Neither are Windows clones. Do you even use either of them? Superficially, they're kinda like Windows, in that every WIMP GUI is like Windows. At a deeper level, GNOME is more like the Mac (simple, very rule-based GUI design) while KDE is...well, KDE is whatever you want it to be. I've got a pretty Mac-like setup (reduced number of icons, menubar at the top, Mac-style keyboard shortcuts). Of course, that customizibility comes at the cost of a lot of complexity.
KDE and GNOME both have a large number of users. Both are free, so why continue using one or the other? Because they're different! GNOME users wouldn't want to use KDE, and KDE users wouldn't want to use GNOME. If you got rid of GNOME, GNOME users wouldn't suddenly switch to KDE. They'd probably just grab the last GNOME build and keep working on it. And if you got rid of KDE, well, then I would have to hunt you down and kill you.
The two projects have different goals, different methodologies, and produce two different products. There's no changing that. There's no point in changing that anyway --- economic theory says that a competitive environment is the most efficient use of available resources (developers). A competitive market will reach a natural equillibrium. For the Linux desktop market, that equillibrum appears to be two competing major desktops.
GNOME and KDE have always been ideologically different. At first, it was the license issue (which was a valid consideration at the time) and today, its a matter of each desktop's vision. The two desktops have gone in very different directions. GNOME has gone ultra-simple, which pissed off a lot of old GNOME users, but gained a lot of new users. KDE has gone towards the power user's desktop, trading some simplicity for customiziblity.
So it makes no sense to merge the two products. It'd be like merging MacOS and Windows!
KDE & GNOME: They are acronyms --- K Desktop Environment and GNU Network Object Model Environment. They're really no worse then all the acronyms used in the commercial world --- CDE, CORBA, COM, MFC, etc.
OpenOffice: This is weirder than MS Office how?
GIMP: GNU Image Manipulation Program. Again, its a perfectly sensible acronym. Okay, so Photoshop is sexier, but the computer industry is comfortable with acronyms --- so GIMP is actually a pretty conservative name as far as things go.
Zope/Plone: Okay, fine you've got a point with those. Python people are weird:)
In a survey done by EDC KDE is used by 65% of Linux developers, while GNOME is used by 56% (some overlap). So I'd guess that KDE's userbase is a bit larger --- remember a lot of Linux users are European, and the biggest distro there (SuSE) is very KDE-centric. Overall, I'd guess KDE has a slightly larger userbase.
The other reason is probably that KDE users are rabid, frothing-at-the-mouth maniacs. In my experience, they're much more enthusiastic than GNOME users. Compare the popularity of dot.kde.org vs gnomedesktop.org (the major news sites for each desktop) and the popularity of kdelook.org vs the popularity of art.gnome.org.
KIllustrator had its name changed because it was too similar to Adobe's. Word processors named "something-Word" or "Word-something" existed a long time before MS Word: WordStart, WordPerfect, WordPro, etc.
It takes about one night for the system to compile, and no time at all if you installing using the reference platform. Anyway, "emerge gnome" takes only a few hours, and nobody really tracks the releases anyway.
You've obviously not done game programming. Game programming is all about getting every last bit of performance from the hardware. That means pointer tricks and custom asm and whatnot.
C#, in a console, are you insane! Game programmers are still rolling custom assembly loops for their engines, and there is no indication its changing anytime soon.
Games make very few OS calls. The Win2k kernel in the XBox doesn't actually do all that much. It loads apps, and gets the hell out of the way. Most games are nearly completely CPU-bound, which indicates that performance might even be worse than the 400MHz figure.
Heh. That's funny was hell. There are several toolkits for Windows as well. In fact, its almost impossible to use a "pure" Windows desktop, because some popular Microsoft apps (notably, Office) use different toolkits. The main thing is that most Windows toolkits look and behave similarly, while GTK+ and Qt don't. However, that's exactly what the freedesktop.org project is trying to do!
That makes no sense. Its in the add-ons package. If the user installs that, it means they made a concious decision to install some extra/neat/silly utilities. If the user is easily confused, they're probably not going to be installing that package anyway!
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You're not comparing the same numbers dipshit.
Neither are Windows clones. Do you even use either of them? Superficially, they're kinda like Windows, in that every WIMP GUI is like Windows. At a deeper level, GNOME is more like the Mac (simple, very rule-based GUI design) while KDE is...well, KDE is whatever you want it to be. I've got a pretty Mac-like setup (reduced number of icons, menubar at the top, Mac-style keyboard shortcuts). Of course, that customizibility comes at the cost of a lot of complexity.
KDE and GNOME both have a large number of users. Both are free, so why continue using one or the other? Because they're different! GNOME users wouldn't want to use KDE, and KDE users wouldn't want to use GNOME. If you got rid of GNOME, GNOME users wouldn't suddenly switch to KDE. They'd probably just grab the last GNOME build and keep working on it. And if you got rid of KDE, well, then I would have to hunt you down and kill you.
