KDE-Win :P

Story: The Open Source Hook: Porting KDE to Mac and WindowsTotal Replies: 22
Author Content
jimf

Jan 31, 2007
8:04 AM EDT
I know this has the 'posibilitiy' of bringing users into Linux, but, frankly it just makes me want to puke. I'm also convinced that only the most experienced Windows users would even be tempted to try KDE on windows. Note that those people are the same ones that would just as likely to be doing a real Linux/KDE install.

The most likely users of a KDE interface for Windows will probably be Linux users forced to work on Windows... Then again, they probably won't be allowed to install it anyway. KDE on Windows is, in the end, just wasted effort.

Did I mention that the Idea makes me want to puke :P....
DarrenR114

Jan 31, 2007
8:34 AM EDT
I wanna use GNOME on MS-Windows!!!
jimf

Jan 31, 2007
8:44 AM EDT
> I wanna use GNOME on MS-Windows!!!

Yeah, that would be righteous ;-)...
bigg

Jan 31, 2007
8:54 AM EDT
> KDE on Windows is, in the end, just wasted effort.

I agree that it probably won't bring many users to Linux. It seems pretty clear to me that the problem is that you don't go to Best Buy and purchase a computer with Linux preinstalled, you don't see many schools teaching Linux/open source, and the Linux marketing budget is *way* too small. Some people have a different opinion, so let them throw their hours and money into it.
jimf

Jan 31, 2007
8:57 AM EDT
> so let them throw their hours and money into it.

I'm under no illusion that they won't :)
dinotrac

Jan 31, 2007
9:01 AM EDT
>I agree that it probably won't bring many users to Linux

I think k3b and digikam are both wonderful apps, regardless of platform. Kopete is fine, and konqueror is -- well, calling it a file-manager or a web browser is pitifully inadequate. Krita has become a reasonable power graphics editor -- certainly better than anything you can get for Windows without shelling out $$.

My sense is this: if people want to port it - cool.

Any Windows user who relies on apps that are also available on Linux will find Linux a less scary place to be. Much easier sell.
nalf38

Jan 31, 2007
10:58 AM EDT
As a Linux user I definitely don't see the point. If you want to use KDE as a GUI, you might as well go whole hog and use Linux or a BSD.

But I can only imagine that most Windows-only users will view this from a much different paradigm. For them, a better GUI than Explorer is probably a non-starter, but the idea of a giant suite of free apps will be probably be the main draw. From my imagined perspective of a theoretical Windows user, getting one more feature-rich office suite, disc burning app, IM Client, etc. etc. you name it might be a big draw.

On the other hand, if you like KDE so much, why wouldn't you migrate to Linux? But that would be too easy.
herzeleid

Jan 31, 2007
10:58 AM EDT
I'm not sure what benefit there is in diverting our energies towards trying to make life sweet for those who want to stay on ms windoze.

Although I use linux for 99% of my work related activity, I still have occasion to run ms windoze, but I have no interest in spending any additional time polishing the brass on the good ship microsoft.

The windoze install on the first partition of my company issued laptop is completely stock, save for the addition of putty and filezilla, since I've used doze only as a dumb terminal for running legacy apps, or accessing remote unix systems (though that is no longer necessary since the cisco vpn client is now set up and working fine on linux)

In other words, why not concentrate on continuing to help make linux insanely great, and let's just let sleeping doze lie
maggrand

Jan 31, 2007
11:20 AM EDT
Such a waste on resourses. Why not spend more time to make Linux a plattform willing to die for instead. Windows should be maintained 100% by Microsoft. Its there bug OS so i don't see any reason to help them.
bigg

Jan 31, 2007
11:55 AM EDT
I don't use Windows very often, but hey, I'd really like having xfce available when I do.
herzeleid

Jan 31, 2007
4:52 PM EDT
What's the point of that? If you are in doze, then be in doze. Embrace the doze experience, and appreciate the fact that doze is not linux and never will be.
jimf

Jan 31, 2007
5:14 PM EDT
> Embrace the doze

Lol, just doze through the doz ;-)
hiohoaus

Jan 31, 2007
6:17 PM EDT
herzeleid: if I must use a ’Doze machine, I like to have a few useful tools kicking about (like XMing, PuTTY, OpenOffice, a decent browser).

