Pycs has posted a mini article on KDE 3.2-b2 while the KOffice project released 1.3-RC2. Changelog.
A quick look at KDE 3.2 Beta 2; KOffice 1.3-RC2 is Out
About The Author
Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
Follow me on Twitter @EugeniaLoli
Now, this sounds sexy…
http://movix.sourceforge.net/
Very nice combination!
The changes in 3.2 are almost subtle but very nice.
KDE is very well polished and integrated. Seems intelligent design decisions were made long ago and the team stuck to their guns.
Gnome feels like it’s all over the place to me. Since I didn’t come away with such a great feeling, I won’t talk about it.
Noticed only a few minor stability problems with 3.2b2. Once it’s released I’m going to knock windows off my mom’s computer and bring her into the world of Linux.
-8BitHustler
It’s all good but I really think they should add “lines” between the menu bars and the toolbars as Eugenia stated in her preview. It would look even more professional and more organized.
I’m going to go slighty off topic now and critisize Linux UI’s in general – rather than focus on either KDE, Gnome, Xfce etc. – Don’t get me wrong – I love Linux, I just think it could be *so* much better.
Why do some apps require middle mouse button to paste, whilst some require right click, paste?
Why do different apps on the same system have different widget sets?
Why do some apps use the nice anti aliased fonts, whilst others won’t touch them?
Why do Gnome apps all begin with a ‘G’ and KDE apps all begin with a ‘K’? Petty? Maybe – but it looks cheap and tacky.
Why do most distro’s ship with multiple .PDF viewers, Mutliple web browsers, multiple news clients, multiple WM’s etc? Like most other ‘Users’ i think quality is much more important than quantity.
Why does application A need to be compiled, whilst application B needs to be untar’ed, yet application C, is installed using RPM? How can a home ‘user’ be expected to deal with issues like this, when on their windows system, they just click on setup.exe and follow the prompts?
I don’t know how these problems can be addressed within the OSS community, but I do know that these are a small sample of some of the issues that need to be addressed to give Linux any chance of competing with Microsoft for a fair share of the desktop market.
-Just MHO.
but it does not impliment the integration well.
like kmail is not part of the DE where you have a universal address book for all applications, and the calander is not part of the DE where you can schedule stuff from the clock in the right corner and available to everyone, and the buddie list information is not shared with all apps.
program modularization is nice, and it is needed, but I want all my information accessable to all other apps seemlessly.
I also want a DE wide spell checker that can check spelling in webforms, text editors, word processors, basicly all text feilds everywhere.
and I really think that the tree layout of the kontrol center is very poor for access to settings. a much better way is the way OS X does it, it is cleaner, clearer, and easier to see. you do not have to navigate through a clunky tree layout to get to settings. sure Kontrol center works good, but it just seems clunky and does not mesh well with the system.
Why do some apps require middle mouse button to paste, whilst some require right click, paste?
Just stick to ctrl-c ctrl-c and you don’t need to bother anymore
Why do different apps on the same system have different widget sets?
Because they’re different widgets, it’s the same in any OS.
Why is water blue?
Why do some apps use the nice anti aliased fonts, whilst others won’t touch them?
Because there are different widgets and font renderers.
Just stick to either only qt or only gtk and the problem is solved.
Else config fonts for both.
Why do Gnome apps all begin with a ‘G’ and KDE apps all begin with a ‘K’?
For the same reason Microsoft puts ‘MS’ in front of their apps and Apple an ‘i’.
Petty? Maybe – but it looks cheap and tacky.
Your opinion.
Why do most distro’s ship with multiple .PDF viewers, Mutliple web browsers, multiple news clients, multiple WM’s etc?
Because people like choices. If you don’t – why do you care for such distros?
Like most other ‘Users’ i think quality is much more important than quantity.
They’re not in interference with each other.
Why does application A need to be compiled,
Because it’s source code.
