Re:When does ignorance turn into FUD?
on
KDE 2.1 Is Out
·
· Score: 1
You make a good point. I could have just "cheered" on KDE, but there was a reason I brought up GNOME. My post was mostly a wake-up call./. has often been referred to as pro-GNOME, which is fine I guess. However, I've watched KDE evolve so much over the past year (all the 2.0 betas, hehe.. those were fun!) yet it seems that the achievements of the KDE team are rarely acknowledged here.
It's funny, because I've seen posts where people say they choose GNOME because of the icon style. Please tell me there is a better reason to use GNOME than that! The fact is that KDE redid most of it's underlying architecture for 2.x, and while not visually significant, it is the reason for all of the rapid development of applications. I wanted to point out that there really is a difference between KDE and GNOME.
-Justin
KDE: one of the most successful OSS projects
on
KDE 2.1 Is Out
·
· Score: 5
KDE2 is a great piece of work. I've been using the 2.1 betas and I couldn't be happier now that 2.1 final is out. It is so vastly different from the old KDE1. In fact, it's almost a complete rewrite.
KDE has many merits, and probably the reason for its success has much to do with the use of Qt. Talk about toolkit wars you want, but the KDE team chose Qt even when it wasn't GPL. The decision was clearly based on technical capability. Just visit
Trolltech's site to see a small list of big companies that have invested in Qt. And the toolkit is fully cross-platform. There is clearly no toolkit of comparison.
The KDE libs take the good design of Qt and extend it, bringing us the KParts component system and DCOP. Why not use CORBA? Because the KDE guys didn't think it was the right tool for the job. One really cool part about their DCOP system is it can be controlled from the shell, thus making the whole system fully scriptable. It is all of this well designed framework that allowed the KDE team to bring about so many applications in such a short amount of time.
Konqueror is the most obvious of these first class apps. It is the browser everybody has been waiting for. You want IE on Linux? Here it is, just without the junk. It even has a checkbox to disable javascript window.open(). It's fast, and will manage your files like a pro as well. Also, completely transparent FTP access (IE only does partial), embeddable xterm, image/html thumbnail previews. My goodness does this program rock. I say this as an experienced Unix user, not just as a Windows convert.
And this is just one application. KDE comes with so many other good programs as well, like KNode (News reader) and KMail (lightweight email program). Dare I mention KOffice?
Does GNOME have any comparable programs? Star Office? Mozilla? Abiword? Those are not even GNOME programs, although they can be "GNOME-ified" (Galeon, Open Office). There is Nautilis, but that is an outside project as well. If we want to talk about outside projects, I could bring up [TheKompany], but there is no need. The core KDE team does enough work themselves to warrant this posting.
There's no reason GNOME can't catch up, but at this point KDE is obviously ahead of GNOME, but that's a given since KDE started first anyway. Some may argue that KDE is behind Windows. Even if that is true, the rate at which the KDE team moves will answer to that quickly. In a recent LinuxPlanet review of KDE2.1 Beta, the author states that the difference between KDE 2.0 and 2.1 is comparable to the difference between Windows 95 and 98. Three years squished into three months? It will be amazing to see where the KDE project is a year from now.
Well toolkits are necessary. Imagine coding an X program by talking raw to the server? That's not how things should be. Qt is dead easy, and you can make a hello world program in about 10 lines. Not only that, but full Unicode support, and cross-platform.
Sure, there have been lots of Joe-toolkits, in fact I'd almost lump Gtk in as one of those. But Qt is much more complete and has all of the "hard stuff" done that you mention. It's also commercially proven, just check out Trolltech's page to see a small list of large companies that have invested in Qt.
And we can't forget KDE, whose developers never have to worry about toolkit problems since they chose Qt. This has allowed them to put full attention to building apps, and is why they were able to create a full featured web browser and beta office suite in such a small amount of time.
I highly recommend you look into Qt. It's all you need.
Stability is not the only reason to choose Linux. What about the open design? Isn't it comforting knowing that Linux doesn't try to lock you into something? Or hide some specifics from you? When I hear things like Microsoft embedding media security into Windows, I cringe.
The apps available on Linux are quite good. I'd much rather use Konqueror than IE. In fact, KDE2 as a whole is fantastic. I'm never wishing I had this-or-that from Windows. In fact, it's usually the other way around.