If I'm choosing my own machine, I see no point in handicapping myself to ’Doze (except this laptop retains a small XP partition for running ’Doze applications & getting screenshots from them when I need to write an article about a cranky piece of ’Doze software that won’t run under WINE) so I’ll choose & use Linux.
Abe

Jan 31, 2007
7:17 PM EDT
I think you guys are missing the point. Qt is/will be available for windows and KDE is helping Trollteck out.

Quoting:Any Windows user who relies on apps that are also available on Linux will find Linux a less scary place to be. Much easier sell.
I agree.
Quoting:KDE on Windows is, in the end, just wasted effort. Such a waste on resourses.
all the developers have to do is a little of what is specific for Windows then compile. I think it is a worth while effort to enticed some Windows users.
herzeleid

Jan 31, 2007
7:19 PM EDT
Quoting: hihoaus: herzeleid: if I must use a ’Doze machine, I like to have a few useful tools kicking about (like XMing, PuTTY, OpenOffice, a decent browser).
Precisely the same as my case - I installed putty, firefox and filezilla, to make the OS somewhat usable in a pinch.

However I won't futz with the wallpaper, try to make doze "cool" or "interesting" as I don't have any desire to spend a second more in that wretched environment than I have to. I'm never in doze by choice, and definitely not to have fun or relax - it's an alien environment, and I'm not going to waste any time trying to make it otherwise.

herzeleid's rule: Use linux whenever and wherever I can, endure doze only if I must and only for so long as I must.
number6x

Feb 01, 2007
7:13 AM EDT
I think the real point the KDE team is trying to show is that If you write apps for the KDE environment, you can run them on Linux, Unix, and Windows. You don't need to to run KDE, but if the libraries are there you can run Konquerer or k3B or what ever KDE app you want.

Write once, compile often, run often. Not as convenient as Java but cross platform nonetheless.
Abe

Feb 01, 2007
9:24 AM EDT
Quoting:Write once, compile often, run often.
Had that on my mind but failed to get it out. Helping Trollteck out was the first part. That should encourage many commercial developers to to use Qt as the tool of choice and make their Windows only apps available for linux/Unix too and about the same time they release them for Windows.
dinotrac

Feb 01, 2007
10:10 AM EDT
>That should encourage many commercial developers to to use Qt as the tool of choice and make their Windows only apps available for linux/Unix too and about the same time they release them for Windows.

Bingo!!!

Wow, two bingos in one thread. Smart group.
jimf

Feb 01, 2007
10:17 AM EDT
Bingo or not, the Win version would still be a dog.
azerthoth

Feb 01, 2007
10:24 AM EDT
The problem now is getting my employer to allow the use of these software projects. I get to work each morning and spend the first few minutes of the day reminding myself I'm using a windows environment and that my keyboard shortcuts and mouse gestures just dont work. Nor will they let me bring my personal laptop or boot DSL in to do my work as its a 'secure' network.

I guess I'm stuck, I even wanted to challenge the use of windows with our IT guys because of an order that all our OS's be POSIX compliant. Guess what, windoze (with NTFS) meets the minimum for POSIX compliance.
jimf

Feb 01, 2007
10:29 AM EDT
> POSIX compliant

Ahh.. I believe that Linux is that :).
Sander_Marechal

Feb 01, 2007
12:34 PM EDT
Quoting:Guess what, windoze (with NTFS) meets the minimum for POSIX compliance.


Only if Windows Services for Unix is installed. Demand that yout IT guys roll out WSFU immediately or let you bring your Linux with you.
Scott_Ruecker

Feb 01, 2007
2:43 PM EDT
Quoting:The problem now is getting my employer to allow the use of these software projects. I get to work each morning and spend the first few minutes of the day reminding myself I'm using a windows environment and that my keyboard shortcuts and mouse gestures just dont work. Nor will they let me bring my personal laptop or boot DSL in to do my work as its a 'secure' network.


Where I work it is all Windows, we run multiple business specific programs, I need more time to learn about all of them and then I will start to see if I can replace any of them with Open Source Software. I do get to run Firefox, Thunderbird and OpenOffice.org on my PC though, and when it comes up I show people. I kid you not, there are a ton of people who have still never heard of Firefox or Thunderbird or OpenOffice.

Ask me again in a year what Open Source programs I am using at work and I will hopefully have a different answer.

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