KDE 3.5 Released 385
WhiteFoxBR writes ""The KDE Project is happy to announce a new major release of the award-winning K Desktop Environment. Many features have been added or refined, making KDE the most complete, stable and integrated free desktop environment available." Here a Visual Guide to new features, including build-in ad-block for Konqueror and support for MSN and Yahoo! webcams in Kopete. "
Kool! (Score:5, Interesting)
Webcam - yes! (Score:5, Interesting)
I haven't got a webcam myself at the moment, so I have no idea how it works in Kopete. If you have tested it, and can recommend a webcam that is working nicely under Linux, I would like to hear about it. Are there webcams out for Linux that actually support face-tracking?
Great work (Score:4, Interesting)
Way to go KDE!!
Already slashdotted! (Score:4, Interesting)
Anyone here using KOffice in a "real world" environment? The last time I attempted using it, I found it had tonnes of bugs!
Re:Webcam - yes! (Score:1, Interesting)
Re:Let's just have one Linux desktop (Score:2, Interesting)
Trolltech licensing. [trolltech.com]
Is it really? I was under the impression that it was Open Source. But then I'm not a lawyer and haven't been paying that much attention to it. They seem to mention GPL on that page though. But perhaps that's just the program that you write yourself with the Qt library, not the library itself.
Filterset? (Score:4, Interesting)
(...As you've certainly noticed...) Adblock by itself is worthless. Its empty filter base makes it inactive and only weeks of careful building it would make the extension normally useful. Only combined with a good killfile like Filterset.G [pierceive.com] it really kicks ass, at once. Same applies to any other adblocker - what filters are available for Konqueror?
Re:Kool! (Score:5, Interesting)
For one thing, they said it was the most stable, integrated and complete *free* desktop, so Windows and OS X don't count. However, I use KDE by choice at work even though I was encouraged to use Windows, could have used OS X and did try Gnome. I think KDE is more integrated than Windows or Gnome and is on par with OS X. Its features are second to none (Windows and OS X don't even compete with the features I use a lot, such as working with remote servers).
I think it's important to remember that everybody uses their computer in different ways. KDE is great for me and a lot of other people and it pisses us off when a condescending jerk like you tries to blow it off as crap just because you heard it was bloated (but can't provide proof) and think it may be buggy (but can't list any more bugs in KDE than any other DE) and say it's poorly organized (even though it's all customizable).
Re:Kool! (Score:3, Interesting)
I too have been a long time Linux user (originally used Mandrake 5.1, though I don't know how far back that was. I'm now using Gentoo). It's definately come a LONG ways since then.
Re:Google Maps and Blogger (Score:5, Interesting)
I did email Google about that issue (I emailed Google Local because that's where I was at the time. Same problem there). I simply asked that they add Konqueror's user agent to the supported browsers after stating that the browser did work when I switched the user agent. This is their response.
--------------
local-help@google.com to me
Nov 17
Thank you for your note. It appears that you're having trouble using
Google Local because you're using a browser that is not fully supported.
In order to obtain full functionality of Google Local, please use one of
the supported browsers listed in our Help Center at
http://local.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?ans
We appreciate your taking the time to send us your feedback regarding the
use of Konqueror with Google Local. We'll keep your comments in mind as we
continue to make improvements to this service.
Regards,
The Google Team
---------------------
Utterly frustrating. Sounds like a bot may have wrote that
Re:troll? (Score:3, Interesting)
Consider the web browser as an example. After Microsoft illegally crushed all the competition with IE, the browser stagnated for years while competition recovered. Once other had caught up, suddenly they start developmemt again. No cross pollenation of code because of incompatible licenses. (the offspring would be a mule) but ideas have spread. (tabbed browsing etc)
We need multiple competing desktops. That we have two that can (to some degree at least) cross pollenate code as well as ideas is part of what puts us at a potential advantage against commercial offerings. If we had only one, no code cross pollenation could occur and in that sense we would be on a more level playing field in terms of future potential.