Here's an interesting story. I work in a small company (see my url) developing games. Our next project (a Gameboy Advance game) will be entirely developed on Linux. Why? I just like it better. I like the "Unix way." You'll have a hard time convincing me to develop on another platform.
For application development we'll be using Qt. This has the added benefit of easing migration, since our apps would run on Windows as well.
It's good that Windows is now more stable than before, but frankly that isn't a good enough reason to switch OS's. In fact, that's probably why so many people still use Windows 98.
Detecting the user-agent? There has got to be a better way. Presently I use Konqueror as my web browser. Occasionally I get a site that says I need to upgrade my browser to IE or NS. What crap is that? Konqueror is very standards compliant. So I use the handy user-agent option to disguise myself as IE. Yay, now I can view it.
Perhaps there should be a way to detect the capabilities of a browser. Detecting for IE or NS or a "4.0 browser" (smack the person who thought up that term) is just a really bad way of doing things. There should be no reason to need to know what client is being used.
This is a passive solution, but it will get you past the censorware.
Just use SOCKS. Find a college buddy or anyone with a box on broadband and throw up a socks 5 server. Then put SocksCap on the boxes at school. Download all of this here.
Now you can use the local applications and they will route all requests through the remote box. This is also a very good way to get around port limitations. If a school only allows port 80, but you want ICQ, just use SocksCap on port 80. Whee!
Of course, if you're paranoid you can also tunnel socks through ssh, which would encrypt your entire Internet session. Who's collecting your data now?
Are you talking about the server or a desktop? You must have forgotten that many people use Linux as a desktop OS, myself included. Linux has more support for diverse hardware than any of those unixes.
Wow. Exactly what I was looking for. This could come in handy.
I just thought of another problem though. When serving your current session, doesn't that leave you wide open at the local machine?
There ought to be a way for the server to blank the local screen upon remote login (so fire up server, then start xlock and go home). Or perhaps a way for the rfb server to completely take over the entire X session and disconnect the local X server. So the whole session would go into the background and kdm would pop back up or what have you.
Cool that this comes with source.. perhaps I will have to play around.
This doesn't "take over the X session". Rather, it starts a new one. I've also found this to be a problem with a command shell as well. There is no way to transfer it.
I believe the Windows version of VNC serves up the current desktop because that's the only way it can work on that platform. The Unix version actually fires up a completely independant desktop into the background which is very powerful but it also means there is no way to serve up your current session. There have been many times where I had something that was running (like a download) and I wanted to be able to resume using the app/desktop when I get home. No chance on Linux..
Right now if you want to be able to resume your desktop or shell elsewhere, you have to think in advance by starting up VNC or "screen" beforehand. There has got to be a better way. Sure everyone could use VNC locally all the time (just in case we might leave the computer) but isn't that a bit silly? Also insanely slow. As crazy as it sounds, there should be a way to make Xvnc operate like the Windows server.
You didn't mention IE, so I figure you were talking about Linux. But then why did you fail to mention Konqueror? It's as if everyone ignores this browser, yet it's likely the best one available for Linux.
And if it's because you haven't tried it, well.. try it! KDE won't bite =) (take that both ways).
I just observed in the comments that most people lumped Qt in with Gtk, etc as part of the non-professional alternatives to Motif.
Excuse me? Gtk is a typical open source project where developers get to it when they can get to it. Qt on the other hand, is a professional toolkit. It is created by a company that spends all of their time working on it. The Unix version also happens to be GPL.
IMO this makes Qt an extremely viable alternative to Motif. In fact, Borland thought so too: just look at Kylix. Qt is not "just another toolkit."
The majority of Linux development is done on a voluntary basis. The kernel/drivers, Xfree, KDE, Debian, etc, are for the most part all done as a hobby. This would not change even if all of the "industry" companies went belly up.
This "Linux industry" has done enough already to get the message out, and that message won't just disappear. You can't kill Linux, nor the mentality of all of the open source programmers.
Would my desktop suddenly burst into flames if Redhat went out of business? I don't think so. People would still be developing for Linux. Heck, a new version of KDE might come out the next day. Like a giant snowball, Linux/OSS would keep moving.
