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KDE 3.2 'Rudi' Beta Released
An anonymous reader writes "The beta of the next version of KDE, billed as 'the premiere Open Source desktop', has been released. Read the announcement at KDE.org. Notable features include a big clean up of the interface and menus, Improvements to KHTML from Apple, better accessibility and hardware support. There are also new applications such as JuK (a music player similar to iTunes), KDevelop (a graphical IDE), Kontact (an integrated communications package like Outlook) and more. Download it here and since this is a beta, report any problems or bugs you have." Also, nukem996 points out "The counter-terrorism unit on TV series '24' went KDE this season, too."
Why does everything have to be PREMIERE? I swear, it's been 5 years since anything mediocre was released. There must be amazing advancements made in every field on a daily basis.
Maybe it should be more clear and say that the beta of KDevelop 3.0 is out now, perhaps?
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As much as I like KDE - and I do, I use KDE - there's plenty of times I find myself needing to use non-KDE apps such as Openoffice, Mozilla, and others to do the things I need to do. The interface for KDE is easy enough to use and powerful enough, after many years of development, that instead of adding eye candy, it would be more worthwhile to improve the included applications. I like KDE, but there's still room for improvement. Unfortunately, I don't think the KDE developers are as much concentrating their efforts on the areas that need it. Note that I think KDE is also already more useful than Microsoft Windows, because it looks better, it's more secure, and the included apps are far better than what you get with a Windows installation - unless you want to pay a few hundred dollars for MS Office and the other apps you'll want.
SEARCHING FOR SIG
SIG NOT FOUND ERROR
READY.
For the record KDevelop is not a new application. Maybe the submitter was referring to the newest beta version being included in the KDE 3.2 beta?
cuz terrorists use gnome... this is a new phase of the kde vs gnome battle
gnome, the new axis of evil.
MY EYES, MY EYES
Seriously, how did they build a good looking iTunes clone with THAT colour sense?
Founder of Mirror Moon - Tsukihime Game Trans
Mandrake users can download RPMS here:
http://www.n9nu.net/linux/kde.php
I have been using them since Friday and they work great!
No, i don't like sigs...
This is another site that talks about 24 using KDE, since the link in the article seems to be /.'ed, or just dead to begin with. I didn't notice this on 24... how cool is that?
I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
I spent an hour searching google for what SMTP server meant
Okay it's one thing to now know what an SMTP server is. Fine. Plenty of people are in the same boat.
But to use "Sir Haxalot" as your sig and not know? Go back to talking about Britney or the latest UT aimbot on IRC. That is if it's not past your bedtime.
Hey maybe there's a new l33t desktop wallpaper on kde-look? I'm sure that'll bring all the answers. Heck I bet someone like you could hack the Gibson.
Sheesh.
... Kontact (an integrated communications package like Outlook) ...
...?
Just exactly how much "like Outlook"
God help us all if it's very much like Outlook!
-kgj
I'm seriously beginning to question the ability of any open source project to challenge Apple on the user experience front. Come on, look at these JuK screen shots and compare to iTunes screen shots.
Now, I will fully admit to never actually using JuK, but just from its appearance, I don't want to. I do use iTunes extensively (on a Mac, I only use UNIX-based OSs). So, on iTunes, I have 3 control buttons, a pretty status meter, and a search field. That is it. Now look at JuK. There is a crapload of buttons making the interface completely suck. Why is there a save button? I never save in iTunes, when changes get made, they automatically are propagated through the library. Easy. Why are there cut and paste butttons? Do they need to take up screen space. Leave them buried in a menu. How often are they used in the main interface screen? In iTunes, I rarely go to the menu's. About the only time is when I want to create a new smart playlist. The three buttons and the search field take care of 98% of what I want to do on the interface. This is what makes Apple user friendly and pretty to look at.
If open source wants to be the peoples' desktop, they have to start considering the interfaces they design. There is a reason why people like to use Macs and proclaim the interface as the superior solution: it is. There are things to be learned here, but time and time again, with each new release of a new program, the user interfaces continue to suck.