Now we just need... (Score:4, Interesting)
...one of the major distributions to get behind KDE and push it a bit. Debian is about the closest I can think of (yes, I know I'm going to get flamed for that) and that is desktop neutral. There's kubuntu but that could hardn't be called major (although I think it will do pretty well).
It's a real shame because IMVVHO I think KDE is the better Desktop system. I know under the hood Gnome is supposed to be better but quite frankly as long as it works I don't really care. I want different things from my desktop than from my API. I want my desktop to be inviting and fun to use I want the APIs I use to be like my bank manager (boring and predictable). Gnome seems to have the API right but the desktop wrong and KDE has the desktop but not the API. I might be totally wrong here because I have never used the API of either (roll on (a fast) swing) but that's the impression I get from the advocates for each side.
The other main argument against KDE is that it is too much of a Windows clone. Perhaps I'm the only one that thinks this but I think that's a good thing. I can switch quickly between windows and KDE without too much thought. Like it or not, M$ have spent millions designing an easy to use desktop system. Perhaps it's not perfect but I can't help feeling that the Gnome people are being different simply because they don't want look like windows.
Re:Already slashdotted! (Score:4, Interesting)
Fitts Law and the Dual Layer Task Bar (Score:3, Interesting)
Placing task bar items along the edge of the screen provides the benefit of "infinite height". With the stacked display of items on the KDE task bar the top row of items do not benefit from this.
Why have many Linux Desktop Environments chosen to implement the dual layer task bar?
Now I understand that by providing more rows the width of the items can be greater than if they were all forced onto a single row. While the size of the target benefits from the greater width does it outweigh the benefits of the infiite height?
Re:Cool! (Score:2, Interesting)
I'd say, if you've got 512MB RAM or more, enable it.
Re:Fitts Law and the Dual Layer Task Bar (Score:2, Interesting)
So given that short trips are easy, and big targets are easy, Fitt's Law tells me that the round trip for my mouse can either be
i) A long way to a big target (moderately easy) + a long way to a small target (hard).
or
ii) A short way to a small target (moderately easy) and a short way to a small target (moderately easy).
And yet, Apple weenies would have us believe that (i) is preferable to (ii)!
Re:Now we just need... (Score:4, Interesting)
KDE is far more integrated than any other set of apps I've seen, and this integration is useful in many non-obvious ways. To me, in KDE things look more refined.
Re:Fitts Law and the Dual Layer Task Bar (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:how to upgrade? (Score:1, Interesting)
KDE -> first linux desktop
GNOME -> spoiled the attempt for ONE desktop
GNOME -> took tons of bloatware (pango) libraries and made the super bloat toolchain. (corba? bonobo? mono?)
GNOME -> miguel de icaza
NOVELL -> Got $500M from ms for "some trademark"
NOVELL -> Funds Mono (a bunch of migule's friends)
NOVELL -> Standarizes on GNOME a, drops KDE. SuSE founder quits with a polite explanation.
Need more proof?
Question for KDE people (Score:3, Interesting)
Xorg 7 is almost here. With Xorg 7 comes EXA. With EXA comes a way to have stable, accerated eye candy. KDE 3.4 was ahead of its time for putting a compsite manager in Kwin, but it was so buggy that I had to stick to my old Xcompmgr+ Gnome/Metacity combination because I could turn off the composite for times when I need a stable desktop with the click of an icon with my old setup(I need stability for a few things). I plan to switch to whatever DE has a stable composite manager first.
Luminocity seems to be at least a year off, XFCE's composite manager is the most buggy I have dealt with, so all my hope is in KDE.
Does 3.5 have what I want? Or am I yet again left to wait a year for KDE 4 to come out? Will I be liberated from "the toy" Xcompmgr? Can I have a stable and modern Linux desktop before 2005 ends? Or do I wait another year (well.....I won't wait another year....if its like this in mid 2006 an Intel Macmini will sit on my desktop)?