The concept of giving away programs to the world is not a new one. I did it long before I knew about Linux. With the popularity of the Internet and an extremely popular open source OS, it only makes it easier for free software developers to work together. They did it before, they're doing it now, and they will continue doing it.
took the integration and modularity further than IE in the form of transparent I/O. Konqueror can browse FTP archives just as a local disk. IE has a similar feature but it is not truly transparent like this.
One of the coolest things you can do in KDE is access files via URLs from *any* KDE application.
For instance:
Kwrite->File->Open->ftp://me@host/file.txt
Or you can just browse to the same FTP site with Konqueror and right-click file.txt and choose Kwrite. Both ways work.
Anyway, it will open that file on the server. Clicking on Kwrite's save button will cause the KDE I/O subsystem to ftp the file back to the server.
Basically if it works in Konqueror's location bar, then it works everywhere else. This is insanely useful, not to mention just plain cool!
Konqueror runs all day without crashing as well. Also, If IE is modular at all it surely uses plugins, too. And they both handle files and folders.
You could almost say Konqueror is the IE of Linux. Unfortunately, Konqueror is not available for Windows and IE is not available for Linux so I guess comparing them is a bit useless.
and I'm a long-time *nix programmer. Do you think that just because I'm a programmer that I probably use nothing but the console? Pretty desktops are not only for converting Windows users. I find KDE to be extremely functional!
Konqueror has true I/O transparency (great for FTP) and is more stable than any other web browser I've used. There's even a checkbox for disabling popups!
A true programmer loves a command line interface as well, and Konsole supports multiple terminal sessions in one window via a tabbed interface. Keeps xterm clutter down:)
While there are other aspects of Linux that need developing as well, I don't think anyone should neglect a project like this one. I was more anxious to get KDE 2.0 than Linux 2.4. Don't worry, there are enough developers in this world. A person writing for KDE is not taking away from potential crypto development =P
If you think that desktop environments are just for newbies, think again. Would you believe that in the sound notification section of KDE, you can specify to log all events to stderr? Toto, we are sooo in unixland.
As far as I have known, every C++ compiler is a front end, not just g++. gcc is not going anywhere anytime soon. Personally I think it's a great compiler. Heck, even on my Windows system where I have access to Watcom and Visual C++, I mostly use DJGPP. I guess I'm just used to it.
Are you sure it generates programs that use Qt? This would mean that people would have to buy a Qt license as well.
My guess is that Kylix is probably based on Motif or their own homebrew widget set, just like every other "professional" X program. Although I must say the Kylix screenshot looks a LOT like it was developed with Qt.
Seriously, this is the best PDA available. I've been sync'ing with my Nokia 8890 ever since I got it. Phone lists, SMS, you name it! Plus, with it's keypad I can actually enter remote shell commands to the servers I deal with at work. Try *that* with palm graffiti!
The logo for PDA at Slashdot should be changed to a Psion image instead of a Palm. I mean, the Psion is *the* hacker PDA.
I was recently at my cousin's house for Christmas and he was having trouble with a CD burner on his iMac. Well I've never used a Mac, but I figured everything out okay and I got him all set up. The interesting part was how I was able to figure it out so easily, while none of it was intuitive for him. Afterwards, I began thinking about the Linux desktop situation and.. well.. how can we expect the average user to get to use a unix-like OS when even an iMac can be difficult?
What are the strengths of Unix? We know them already, and they're why some of us use it. I'm fairly sure that a lot of effort could be spent making, say Linux, simpler for newbie tasks, but why? It's good that Linux is customizable like that, but if we cover everything up what is the point of using Linux in the first place? Sure, GUI's like KDE help people in the transition, but heck I use KDE also and I consider myself pretty handy with an xterm. KDE doesn't forget that you're running unix, and some applications can be complicated because of this. Previous posts have complained that Kpackage is confusing for a newbie. When you see a checkbox in the system notification control panel labeled: "Log to stderr", you *know* you're in unixland. =) I'm sure a GUI could be created with the ultimate of simplicity in mind, but like I said earlier, why? It would defeat the purpose of using unix.
People have said that Linux will never survive if the general public doesn't accept it. I have a very good feeling that Linux won't disappear. It's not like anyone is getting paid now, so why would it be any different later? If Linux never becomes fully mainstream then it will always lack certain apps or games (actually games are the only problem. apps can be cloned, games cannot), but is this a problem? Do you see the BSD users complaining about lack of games? Maybe it's a question of "using the right tool for the job."
