No, I’m not actually going to count, but it was the first title that popped into my head and if I’ve learned anything about the creative process, it’s that your first instinct is usually the best.
The GNOME vs. KDE war is not new. Since their very beginnings where one claimed to be the first desktop environment offering a uniform experience, and the other claimed to be the first to do so with a free toolkit, there have been campers on both sides. Now, both are free but each endeavours to appeal to a different kind of user. But who is that user? I’ve heard it claimed that KDE is more Windows-like and GNOME is more Mac-like (OS 9?). KDE is too complex and GNOME is too simple. KDE has too much eye candy and GNOME is too plain. KDE has too many bells, whistles, knobs and switches to control every little thing, whereas GNOME hides too much customization behind the scenes. So what’s the real truth? Be damned if I know. I think all of the above comparisons are arguably true, on both sides.
As I’ve written before, I’ve repeatedly tried and failed to love GNOME for reasons that aren’t always entirely clear to me. This article is an attempt to force me to come to a better understanding of why that is. I have to say though, my initial attraction to KDE was positive, instantaneous… and mysterious.
A not-entirely-analogous comparison might be made to one’s sexuality. Using myself as an example — because as I’ve also written before, I love writing about myself — I’ve always loved women. Sure, I can look at another man and think: “Hmm. He’s attractive.”, but it’s the same way I look at a puppy and think: “Hmm. Cute.” But, in those cases, there’s none of the lust that I feel when I look at an attractive member of the opposite sex.
And so its been with KDE and GNOME. GNOME evokes the “Hmm. Attractive.” response whereas KDE evokes the far more lustful: “Mmmm BABY!” (minus the sex, of course).
But why? Admittedly, it used to be mostly to due to appearances. KDE has always looked beautiful to me, whereas GNOME appeared very spartan. But then, everything changed with Ubuntu. At long last there was a GNOME distribution that focused on making Linux not only more functional, but more attractive. Its Debian heritage made it all the more appealing to me. But somehow I found that I still preferred Debian with KDE (and, with the release of version 6.10, Kubuntu — minus some of its ‘ease-of-use’ unimprovements).
I like Ubuntu. I’ve booted up every version since Warty Warthog. Sure, true to its name, it had a lot of ugly warts, and made me run screaming through the trees like a greased dog on fire. However, after sleeping off the experience in the safety of the underbrush for a few months, I came out for another sniff. I’ve been pleased with its increasing simplicity and elegance with each successive release.
However, even with the release of Gutsy, after an hour or so of use (sometimes less), I’ve found myself clamouring to get back to KDE. I can’t stand that there are panels on the top and bottom, leaving two bars of pull-down menus as soon as I open an application. And no, I don’t want to fiddle and change it to try to combine it into something more workable — I miss the kicker. I miss the power of kcontrol. I miss K3B, Amarok and Kaffeine. I need konqueror — which is not my favourite web browser, but is the best file manager I’ve ever used. I still love that I can pop in an audio CD and see file folders for Ogg Vorbis and other popular free and non-free formats, which are ripped and converted automatically just by dragging the files to a folder on my hard drive.
I used to think I couldn’t live without The GIMP. Until I met krita. Krita. Kriiiiiiiiiiita. Where have you beeeeeeen all my (Linux) life?
Alrighty. So perhaps that’s a bit kreepy. Er.. creepy. But honestly, did you really come here to read another boring tech article by a member of the Taped Hornrims Club?
?
Nah. Didn’t think so.
You get my point. These applications are just excellent, and are always getting better. While OpenOffice gives me no serious complaints, I keep secretly wishing that KOffice will kick it in the cage, maybe shake it off its high perch. Perhaps with KOffice 2.0?
So, come to think of it, the K applications are some of the best selling features in K. Rarely have I had the experience where I thought: “What a lousy application. This isn’t up for the job.” Rather, I’m usually always pleased by the features and functionality of these apps, and elated when I try a new one that makes life easier. For example, k9copy is my current favourite of my recent finds.
I can see how GNOME fans might get a bit irritated with the use of K everywhere. Konqueror, konsole (which is the correct spelling in German), konversation… it is a bit much. But you interact with the software, not the name, and you get used to it. I did.
Maybe there is no one thing about KDE. Maybe it’s just everything. Yeah, it was love at first sight — that desktop and kicker knocked me off my feet. But it was everything else under the menu that really got a hold on me.
Alright. Enough of the sappy love talk. Back to work, K.
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