Probably the most often misunderstood element of KDE4 is Plasma, the extensive widget engine that replaces the normal desktop and the Kicker panel from KDE 3.x. The entire KDE4 desktop is built up out of Plasmoids (yet another term for desk accessory), including the panel and the desktop itself - and it is the latter that has been causing quite some confusion. Where are my desktop icons? Update: Aaron Seigo has published a screencast showing how the FolderView Plasmoid behaves as a normal desktop, and how to make it so.
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Member since:2006-02-02
While I understood what the screenshot you referenced was supposed to show... it's a terrible screenshot. A screenshot showing a simple desktop with folder view as a plasmoid, and another showing it as the containment for the desktop, would have been sufficient. Aaron's example, while no doubt easy to generate, is overly cluttered.
For now we'll ignore that I have yet to see any DIRECTIONS on making folder view a containment-- the plasma team assumes that we, the end users, are following the development so closely that a statement like "just make it a containment, and stop bothering us" is sufficient directions.
As for accusing people who have legitimate complaints about the direction KDE 4.x has taken of being "astroturfers", that's just insulting.
Member since:2007-02-17
Sorry, but I meant to imply no such thing. I apologise if I wasn't clear.
I simply observe that there demonstrably is a raft of invalid criticism being made ... criticism that continues even after the critic has been shown how the criticism is invalid ... which is therefore undoubtedly just astroturfing and not valid constructive criticism at all.
I also observe that valid, legitimate, constructive criticism, such as undoubtedly some genuine people are sincerely trying to make ... is unfortunately apparently just getting lost in the noise.
Edited 2008-06-16 12:56 UTC
Member since:2007-02-17
Fair point.
Are any of these any better?
http://www.kde-look.org/content/preview.php?preview=2&id=81388&file...
http://www.kde-look.org/content/preview.php?preview=1&id=80239&file...
http://www.kde-look.org/content/preview.php?preview=1&id=76197&file...
A nice-looking theme with a transparent background "folderview" plasmoid gives you "icons on the desktop" functionality (see the Aya theme screenshot, left-hand side, beneath the clock). Alternatively look at this screenshot:
http://www.kde-look.org/content/preview.php?preview=2&id=76197&file...
(see the folderview plasmoid on the right-hand side).
The panel doesn't have to be black (in particular, see Glassified theme).
The panel can be re-sized.
http://www.osnews.com/img/19866/folderviewnepomuk.png
As has been said ... a lot of the criticism being made isn't actually valid criticism.
There is a strong chance that legitimate, valid, constructive criticism has been "lost in the noise" as it were.
Edited 2008-06-16 13:21 UTC
Member since:
2007-02-17
http://aseigo.blogspot.com/2008/06/maybe-people-will-understand-pic...
A lot of people initially complained, for example, that they couldn't put icons on the desktop like they were used to.
Taking this as just one example: the point is, however, that you can have a folderview plasmoid on the desktop viewing the ~/Desktop folder ... and it then becomes the exact functional equivalent of "icons on the desktop".
See the picture, in the top left corner, where the green long-grass picture is:
http://plasma.kde.org/media/folderview_containment.png
What is that if not "icons on the desktop"?
I think the first comment has it down pat:
"I bet there are a lot of people out there going "OHHHHHH now I get it. I guess I shouldn't have been such an ass."
A lot of the so-called criticism is actually like that ... the critics have actually got it wrong. If their criticism was correct and KDE 4.1 actually behaved like they believed it did, then their might be a point, but a lot of the criticism is actually factually incorrect or otherwise misguided.
There might be some valid criticism out there, coming from some genuine people, but it is getting lost in the vast noise of "pretend criticism" coming from people who apparently haven't even run the KDE 4 code.
It is like: "make up a criticism, it doesn't have to have anything to do with the actual program, voice it loudly ... then complain bitterly that your criticism isn't being acted upon and that the developers are rude".
It is an apparent pretty intense smear campaign being conducted here ... smear against the software ... and it is apparently having a desired effect of raising the temper of the KDE developers.
If you have a valid criticism and your valid criticism is being lost in the noise ... then this just adds to the success the noisemakers are having, doesn't it?