Anyway, if someone came to me asking for help on Linux, I would drag them through the mud. They would get their hands dirty. Maybe they would decide it's not for them. That's fine, I'm not using Linux to impress anybody or to help it take over the world. I use it because it works for me.
GNOME is approaching critical mass? Sure they're getting lots of backing recently, but KDE is still way in the lead as far as who is using what. KDE is the default on just about every distribution except for RedHat.
GNOME has quite a few things going for it: Nautilis, StarOffice, etc, but then so does KDE: Konqueror, KOffice. KOffice isn't quite finished, but then neither is Nautilis. I wouldn't be choosing any sides just yet.
Are there any options in current web browsers that can disable things like "pop-ups" ? That shouldn't even be allowed. It's just not nice on your system. Maybe a Yes/No question? Now that we have some good open source browsers, we could always just hack it in if the developers never get around to it.
[X] - Always ask before opening a popup
"Question: This page is trying to open a new browser window, is this ok? [Yes,No,Always,Never]"
Perhaps the "Always" and "Never" options would be on a per-domain basis.
It is amazing how insecure most real life (for lack of a better term) things are.
Last time I was at Bank of America they asked me to change my PIN# to one with 4 digits, instead of the usual max of 6 numbers. In the network world, you find administrators that configure systems to require more characters in a password than before, *never* less.
Take a look at Credit Cards. That's like: "I'm lazy, here's my login and password. Take only what you're supposed to." You try to tell a sysadmin that and he would flip out.
So yes, "real life" is a lot riskier. Why do we babble over our SSH bits-per-key, when in the real world we give our passwords away to the waitress?
There probably was a time when I wished for IE on Linux, but now I have Konqueror. It's very IE-like, in that it renders pages good, it's fast, and is a good file manager.
Konqueror lacks things like ActiveX, but who needed that in the first place? It also is much more stable than IE (and isn't that the reason we're using Linux in the first place?).
I'm not quite sure what you're whining about. I'd much rather use Konqueror than IE. So... where is this lost war you speak of?
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You make a good point. I could have just "cheered" on KDE, but there was a reason I brought up GNOME. My post was mostly a wake-up call. /. has often been referred to as pro-GNOME, which is fine I guess. However, I've watched KDE evolve so much over the past year (all the 2.0 betas, hehe.. those were fun!) yet it seems that the achievements of the KDE team are rarely acknowledged here.
It's funny, because I've seen posts where people say they choose GNOME because of the icon style. Please tell me there is a better reason to use GNOME than that! The fact is that KDE redid most of it's underlying architecture for 2.x, and while not visually significant, it is the reason for all of the rapid development of applications. I wanted to point out that there really is a difference between KDE and GNOME.
-Justin
KDE2 is a great piece of work. I've been using the 2.1 betas and I couldn't be happier now that 2.1 final is out. It is so vastly different from the old KDE1. In fact, it's almost a complete rewrite.
KDE has many merits, and probably the reason for its success has much to do with the use of Qt. Talk about toolkit wars you want, but the KDE team chose Qt even when it wasn't GPL. The decision was clearly based on technical capability. Just visit Trolltech's site to see a small list of big companies that have invested in Qt. And the toolkit is fully cross-platform. There is clearly no toolkit of comparison.
The KDE libs take the good design of Qt and extend it, bringing us the KParts component system and DCOP. Why not use CORBA? Because the KDE guys didn't think it was the right tool for the job. One really cool part about their DCOP system is it can be controlled from the shell, thus making the whole system fully scriptable. It is all of this well designed framework that allowed the KDE team to bring about so many applications in such a short amount of time.
Konqueror is the most obvious of these first class apps. It is the browser everybody has been waiting for. You want IE on Linux? Here it is, just without the junk. It even has a checkbox to disable javascript window.open(). It's fast, and will manage your files like a pro as well. Also, completely transparent FTP access (IE only does partial), embeddable xterm, image/html thumbnail previews. My goodness does this program rock. I say this as an experienced Unix user, not just as a Windows convert.
And this is just one application. KDE comes with so many other good programs as well, like KNode (News reader) and KMail (lightweight email program). Dare I mention KOffice?
Does GNOME have any comparable programs? Star Office? Mozilla? Abiword? Those are not even GNOME programs, although they can be "GNOME-ified" (Galeon, Open Office). There is Nautilis, but that is an outside project as well. If we want to talk about outside projects, I could bring up [TheKompany], but there is no need. The core KDE team does enough work themselves to warrant this posting.
