GNOME/KDE Integration Gets A Few Boosts

Balinares writes "Great bunch of news on the Linux desktop unification front. After the unification of GTK and Qt themes that Slashdot already reported on, it is OpenOffice's turn to get the unified look treatment (screenshot 1, screenshot 2, screenshot 3). In related news, the recently released QtGTK library allows to merge the Qt event loop with that of GTK. In other words, this means you can now easily use KDE's DCOP, IOslaves, and, last but not least, file dialogs, from inside your GTK apps. (Screenshot of this feature used in XMMS2: 1 2). It comes with a tutorial that explains the basics. Finally, the new fuse_kio tool now makes it possible to use KDE's IOslaves directly at the filesystem level, from any Linux app. 2004 is really beginning well for all those of us who use Linux as their primary desktop!"

Comments

Re:License?

[Ralph Yarro]

That depends on what license you pick for Qt.

That's right. If you choose to license your copy of QT under the GPL then you can use it with GPL'd programs but not with any other software. If you choose to license it under the QPL then you can use it with most free software, but not with GPL or proprietary products.

For a future release, Canopy are working on a way to let you install QT three times each under a different license giving you the maximum flexibility in the software you can install with it. Until then, we advise against using QT in a mixed license environment without first taking legal advice.

Re:These are a sign of Gnome success

[justsomebody]

Commercial vendors have already overwhelmingly opted to use Qt instead of GTK

Not true. It was sometimes, but that were the times when Gnome1 was dying(and it couldn't compete with KDE) and Gnome2 was still in the design (and bugs) more than in work. It was the time when Lycoris, Knoppix, (other distros of small vendors that started at the same time)... But look at the real vendors who are commiting to Linux now. Sun-Gnome, IBM-Gnome(at least based on assumption that Suse and RH are it's distros), RH-Gnome, Novell-Gnome, Suse_the_major_KDE_player-Gnome

KDE is loosing ground in this field. Not gaining.

Given that I find this kind of thing useful, and that I use 95% KDE applications, I can't agree that it's a sign of GNOME's success. It's just dragging the GTK/GNOME applications along where the original developers have failed to take them.

Given that I don't find this kind of thing useful, and that I use 0% KDE applications, I can agree that it's a sign of GNOME's success. It's just KDE filling the gaps that KDE is lacking. Let's see:
Phoenix and Thunderbird - GTK
OpenOffice.org - Now native GTK planned for next release, KDE release, well project is open but no one want's to do it
Evolution - I can't remember any serious KDE mail client sorry (please no kmail)
Gimp - not Gnome but GTK it is
Inkscape - Gnome, and I really don't know any KDE vector software (please no karbon14)
xmms - GTK

Qt is a much nicer toolkit

Based on your likes and dislikes not mine

The Linux desktop is ruled primarily by Free Software, not commercial applications

Time to smell the future, distro maybe but commercial apps are poping up

btw. all this **look** hacks KDE producess, GTK look, OpenOffice look, KDE dialogs in GTK are just dust in your eyes. This are hacks which avoid dealing with the problem that this apps still aren't Qt. I would rather see complete GTK-API solved trough Qt calls (assuming on fact that Qt provides non OO function callbacks for objects) and complete Qt object hierarchy based on GTK, This would be the only real case until then it's still better for one DE only

Re:Anyone else notice the "direction" of integrati

[justsomebody]

Yep, KDE uses complete Gnome applications where KDE apps suck, Evolution, Gimp... (*wink wink*)