KDE

[Micah Yoder <yoderm@geocities.com>]

Have any of you tried the KDE beta?  I installed it a couple days ago. 
I hate to open up the Qt worm again, but I must say - this is EXACTLY
what we're looking for!

There are some bugs, but it's only Beta 1 so I expect it will only get
better.

I know we've discussed this before and most of you think the Qt license
is evil, but perhaps we should do a couple more checks:

1.  Do end users care?  After all, they're switching from something far
more restrictive with its licensing than Qt.

2.  It's here today, looks nice, and appears to work well.

3.  I saw a note that someone is starting to work on a free OFFICE SUITE
for KDE!!!!!

4.  What good alternatives are there?  A friend suggested I try
Enlightenment, which I hope to do soon (if I can get over the ecstacy of
KDE...:-) )

I was playing with the control panel (which is extendable).  Its method
of picking desktop backgrounds and such is superb.  There are a few cool
games included.  The desktop truly puts Windoze to shame!

Is it *really* necessary that everything be GPL?  Consider...

1.  The JDK.  I could be wrong, but I don't think that one's GPL, and we
will certainly want to include it (at least the runtime if not the javac
and jdb tools)

2.  Netscape.  I've been thinking about browsers lately.  What is the
chance we could convince Netscape to let us bundle Navigator with this? 
If they don't change their distribution policy, they're screwed. 
Microshaft is putting IE on every single CD they can get it on, and
imposing it on Windoze and Mac users.  And Netscape still insists that
they control distribution channels.

[Flamebait...if it's impossible to work out something with Netscape,
would we consider bundling the forthcoming IE with SEUL?  Our target
WILL want a browser.  Hopefully Mnemonic will be an option, but it won't
support Java initially.]

Just more things to think about...  Oh yeah, and KDE also has a help
system, though it's currently lacking in content.  Overall, it could
make our job much easier.
-- 
Windows: From the folks who brought you Barney!
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