There's no reason GNOME can't catch up, but at this point KDE is obviously ahead of GNOME, but that's a given since KDE started first anyway. Some may argue that KDE is behind Windows. Even if that is true, the rate at which the KDE team moves will answer to that quickly. In a recent LinuxPlanet review of KDE2.1 Beta, the author states that the difference between KDE 2.0 and 2.1 is comparable to the difference between Windows 95 and 98. Three years squished into three months? It will be amazing to see where the KDE project is a year from now.
Go KDE!
-Justin
Well toolkits are necessary. Imagine coding an X program by talking raw to the server? That's not how things should be. Qt is dead easy, and you can make a hello world program in about 10 lines. Not only that, but full Unicode support, and cross-platform.
Sure, there have been lots of Joe-toolkits, in fact I'd almost lump Gtk in as one of those. But Qt is much more complete and has all of the "hard stuff" done that you mention. It's also commercially proven, just check out Trolltech's page to see a small list of large companies that have invested in Qt.
And we can't forget KDE, whose developers never have to worry about toolkit problems since they chose Qt. This has allowed them to put full attention to building apps, and is why they were able to create a full featured web browser and beta office suite in such a small amount of time.
I highly recommend you look into Qt. It's all you need.
-Justin
Stability is not the only reason to choose Linux. What about the open design? Isn't it comforting knowing that Linux doesn't try to lock you into something? Or hide some specifics from you? When I hear things like Microsoft embedding media security into Windows, I cringe.
The apps available on Linux are quite good. I'd much rather use Konqueror than IE. In fact, KDE2 as a whole is fantastic. I'm never wishing I had this-or-that from Windows. In fact, it's usually the other way around.
Here's an interesting story. I work in a small company (see my url) developing games. Our next project (a Gameboy Advance game) will be entirely developed on Linux. Why? I just like it better. I like the "Unix way." You'll have a hard time convincing me to develop on another platform.
For application development we'll be using Qt. This has the added benefit of easing migration, since our apps would run on Windows as well.
It's good that Windows is now more stable than before, but frankly that isn't a good enough reason to switch OS's. In fact, that's probably why so many people still use Windows 98.
-Justin
Detecting the user-agent? There has got to be a better way. Presently I use Konqueror as my web browser. Occasionally I get a site that says I need to upgrade my browser to IE or NS. What crap is that? Konqueror is very standards compliant. So I use the handy user-agent option to disguise myself as IE. Yay, now I can view it.
Perhaps there should be a way to detect the capabilities of a browser. Detecting for IE or NS or a "4.0 browser" (smack the person who thought up that term) is just a really bad way of doing things. There should be no reason to need to know what client is being used.
This is a passive solution, but it will get you past the censorware.
Just use SOCKS. Find a college buddy or anyone with a box on broadband and throw up a socks 5 server. Then put SocksCap on the boxes at school. Download all of this here.
Now you can use the local applications and they will route all requests through the remote box. This is also a very good way to get around port limitations. If a school only allows port 80, but you want ICQ, just use SocksCap on port 80. Whee!
Of course, if you're paranoid you can also tunnel socks through ssh, which would encrypt your entire Internet session. Who's collecting your data now?
-Justin
Are you talking about the server or a desktop? You must have forgotten that many people use Linux as a desktop OS, myself included. Linux has more support for diverse hardware than any of those unixes.
Wow. Exactly what I was looking for. This could come in handy.
I just thought of another problem though. When serving your current session, doesn't that leave you wide open at the local machine?
There ought to be a way for the server to blank the local screen upon remote login (so fire up server, then start xlock and go home). Or perhaps a way for the rfb server to completely take over the entire X session and disconnect the local X server. So the whole session would go into the background and kdm would pop back up or what have you.
Cool that this comes with source.. perhaps I will have to play around.
Thanks!
-Justin
This doesn't "take over the X session". Rather, it starts a new one. I've also found this to be a problem with a command shell as well. There is no way to transfer it.
I believe the Windows version of VNC serves up the current desktop because that's the only way it can work on that platform. The Unix version actually fires up a completely independant desktop into the background which is very powerful but it also means there is no way to serve up your current session. There have been many times where I had something that was running (like a download) and I wanted to be able to resume using the app/desktop when I get home. No chance on Linux..
