A Phoronix thread, in which I wax rhapsodic about KDE and Kubuntu

[SteveRiley]

http://phoronix.com/forums/showthrea...930#post267930

It's a monster thread, likely full of bloviating blowhards. Thus following convention, I respond to a challenge issued by an earlier poster without reading the whole thread. It's likely that some negative replies might follow, including epithets, insults, and disparagement of my parentage. But I don't care!

The challenge:

kde is an unholy mess that gets in the way

My response:

(...possibly not doing myself a favor by replying before reading the whole thread, but here goes...)

Gets in the way of what, exactly? If one's desire is to avoid making decisions, well then I suppose KDE would interfere with that, so fortunately there exists GNOME3, helpfully encumbered with pre-decisions that avoid all that pesky flexibility. GNOME3's zillion drags and clicks to navigate about one's workspace, combined with a paucity of configuration choices, sure do streamline one's workflow.

I am absolutely smitten with KDE. "Learn me, you bastard!" might certainly be its cost for entry, but then "I will bend to your will" is its luxurious payback. I devoted a few days to explore KDE's myriad offerings for extreme customization (none of which are notably necessary, TBH). My epiphay? This desktop rawks. The only aspect I now notice is just how fast I get **** done. KDE, as manifested via Kubuntu, has earned my loyalty.

[GreyGeek]

It looks like garegin didn't respond to your question. Writing above the high school level usually scares off the trolls. It's all those words with more than one syllable.

The question posed by the article usually generates more heat than light. I suspect that we'll see a LOT more of that kind of article appear as Win8's release point draws near. That was what happened when Win7 and VISTA were released. I remember that Microsoft spent more time competing against XP when it released VISTA. All those complaints that people expressed towards XP were appearing in VISTA ads. Of course, Microsoft didn't have to say anything against VISTA, all they had to do was get Win7 out the door ASAP.

In response to the article the thread was about a link to an article titled:
Why Linux is not (yet) Ready for the Desktop (a.k.a. Linux problems), 2012 edition

reminded readers that:

A word of caution. Probably you've heard many times that Android thus Linux is conquering the entire world by occupying the most of smart phones (which are indeed little specialized computers but not desktops). However there's one important thing to remember - Android is not Linux. Android contains the only Linux component - the kernel. So this document is not about Android, it's about Linux distros and Open Source Software included by these distros.

and thus tried to take out of play the rise of Linux in the smartphone and tablet market. But, Android is Linux with a different "DE", one written to the tablet and smartphone displays.

Another thing we'll be hearing a lot is how Linux has less than 2% market share. IF that were true there would be no need to mention Linux at all. BSD has less than 2% market share and one rarely encounters news comparing Windows or Linux with BSD. This post will probably spike news stories about BSD.

[dibl]

Very nicely written response, Steve.

For non-technical folks who are able to fulfill their computing needs with a Windows system, and who also don't give a fig about the quality of life in Microsoft's pocket, I don't suppose desktop Linux will ever be "ready". Like any change in life, it's easier not to.

[GreyGeek]

Very nicely written response, Steve.

For non-technical folks who are able to fulfill their computing needs with a Windows system, and who also don't give a fig about the quality of life in Microsoft's pocket, I don't suppose desktop Linux will ever be "ready". Like any change in life, it's easier not to.

That it was!

They'll "give a fig" the first time they get a statement for a debit or credit charge that they didn't make, or get dunned for failure to make installment payments on something they didn't buy, like an HDTV, or some other big ticket item. Until then, it like talking to the wall. Getting their financial info stolen has cost some people their credit rating, their home and their job.

An elderly lady had me in a BBC email and at the bottom was a spam link to a hacker website. Because of how the email was written and the topic I knew that she wouldn't have written it. I replied to her email and warned her. She said she had gotten emails from others in her address book telling her that as well. She said she never wrote that email. The next day I got an email from her telling me that she was writing an email and saved it as a draft so she could finish it later. When she opened it up it contained that spam link. That's when she asked me to install Linux.

[SecretCode]

...
In response to the article the thread was about a link to an article titled:
Why Linux is not (yet) Ready for the Desktop (a.k.a. Linux problems), 2012 edition
...

It's pretty clear that Windows is not ready for the desktop, despite 20 odd years of trying.

[SteveRiley]

It's pretty clear that Windows is not ready for the desktop, despite 20 odd years of trying.

Oh, I think XP was a pretty decent desktop. It's been sliding off the desk and onto the floor ever since, though. And the next iteration runs the real risk of getting swiped right out the window BWAHAHAHA!

[SecretCode]

It worked, for sure. But the only thing Windows (and Microsoft) was definitely successful in was getting system vendors (OEMs, they called them) to preinstall it - with implications of testing and support. For people who don't need the benefits of preinstallation, Linux is at least as good a "desktop". For those that do need it, the contest is not one of functionality or quality.

Actually I am still impressed with Windows 95. I've just had to throw out an old laptop that still boots Windows 95 in 16MB of RAM on an 800MB (yes, MB) disk. Show me a Linux distro - hmm, even a raw kernel with bash and GNU coreutils - that will do that!

[SecretCode]

It's been sliding off the desk and onto the floor ever since, though.

So ... 2013 is the year of Windows on the floortop?

[SteveRiley]

Actually I am still impressed with Windows 95.

Wow...memories!

So ... 2013 is the year of Windows on the floortop?

I think we should compose a startup sound to accompany that idea!

[GreyGeek]

.....Show me a Linux distro - hmm, even a raw kernel with bash and GNU coreutils - that will do that!

Don't throw out that old box! There's life still left in it, Puppy Linux:
http://puppylinux.org/main/Overview%...%20Started.htm

[SecretCode]

I looked at Puppy (and lots of other "small" distros) and I'm sure I found it needs more than 16MB of RAM. I can't see a definitive statement on their site though.

The other limitations with that particular machine are ... no USB (I don't think USB was even invented then) and no CD drive. So it has to be installable from floppy (possibly just a floppy that enables network boot). Such things do exist, or at least looked possible when I researched it, but I never got one to work.

[SteveRiley]

I've just had to throw out an old laptop that still boots Windows 95 in 16MB of RAM on an 800MB (yes, MB) disk.

What, you don't have a desk with a leg that could use a boost? Or perhaps a window that needs propped open?

[SecretCode]

*thinks* It would be quite handy for breaking windows ... it's not huge but it would make quite a good brick

Which reminds me, I've also recently got rid of a Nokia 2210 phone. That's a brick.