On Thu, Apr 27, 2006 at 10:44:29PM +0100, John Stumbles wrote:
>My own progression was
>Mandrake: easy to use (KDE), PITA to manage (packages etc)
>SuSE: more or less ditto
>Ubuntu: couldn't get my brain round the GUI
>Kubuntu: phew!
>debian (w/kde)
My own progression is lost in time. I've used, and often enjoyed the
following desktops/window managers:
GNOME (with OpenBox and with Metacity)
KDE (with KVM)
FVWM
Enlightenment
Window Maker
>I did try to use and understand GNOME (honest!) but it's too warped for
>my brain (or vice versa :-). To give an example: burning a CD etc under
>KDE I invoke k3b, select type of disc to burn, pick files to put on it,
>set a few options (e.g. joliet if I want to play my mp3s on my car
>player) and off we go. Under GNOME there's some business with nautilus
>which doesn't seem to allow for any of the options I may need to set.
>Not even whether I want to write to a CD or a DVD (though maybe it
>detects that).
>
>ISTR there were other foibles that put me off GNOME, though it's so
>long since I've used it in anger I've forgotten them. Maybe I should
>give it another try, but can you (Magnus) as an obvious GNOME-o-phile,
>tell me what you like so much about it rather than KDE, that you think
>would benefit other users?
That's a difficult question to answer. I feel at home in GNOME (with
OpenBox). I know where things are and pretty much how they work. I can
customize it the way I want it. It's all good. (You probably feel
exactly the same way about KDE. :-)
If I have to pick a few applications that I like and use:
- Nautilus, and yes, I use the spatial layout which probably means I'm
in minority among Gnomistas.
- Epiphany, this is the _one_ application that keeps me from trying
sincerely KDE at all.
- Gnome terminal, I know, a lame pick but the few times I boot a
Knoppix CD I always ending up thinking "Why? Oh, Why?" when using the
KDE terminal.
If you had asked me why I like GNOME better from a developer's point of
view the answer is easier--libraries and language bindings. Python on
GTK/GNOME is a pleasure to program. An extra benefit is that Epiphany
allows Python plugins :-)
Now, I am the first to admit that KDE is better in many ways. Since I
don't use it I can't say anything about the applications. However, I
have gotten some insights into the "KDE development process" and the way
they do things on a code level. I believe they are ahead of GNOME,
though I've seen indications of GNOME catching up (at least in some
areas).
/M
--
Magnus Therning (OpenPGP: 0xAB4DFBA4)
magnus@therning.org
http://therning.org/magnus
Software is not manufactured, it is something you write and publish.
Keep Europe free from software patents, we do not want censorship
by patent law on written works.
Most people, I think, don't even know what a Rootkit is, so why should
they care about it?
-- Thomas Hesse, president of Sony-BMG's Global Digital Business,
commenting on XCP
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