-- Fighting mediocrity one bad post at a time.
You heard wrong. Apple kept the development of Safari secret, so the improvement to KHTML was not integrated right away, but when they announced Safari, they sent a rather large patch to KDE that took too long to integrate to make it for KDE 3.1. Since then it has apparently worked smoothly (I am not a khtml-developer though).
I, for one, appreciate more alternative music players on the *nix side of the world. While setting up my music server (with video output to the TV), I tested a variety of applications to see what might work best. My requirements included:
- The ability to be controlled from an LIRC remote control
- The ability to interface to an LCD screen for song info (haven't set this up yet, but it was a consideration)
- Large, easy to read playlist
- Large buttons that are easy to manipulate by the somewhat awkward mouse on my wireless keyboard
I tried xine (along with derivatives like the gtk version), and found the playlists difficult to manipulate easily. xmms works decently, but I had to double size the top screen and those unfamiliar with it's interface (or winamp) would have a more difficult time adding songs because the "add" and "remove" buttons are practically unreadable on the TV. Though I found a decent theme, xmms is not designed for full screen usage with large buttons. Because of this, screen real estate is not devoted to things like easy-to-find switching of playlists along with other features I'm sure could be incorporated.
I would love for Juk to become a full featured sound program which could perform a variety of functions seamlessly:
- Ability to manipulate playlists on any other computer given appropriate access (without using remote X or VNC). Sharing of music between clients is not important to me, I have my music mounted from a central location within the network
- creating playlists by the meta data (like "smart" playlists on iTunes).
- Pop in a CD, have it show up as a separate playlist, and preferably be able to rip the tracks into OGG or FLAC on command
- Burn mix CDs based off the playlist (not as important, but shouldn't be too hard if code is shared with koncd)
- Interface doesn't need to be skinnable but should be usable at a variety of resolutions. Keyboard shortcuts should be available for just about everything.
Looks like some of those features already exist in Juk, and I look forward to using it once it's released with 3.2 stable.
"The universe seems neither benign nor hostile, merely indifferent." --Carl Sagan
Let me get this straight. You're complaining because you want to write closed-source apps (presumably for money, why else would you close the source), and TrollTech won't give you the library for free?
How ridiculous. If you're in business, you're in business. Quit whining for handouts. You won't give away the apps you write, so why complain about others?
One of the things I like about the so-called 'viral' open source licenses is that it creates a clear boundary between Free and non-Free. If you want to write non-Free apps, then get your hands out of the Free cookiejar.
Can I build fast, non-scripted, closed source apps for KDE like I can for GNOME? Or do I still have to pay the 4 digit price tag for a commerical QT DEV license?
Last I checked, yes you can. The requirement from Qt is non-commercial, not open source (QPL licence, GPL/QPL dual licenced...). If the question was "Can I take Qt, use their work for free in my application to make me money?", then the answer is "No, you need to pay us a licence fee for the way our work has helped you earn money on your work."
Kjella
Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
For a music player with a good GUI and lots of functionality XMMS...
Good GUI? What do you mean? You can't be serious...
1. Very small controls, some which are hardly possible to see or click. Take the small "O A I D V":s for instance. And don't say that the "DoubleSize" option is anything but a hack...
2. How about keyboard navigation?
3. Where are the darned settings? There is no menu bar and it is hard to guess which of the "O A I D V" does what. (Yeah, the window title is clickable, but how are you supposed to know that?)
4. No tool-tips when hoovering with the mouse.
5. Everything is clickable, although nothing appears to be. A mistake of a millimeter cause whatever undesired effect. (And how do you figure out how to undo that?)
6. Window decorations are not consistent with the rest of the world. Same thing with all other widgets.
Etc, etc. I could go on and on about such things. Yes, you can learn it and live with it, but should you have to? Some people might just want to listen their mp3:s or ogg:s and be done with it. I just don't understand why apps such as XMMS, WinAmp, xine, mplayer, etc can't provide a sensible default UI (skin or whatever) that looks and works like other applications.
And please, tell me again what skins are good for...