The two projects have different goals, different methodologies, and produce two different products. There's no changing that. There's no point in changing that anyway --- economic theory says that a competitive environment is the most efficient use of available resources (developers). A competitive market will reach a natural equillibrium. For the Linux desktop market, that equillibrum appears to be two competing major desktops.
They're acronyms you ---baleted!--- That's why they're in caps!
GIMP = GNU Image Manipulation Program. No worse than WMP (Windows Media Player) if you ask me.
GNOME = GNU Network Object Model.
GNOME and KDE have always been ideologically different. At first, it was the license issue (which was a valid consideration at the time) and today, its a matter of each desktop's vision. The two desktops have gone in very different directions. GNOME has gone ultra-simple, which pissed off a lot of old GNOME users, but gained a lot of new users. KDE has gone towards the power user's desktop, trading some simplicity for customiziblity.
So it makes no sense to merge the two products. It'd be like merging MacOS and Windows!
Let's break this down:
:)
KDE & GNOME: They are acronyms --- K Desktop Environment and GNU Network Object Model Environment. They're really no worse then all the acronyms used in the commercial world --- CDE, CORBA, COM, MFC, etc.
OpenOffice: This is weirder than MS Office how?
GIMP: GNU Image Manipulation Program. Again, its a perfectly sensible acronym. Okay, so Photoshop is sexier, but the computer industry is comfortable with acronyms --- so GIMP is actually a pretty conservative name as far as things go.
Zope/Plone: Okay, fine you've got a point with those. Python people are weird
In a survey done by EDC KDE is used by 65% of Linux developers, while GNOME is used by 56% (some overlap). So I'd guess that KDE's userbase is a bit larger --- remember a lot of Linux users are European, and the biggest distro there (SuSE) is very KDE-centric. Overall, I'd guess KDE has a slightly larger userbase.
:)
The other reason is probably that KDE users are rabid, frothing-at-the-mouth maniacs. In my experience, they're much more enthusiastic than GNOME users. Compare the popularity of dot.kde.org vs gnomedesktop.org (the major news sites for each desktop) and the popularity of kdelook.org vs the popularity of art.gnome.org.
PS> I say the above as a KDE user
Interesting comparison of the development methodologies of KDE vs GNOME.
Star Wars sucked (yes, the first three). I'd hope it wasn't another Star Wars. The future will be like Star Trek. Not all dusty like Star Wars :)
Slumming at 0, I see?
A couple of months ago, I traded $400 for a 3rd-gen iPod. I had lots of alternatives, but I chose the iPod. Why?
Linux.
Using the iPod in Linux (kernel 2.6, anyway) was as simple as plugging it in, and "emerge gtkpod".
Linux is the same reason I ditched my otherwise excellent Sony Minidisc player.
Apple, you've made a customer out of me --- for making a product that doesn't suck!
You're post takes on a whole new meaning when you can't see the (rated 0) parent post. I don't recommend drinking isopropyl alcohol :)
2 MIPS CPUs + 2 GPUs. The things a fucking monster!
The Flash standard *is* open. It has been since 1998.
KIllustrator had its name changed because it was too similar to Adobe's. Word processors named "something-Word" or "Word-something" existed a long time before MS Word: WordStart, WordPerfect, WordPro, etc.
If you don't get a joke like that, you deserve to have your Slashdot account revoked. Let's not dilute the meritocracy, m'kay?
Damn you... Its 5:00am, there is no food places open anywhere on campus, and now I'm hungry. Thanks a lot...
It takes about one night for the system to compile, and no time at all if you installing using the reference platform. Anyway, "emerge gnome" takes only a few hours, and nobody really tracks the releases anyway.
You're unlikely to get machine-gunned to death in most third world countries as well. They're not all like Somalia you know...
Hey! Nice to see someone else from Georgia Tech. IIRC, you only get those perks if you're in CS. An AE like me doesn't get to use the program.
I'd care, but as a Linux user, I don't.
You've obviously not done game programming. Game programming is all about getting every last bit of performance from the hardware. That means pointer tricks and custom asm and whatnot.
C#, in a console, are you insane! Game programmers are still rolling custom assembly loops for their engines, and there is no indication its changing anytime soon.
Games make very few OS calls. The Win2k kernel in the XBox doesn't actually do all that much. It loads apps, and gets the hell out of the way. Most games are nearly completely CPU-bound, which indicates that performance might even be worse than the 400MHz figure.
Heh. That's funny was hell. There are several toolkits for Windows as well. In fact, its almost impossible to use a "pure" Windows desktop, because some popular Microsoft apps (notably, Office) use different toolkits. The main thing is that most Windows toolkits look and behave similarly, while GTK+ and Qt don't. However, that's exactly what the freedesktop.org project is trying to do!
That makes no sense. Its in the add-ons package. If the user installs that, it means they made a concious decision to install some extra/neat/silly utilities. If the user is easily confused, they're probably not going to be installing that package anyway!
Linking to the code is no different, practically, than copying that code into your source tree.