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KDE's New Projects Take On Portable Devices

Posted by timothy on from the k-stands-for-nothing-if-not-flexibility dept.

jrepin writes "Key KDE developers have been blogging about new projects aimed towards portable devices. As Aaron Seigo says, 'In a nutshell, Plasma Active is about getting the KDE Platform with Plasma providing a compelling user interface ready for and available on hardware devices outside the usual laptop and desktop form factors.' For us mortals, that means an interface for smartphones, tablets, and handhelds."

12 of 110 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Path To Enlightenment by dimethylxanthine · · Score: 3, Informative

    From E.org: "Enlightenment libraries already power millions of systems, from mobile phones to set top boxes..."

    There's definitely not enough coverage on that then... And not only on ../

  2. Can't please everyone. by MrEricSir · · Score: 3, Funny

    KDE Kan't Do Everything.

    --
    There's no -1 for "I don't get it."
  3. *what* tablets? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I've been looking for a Linux tablet in roughly the nook/ipad form factor for a while, but I can't find anything. What's out there? Whatever it is, it seems to hide itself really well.

    I don't want an iOS or android tablet - I insist on having full control over my own computers. My requirements are:

    * Roughly 7" screen, at least 1024x600 in color.
    * 10 hours battery life
    * Can run some Debian based distro ideally with KDE support
    * Supports flash natively
    * Touch screen supporting multitouch
    * Less than $500
    * Doesn't depend on an SD card slot to run Linux

    There ought to be something, I should think, but I can't find it. The Color Nook is ruled out because it consumes the SD slot to hold Linux, it's Linux is apparently not so good (not polished), and if what I read was correct, it can be remotely wiped even if you root it since the firmware can do that behind your back.

    I'm all set to give someone my money, but nobody seems too eager to sell me something.

    1. Re:*what* tablets? by MrEricSir · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I'm all set to give someone my money, but nobody seems too eager to sell me something.

      I hate to be the guy who makes the car analogy, but if you walked into a dealership and said you wouldn't buy anything that wasn't a V8 that got 45MPG, came with an XM radio, had a sunroof, four doors, included the schematics, and cost $16k or less, I imagine they'd politely tell you to take a hike.

      Don't get me wrong, it's great when you can get exactly what you want. But that's often the exception to the rule.

      --
      There's no -1 for "I don't get it."
    2. Re:*what* tablets? by Dr+Max · · Score: 2

      Linux on a tablet sounds great but it needs a lot of work before its ready. Touch is apparently implemented but it dosn't always work. Accelerated graphic is rarely implemented by any one. A new interface is needed because you can't fit the same amount on the screen any more. Maybe when this plasma active or ubuntu 11.4 comes out it will solve these problems, but at the moment your better off putting up with android. The "kno" tablet i belive runs ubuntu out of the box but it is a 13inch screen.

      --
      Rocket Surgeon.
    3. Re:*what* tablets? by cflange · · Score: 2

      Although it is not a tablet, the OpenPandora complies with all the other conditions you listed. It is quite a unique device and the fact it can be folded and fit in a pocket is an advantage over the tablet form factor. The project has taken a couple of years to take off, but you can receive your device in 7 days now, if you pay $500.

      --
      Who is General Failure, and why is he reading my disk?
  4. Oooooooooh shiney by lanner · · Score: 2

    That's right guys, follow that shiny thing, wherever it leads. Forget all about what you were doing before.

    1. Re:Oooooooooh shiney by MobileTatsu-NJG · · Score: 2

      That's right guys, follow that shiny thing, wherever it leads. Forget all about what you were doing before.

      No imagination.

      --

      "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)

    2. Re:Oooooooooh shiney by gier · · Score: 2

      Yeah, well, sometimes there's nothing wrong with following the shiny, if the shiny is good.

      And what do you mean about forgetting all that was done before? They're planning to expand, not stay put or contract. Sounds like a good thing to me.

  5. Re:Sort of like Android, Meego, Unity... by martin-boundary · · Score: 3, Insightful

    As much as choice is Linux's greatest strength, the effort wasted on five or ten different projects with the same goals is Linux's biggest weakness.

    How is the effort "wasted"?

    Let's say that Gnome was the only project to do a desktop environment. How would that be more efficient? Now everybody would be stuck with every boneheaded decision the Gnome project comes up with, and every time a new version came out, everybody would have to learn new ways to do old things.

    On the other hand, if there's 5 or 10 desktop projects, then you're not stuck if your current favourite goes in a direction you don't like. The more choice the better.

    Saying that putting effort into 5 or 10 desktop projects is wasted effort is like saying that free markets are a wasted effort: one single company selling things is more efficient than 5 companies competing.

  6. Re:Proper fork of KDE 3.5 by marsu_k · · Score: 3, Interesting

    My opinion about KDE is: it could use a good fork of KDE 3.5, which is converted to use Qt 4, and with some of the new composite features added on top of it.

    Qt4 port - not going to happen. But the 3.5-series is still being developed, see Trinity desktop

    The application suite should be a separate project rather than considered part of KDE, so that for example changes to mail or text editor programs are something independent than changes to the actual desktop and windowing system.

    ...and this would be different from the current situation how, exactly? If your distribution lumps KDE into few huge packages, blame your distribution, but KDE itself is highly modular. Changes to Kwin have no impact on KMail, for example (other than potentially changing the way the windowing system works, which is obvious). Furthermore, due to the modular nature of KDE, changes to KatePart affect KWrite, Kate and KDevelop (and all applications that use the text editor widget).

  7. 1998 just called... by Anne+Honime · · Score: 3, Insightful

    ... they want their meme back.

    We hear the same tiring rant over and over again, and this is really becoming OLD. Plain and simple, in that case, this is bollocks. I've run every version of KDE since v. 1, and anytime there was improvements, whiners have complained they were too broke to afford the required computing power. Then, don't use it and be done with it !

    But what's more, since KDE 4.5, this rant is completely delusional. I use daily a 2008 eeepc 900A (Atom powered low-end netbook w/ 1GB RAM and Intel graphics), with Fedora 13, KDE 4.5 (composite display enabled with bells and whistles), and libreoffice. This is my bread-and-butter computer. The speed of KDE is already perfectly adequate even if slowed down by the lousy 8GB SSD of the machine. All the graphics effects just work. And this from a computer that wouldn't be able to run Microsoft Aero effects.

    You don't like KDE : fine. But stop smearing it for imaginary defects produced only by your incapacity to configure it properly.