Right now if you want to be able to resume your desktop or shell elsewhere, you have to think in advance by starting up VNC or "screen" beforehand. There has got to be a better way. Sure everyone could use VNC locally all the time (just in case we might leave the computer) but isn't that a bit silly? Also insanely slow. As crazy as it sounds, there should be a way to make Xvnc operate like the Windows server.
-Justin
You didn't mention IE, so I figure you were talking about Linux. But then why did you fail to mention Konqueror? It's as if everyone ignores this browser, yet it's likely the best one available for Linux.
And if it's because you haven't tried it, well.. try it! KDE won't bite =) (take that both ways).
-Justin
I just observed in the comments that most people lumped Qt in with Gtk, etc as part of the non-professional alternatives to Motif.
Excuse me? Gtk is a typical open source project where developers get to it when they can get to it. Qt on the other hand, is a professional toolkit. It is created by a company that spends all of their time working on it. The Unix version also happens to be GPL.
IMO this makes Qt an extremely viable alternative to Motif. In fact, Borland thought so too: just look at Kylix. Qt is not "just another toolkit."
Has everyone forgotten that?
-Justin
The majority of Linux development is done on a voluntary basis. The kernel/drivers, Xfree, KDE, Debian, etc, are for the most part all done as a hobby. This would not change even if all of the "industry" companies went belly up.
This "Linux industry" has done enough already to get the message out, and that message won't just disappear. You can't kill Linux, nor the mentality of all of the open source programmers.
Would my desktop suddenly burst into flames if Redhat went out of business? I don't think so. People would still be developing for Linux. Heck, a new version of KDE might come out the next day. Like a giant snowball, Linux/OSS would keep moving.
The concept of giving away programs to the world is not a new one. I did it long before I knew about Linux. With the popularity of the Internet and an extremely popular open source OS, it only makes it easier for free software developers to work together. They did it before, they're doing it now, and they will continue doing it.
-Justin
took the integration and modularity further than IE in the form of transparent I/O. Konqueror can browse FTP archives just as a local disk. IE has a similar feature but it is not truly transparent like this.
One of the coolest things you can do in KDE is access files via URLs from *any* KDE application.
For instance:
Kwrite->File->Open->ftp://me@host/file.txt
Or you can just browse to the same FTP site with Konqueror and right-click file.txt and choose Kwrite. Both ways work.
Anyway, it will open that file on the server. Clicking on Kwrite's save button will cause the KDE I/O subsystem to ftp the file back to the server.
Basically if it works in Konqueror's location bar, then it works everywhere else. This is insanely useful, not to mention just plain cool!
-Justin
Konqueror runs all day without crashing as well. Also, If IE is modular at all it surely uses plugins, too. And they both handle files and folders.
You could almost say Konqueror is the IE of Linux. Unfortunately, Konqueror is not available for Windows and IE is not available for Linux so I guess comparing them is a bit useless.
-Justin
and I'm a long-time *nix programmer. Do you think that just because I'm a programmer that I probably use nothing but the console? Pretty desktops are not only for converting Windows users. I find KDE to be extremely functional!
:)
Konqueror has true I/O transparency (great for FTP) and is more stable than any other web browser I've used. There's even a checkbox for disabling popups!
A true programmer loves a command line interface as well, and Konsole supports multiple terminal sessions in one window via a tabbed interface. Keeps xterm clutter down
While there are other aspects of Linux that need developing as well, I don't think anyone should neglect a project like this one. I was more anxious to get KDE 2.0 than Linux 2.4. Don't worry, there are enough developers in this world. A person writing for KDE is not taking away from potential crypto development =P
If you think that desktop environments are just for newbies, think again. Would you believe that in the sound notification section of KDE, you can specify to log all events to stderr? Toto, we are sooo in unixland.
-Justin
As far as I have known, every C++ compiler is a front end, not just g++. gcc is not going anywhere anytime soon. Personally I think it's a great compiler. Heck, even on my Windows system where I have access to Watcom and Visual C++, I mostly use DJGPP. I guess I'm just used to it.
-Justin
Are you sure it generates programs that use Qt? This would mean that people would have to buy a Qt license as well.
My guess is that Kylix is probably based on Motif or their own homebrew widget set, just like every other "professional" X program. Although I must say the Kylix screenshot looks a LOT like it was developed with Qt.