…whilst application B needs to be untar’ed,
Because it’s compressed.
yet application C, is installed using RPM?
Because it’s packaged.
How can a home ‘user’ be expected to deal with issues like this, when on their windows system, they just click on setup.exe and follow the prompts?
Because, as in Windows, such users stick to packages or click-n-run installations.
I don’t know how these problems can be addressed within the OSS community, but I do know that these are a small sample of some of the issues that need to be addressed to give Linux any chance of competing with Microsoft for a fair share of the desktop market.
The “problems” you address aren’t any bigger in Linux than in Windows.
For the “Windows user” you describe there are already to Windows equally simple distributions.
I don’t get it. KMail uses the KDE addressbook, and yes, it is available as a component for any app that wants to use it.
If apps don’t use it, and you want them to, file a wish at bugs.kde.org for the pertinent app.
> > Why do some apps require middle mouse button to paste,
> > whilst some require right click, paste?
> Just stick to ctrl-c ctrl-c and you don’t need to
> bother anymore
Please explain because that doesn’t work on my system. Right click here, middle click here, ctrl-c here, consistancy would be nice.
> > Petty? Maybe – but it looks cheap and tacky.
> Your opinion.
The poster (Joe User) did state it was “just MHO” (my humble opinion – I assume).
I think Joe User raises some valid issues here actually, however I do agree that many of these ‘issues’ do also exist in Windows too, but don’t forget that Windows already has the Market share. For Linux to compete, it needs to be better.
Please explain because that doesn’t work on my system. Right click here, middle click here, ctrl-c here, consistancy would be nice.
I can only talk for myself. Here ctrl-c ctrl-v works all the time but maybe that’s cause I only use qt and gtk. OTOH this should be sufficient to any “Joe User”.
The poster (Joe User) did state it was “just MHO” (my humble opinion – I assume).
Everything here is more or less always personal opinions. That doesn’t mean you can’t comment on them. That’s MY opinion.
I think Joe User raises some valid issues here actually, however I do agree that many of these ‘issues’ do also exist in Windows too, but don’t forget that Windows already has the Market share. For Linux to compete, it needs to be better.
The issues are problematic, but since they don’t exist in distributions made for “Joe User” I really don’t see the big deal.
Why do some apps require middle mouse button to paste, whilst some require right click, paste?
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Middle-click or right-click should work on every GTK+ and Qt app. If it doesn’t, its a bug.
Why do different apps on the same system have different widget sets?
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Why do IE, Visual Studio, and Office have different widget sets? Why does AOL AIM not look or behave anything like a regular windows apps?
Why do some apps use the nice anti aliased fonts, whilst others won’t touch them?
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
All GTK and Qt apps, plus Mozilla and OOo should have nicely anti-aliased fonts. Older apps are effectively depricated, and you should not use them when there is a GTK+ or Qt alternative available. There are old windows apps that don’t follow the XP style too.
Why do Gnome apps all begin with a ‘G’ and KDE apps all begin with a ‘K’? Petty? Maybe – but it looks cheap and tacky.
>>>>>>>>>>>>
Brand identification. Why do all Microsoft apps start with “MS” or “Microsoft”. You don’t use Word, remember, but MS Word. Its not Office, but MS Office.
Why do most distro’s ship with multiple .PDF viewers, Mutliple web browsers, multiple news clients, multiple WM’s etc? Like most other ‘Users’ i think quality is much more important than quantity.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
You don’t have to install all those apps. A lot of people don’t have broadband, so its important to put as much software as will fit on the CD. The standard desktop installs of most mainstream distros (Fedora, for example), only installs one set of tools.
Why does application A need to be compiled, whilst application B needs to be untar’ed, yet application C, is installed using RPM?
>>>>>>>>>>
There is no other way to install apps except through Apt4RPM or Yum. There are urban legends that say that some users managed to install apps by “compiling” them, but those are myths. If an APT repository or an RPM is not available, then the software should be considered for developer’s only, and not for average users to install.
