KDE the files display one-by-one as they are "found". My "Jazz" folder might appear first, but by the time I go to click on it, more folders have appeared and it has moved. Ugly.

    3. Please, give us the option of a double-click interface.

    --
    -"I still believe in revolution; I just don't capitalize it anymore." - srini!
    1. Re:Close, but no cigar by manly_15 · · Score: 4, Informative
      3. Please, give us the option of a double-click interface.
      In MDK 9.1, got to K Menu-->Configuration-->Control Centre. Under the Peripherals entry, select Mouse. Right in the middle of the window, you can choose between double and single click, as well as configure single click. Hope this helps!
  15. Where Linux starts to fall down by RzUpAnmsCwrds · · Score: 5, Insightful

    GNOME2/KDE3 makes for a very usable desktop, I'd say it's along the caliber of WinXP/Mac OS. Linux starts to fall down when you try to install 3rd party applications (what if you can't get RPMs? what if you're running an older GLIBC?) or hardware.

  16. This wasn't a useability test by roystgnr · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The key phrase is here:

    with computer skills but no prior experience with Linux or Windows XP

    In other words, unless they were running these tests for months, this was a "learnability" test, which measured how productive you will be with your computer for the first few days you use it. Unless you're only planning to use the computer for a few days (and other than offices who hire a lot of temps I don't think this is a very common situation) this probably isn't the best measurement to optimize for.

    It's the easiest measurement for computer magazines to make, though, so it's probably the closest thing to actual "usability testing" we'll ever see, and it's better than nothing. I just worry that it will lead to companies improving learnability at the expense of useability. It reminds me of the way commercial Linux distributions at one time seemed to be competing to have the easiest damn installation in the world at the expense of post-installation config tools, because all the "reviews" of different Linux distributions stopped shortly after the installation was over.

  17. Apples and oranges by spudchucker · · Score: 5, Funny

    A scientific comparison of Apples and Oranges

  18. don't bother by 73939133 · · Score: 4, Informative

    I really don't see KDE or any other linux desktop software beating Windows or MacOS in usabilities tests anytime soon.

    You say that as if usability tests actually test something concrete and meaningful, like mass or height or temperature. But they don't really. Usability testing isn't physics. Yes, KDE may do slightly worse in usability tests than Windows, but what does that actually mean? At most it means that it takes a little more time to learn a few more quirks that the KDE interface has. Big deal. In return, KDE is also a more featureful interface and comes with a lot more software out of the box. Usability is only one of many things to optimize for in a piece of software, and it is not the most important one in many applications.

    In fact, the fact that the users in the study had "prior computer skills" suggests that they had experience with Windows-like interfaces, which means that most likely a significant part of the slight Windows XP advantage was simply due to familiarity.

    What this test shows is that KDE is in the ballpark, and that's all that is really needed.

    KDE and GNOME keep playing catchup to windows instead of leading the way.

    Many open source projects are unashamedly about providing open source versions of closed-source systems, and there is nothing wrong with that.

    Sure there are some unique features, but the bulk of linux desktop development is recreating features that windows and macos have had for years.

    Yes, and Microsoft and Apple copied many of those features from yet other systems. That's the way business and product development work: you look at what works in the market and you copy as much of it as you legally can. There is nothing wrong with that.

    The KDE team does unquestionably good work, but they are going to need to keep stepping it up if they expect anyone to find their software more useable than the already existing mainstream products.

    This test shows that KDE is close enough as far as usability goes. Maybe they can edge out Windows XP in such tests by sacrificing some features or some other hacks, but you are naive to think that there are any great hidden usability improvements possible.

  19. My Experience by Tewley · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This may be off-topic, but ...

    As "Joe User" with moderate technical acumen, I recently made the jump and set up dual-boot SUSE. The install went very well, and I was very pleased with the KDE GUI.

    But very quickly I had to spend a couple of hours doing things like learning how to set up header files in order to re-compile my kernal to support NVIDIA drivers.

    I figured it out. But it took a while.

    And still -- after a lot of careful study and research on linuxquestions.org -- I can't get my sound card to work. The best I have gotten for folks with the exact same configuration is "buy a new soundcard and save yourself the trouble".

    My point is not to complain, but to indicate that there is still "geek time" and knowledge that must be "paid" to support free software. For many people it becomes like changing the oil on the car -- it's something that *can* be accomplished with enough time and patience. But how much do you want to fritz around with it, when all you want to do is play an MP3 ?

    God forbid I want to hook up my digital camera.

    Pay the dude $30 for an oil change.

    For Linux, the last piece of non-geek usability may be the hardest to attain.

    (It's not like I WANT to use MS XP ...)

  20. A scary statement in the article by iamacat · · Score: 4, Interesting

    But when it comes to the design of the desktop interface and programs, Windows XP still has a strong edge: 83% of the Linux users said they liked the design of the desktop and the programs, compared with 100% of the Windows XP users.

    I hope the study is flawed, because its too depressing to consider the alternative. Btw, why no MacOS in the test? Then we would see how KDE measures up to an OS with good UI.

  21. i wonder... by koekepeer · · Score: 5, Funny

    where they get test subjects that used neither XP nor linux/KDE...

    mac users? i can't believe that! they'd never be pleased with the appearance of XP ;)

  22. Re:KDE/GNOME/etc is much more useable than XP by Peter+Harris · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Well I guess you have to mention features that the
    vast majority of computer users don't use if they
    are features Windows lacks.
    If you will pardon the expression - duh!
    A couple of those mentioned are so genuinely useful
    that I doubt you can honestly disparage them from
    a position of understanding.

    --

    -- What do you need?
    -- Gnus. Lots of Gnus.
  23. Why windows has a start button. by akadruid · · Score: 4, Informative

    The answer to "Why do you have to click 'Start' to stop" has been answered more than adequatly by Raymond Chen here:
    http://blogs.gotdotnet.com/raymondc/categor yview.a spx/History

    To sum up his answer:
    While trying to create a simple yet space efficient design, they decided on a single button in the bottom left. This was called the 'System' button. However users would boot the system and look at it with a puzzled expression. So they called it 'Start'. Then they asked the users to shut down the system, and guess where they clicked? Yeah. The start button. So that's why it is.

    --
    "Those who cast the votes decide nothing; those who count the votes decide everything." (attrib. Joseph Stalin)