-Justin
>We have a completely web-based elearning
>product that requires nothing beyond a 4.0
>browser and a 28.8 connection...
Damn, I guess I'm outta luck. My Konqueror browser is only at version 2.1
My code is heavily commented... out.
Seriously, this is the best PDA available. I've been sync'ing with my Nokia 8890 ever since I got it. Phone lists, SMS, you name it! Plus, with it's keypad I can actually enter remote shell commands to the servers I deal with at work. Try *that* with palm graffiti!
The logo for PDA at Slashdot should be changed to a Psion image instead of a Palm. I mean, the Psion is *the* hacker PDA.
-Justin
I was recently at my cousin's house for Christmas and he was having trouble with a CD burner on his iMac. Well I've never used a Mac, but I figured everything out okay and I got him all set up. The interesting part was how I was able to figure it out so easily, while none of it was intuitive for him. Afterwards, I began thinking about the Linux desktop situation and.. well.. how can we expect the average user to get to use a unix-like OS when even an iMac can be difficult?
What are the strengths of Unix? We know them already, and they're why some of us use it. I'm fairly sure that a lot of effort could be spent making, say Linux, simpler for newbie tasks, but why? It's good that Linux is customizable like that, but if we cover everything up what is the point of using Linux in the first place? Sure, GUI's like KDE help people in the transition, but heck I use KDE also and I consider myself pretty handy with an xterm. KDE doesn't forget that you're running unix, and some applications can be complicated because of this. Previous posts have complained that Kpackage is confusing for a newbie. When you see a checkbox in the system notification control panel labeled: "Log to stderr", you *know* you're in unixland. =) I'm sure a GUI could be created with the ultimate of simplicity in mind, but like I said earlier, why? It would defeat the purpose of using unix.
People have said that Linux will never survive if the general public doesn't accept it. I have a very good feeling that Linux won't disappear. It's not like anyone is getting paid now, so why would it be any different later? If Linux never becomes fully mainstream then it will always lack certain apps or games (actually games are the only problem. apps can be cloned, games cannot), but is this a problem? Do you see the BSD users complaining about lack of games? Maybe it's a question of "using the right tool for the job."
Anyway, if someone came to me asking for help on Linux, I would drag them through the mud. They would get their hands dirty. Maybe they would decide it's not for them. That's fine, I'm not using Linux to impress anybody or to help it take over the world. I use it because it works for me.
-Justin
GNOME is approaching critical mass? Sure they're getting lots of backing recently, but KDE is still way in the lead as far as who is using what. KDE is the default on just about every distribution except for RedHat.
GNOME has quite a few things going for it: Nautilis, StarOffice, etc, but then so does KDE: Konqueror, KOffice. KOffice isn't quite finished, but then neither is Nautilis. I wouldn't be choosing any sides just yet.
-Justin
Are there any options in current web browsers that can disable things like "pop-ups" ? That shouldn't even be allowed. It's just not nice on your system. Maybe a Yes/No question? Now that we have some good open source browsers, we could always just hack it in if the developers never get around to it.
[X] - Always ask before opening a popup
"Question: This page is trying to open a new browser window, is this ok? [Yes,No,Always,Never]"
Perhaps the "Always" and "Never" options would be on a per-domain basis.
Just a thought.
-Justin
It is amazing how insecure most real life (for lack of a better term) things are.
Last time I was at Bank of America they asked me to change my PIN# to one with 4 digits, instead of the usual max of 6 numbers. In the network world, you find administrators that configure systems to require more characters in a password than before, *never* less.
Take a look at Credit Cards. That's like: "I'm lazy, here's my login and password. Take only what you're supposed to." You try to tell a sysadmin that and he would flip out.
So yes, "real life" is a lot riskier. Why do we babble over our SSH bits-per-key, when in the real world we give our passwords away to the waitress?
-Justin
There probably was a time when I wished for IE on Linux, but now I have Konqueror. It's very IE-like, in that it renders pages good, it's fast, and is a good file manager.
Konqueror lacks things like ActiveX, but who needed that in the first place? It also is much more stable than IE (and isn't that the reason we're using Linux in the first place?).
I'm not quite sure what you're whining about. I'd much rather use Konqueror than IE. So... where is this lost war you speak of?
-Justin