The issues are problematic, but since they don’t exist in distributions made for “Joe User” I really don’t see the big deal.
Very true, if you share the view that any distro of Linux is not a distribution for “Joe User”. Maybe I’m expecting too much from Linux?
I’ve tried many distro’s, and I’ve not found one that isn’t plauged with these problems. They obviously aren’t an issue for people such as yourselves who are skilled enough to fix these problems, but for ‘users’ such as myself who want to “use” (not understand) Linux, I don’t want a default install to include multiple .pdf viewers. I don’t want to learn different methods of performing the same task within different apps (with different widgets) that are all part of a default install of a single distro.
I understand how you prefer the choice and flexibilty you get, but can you understand from a ‘dumb user’ point of view, that these are issues that need addressing if other ‘dumb users’ are to be encouraged to ditch Windows?
Joe User. Try this one: http://www.lindows.com
It is made for people like you (no offence intended) and it is pretty nice for what it’s worth.
Another interesting OS for a guy like you might be Zeta: http://www.yellowtab.com … although make sure first that your hardware is supported.
I understand how you prefer the choice and flexibilty you get, but can you understand from a ‘dumb user’ point of view, that these are issues that need addressing if other ‘dumb users’ are to be encouraged to ditch Windows?
And can you understand, that most of the issues you mentioned just don’t exist on Fedora (and certainly other modern distributions) as Rayiner pointed out?
For example on my system there is certainly only one PDF viewer installed. Also all the default applications have the same look and feel. You have valid issues, but those are well known and shouldn’t be mixed with obsolete nonsense.
To all “if it doesn’t work like Windows it isn’t good enough” people:
Linux, like Unix, is a system that from beginning was made for what you call “power users”. As an effect of its inheritage most Linux distributions today are NOT made with people like you in mind. You see, in the computer world there’s alot of people who doesn’t want their systems to act like Windows.
BUT, since Linux is a very powerful system and since it’s also very flexible, there are today a few distributions of Linux targeted for people like you.
If you have no intention what so ever of learning Linux and no will at all solving any problems, but still want to try Linux, I suggest Lindows.
If you feel that you can handle a bit more of configuration than pop-up questions served for you, I suggest Linux Mandrake.
Though I have a warning as well – you might actually come to like the way Linux works!
Very true, if you share the view that any distro of Linux is not a distribution for “Joe User”. Maybe I’m expecting too much from Linux?
They definately are not! Like RedHat clearly focused mostly on server use, and in the last few versions also on the corporate desktop.
If you want an “easy to use home distro” then things like xandros and lindows.com is a good bet. They might not be free of charge, but they both focus exclusively on the home user. A free alternative could be arklinux, although its first stable release is still in development.
If you are slightly more advanced, then you have things like mandrake linux and suse linux. (and some would say fedora linux, but i honestly dont think redhat is suited for novice users)
I am afraid i didn’t really understand your integration talk, as i find said components to be quite well integrated.
I also want a DE wide spell checker that can check spelling in webforms, text editors, word processors, basicly all text feilds everywhere.
But you do have this. All KDE applications uses KSpell to do their spell checking! And try right clicking on a text field in konqueror, and you will get your web form spell checking.
(note, the latter might only work in the kde 3.2 betas, i have used the development version for too long to really remember which features were in 3.1 and which are newer)
no, that is the difference. I want access to the information, not a module that I have to stick into a program.
I just want the info to be shared by default to all applications that want it. if I am writing a letter and want to insert info on a contact, I do not want address book to open up for me to copy and past, I want to just insert from the menu with a drop down list of my contact names then have a kword box pop up with a selector for the data from their card I would like to insert. a simple check in the box and it inserts properly formated.
well that is good news but does it have auto-check? I really like that in OS X because I can just fix the spelling on the fly with a right click.
You *can* use the addressbook that way, too. It is harder, of course.