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Considering what KDE has achieved with Plasma 5, I am really happy. I use Plasma 5 on all my machines that are capable enough to handle it. Gnome 3, consequentl
by msiyer 8y ago
Considering what KDE has achieved with Plasma 5, I am really happy. I use Plasma 5 on all my machines that are capable enough to handle it. Gnome 3, consequently, has never found a place. On old machines, I use Xfce only. Xfce is, in no way, for the masses. Plasma 5 could easily be the Desktop Environment that everyone loves, if they continue to improve.
I have helped people migrate from Windows to Plasma 5. They loved it. However, getting\installing software and general system management is still not straightforward enough. We also need system management tools that are solid. No terminal gymnastics at all for the common user on distros targeted at the masses.
Flatpak is all cool, but we need core user-space applications to be standardized. LibreOffice, for example, needs to become the industry standard office-suite. How can we achieve that? People I know just do not want to move away from MS Office. Even government agencies invest heavily in MS Office. This might just be the most important impediment.
I think, the Linux ecosystem shows us what a real "free market" looks like. Lots of small players and no monopoly. People love choices and they have. You want a minimal Window Manager, you got many to choose from. You want a full-blown Desktop Environment, you are spoilt for choice. Not a bad thing in an ideal world, but...
- lstamour 8y agoI bet Linux for the desktop will actually start when Microsoft ports Chromium-based Edge and Office apps to Linux for specialty users, primarily developers. I mean, if you want developer mindshare and apparently improving or replacing cmd.exe will never happen... it’s not like these proprietary apps aren’t possible to ship for Linux to run at least as well as they do on an Android phone...
- pjmlp 8y agoThose proprietary apps on Android have two things working for them that GNU/Linux lacks. In spite of piracy, a large set of population actually pays for them, versus bashing the authors for considering to charge money for their work while suggesting free alternatives. A full stack framework that in spite of OEM customization is relatively standard across all devices with an Android label on them.
- Chyzwar 8y agoWhy every Linux related topic needs to end with KDE vs Gnome discussion. The problem is not DE fragmentation but the packaging. Every distribution spends more time on packaging and integration testing than developing useful functionality. When developing for Linux you need to package your application in a few different formats. We also have different init systems to make it more difficult. Every distro has own store and repositories. For GUI there are different frameworks and display servers. If Linux world standardizes around snap/flatpak, systemd and wayland then we stand a chance.
- msiyer 8y agoFirst impression is the... DE being the first thing a common user interfaces with, it holds a very important position, in my opinion. KDE and Gnome are very different w.r.t design principles, hence the polarization and debate. KDE and Xfce are not so different. I like Gnome, but have no use for it. I agree with all else. Also, I think, a real "free market" would resemble Linux ecosystem. No monopoly, small players and lots of choices. However, if we wish to compete in "real world", we need to do something similar to what you say.
- AnIdiotOnTheNet 8y agoLinux has hundreds of DEs to suit all tastes and styles, yet it has always languished in a distant third place. Consider the possibility that your idea of what "the common user" wants is something you made up.
- creviere 8y agoMost non-technical users aren't going to remain interested long enough to try even a few desktop environments. The first one they use will leave a strong impression. I would argue that having a choice between hundreds of DE's is a bad thing for the more casual user.
- AnIdiotOnTheNet 8y agoPlease stop this. "Casual user", "average user", "normal user", it's all just so much bullshit people tell themselves to feel superior. Stop creating this strawman and using it as an excuse for why things have to keep sucking!