Re: KDE

[Roger R Dingledine <arma@mit.edu>]

(List problem with trusted From field. Temporarily fixed, while Omega and
I deal with stuff. We're moving www and cvs to belegost soon, it seems.)
--Roger

------- Forwarded Message

Date: Tue, 11 Nov 1997 09:48:52 +0200 (EET)
From: Juhana Siren <jsiren@rieska.oulu.fi>
X-Sender: jsiren@rieska
To: Micah Yoder <yoderm@geocities.com>
cc: seul-leaders@belegost.mit.edu
Subject: Re: KDE
In-Reply-To: <34680BE4.5B2E1FA7@geocities.com>
Message-ID: <Pine.GSO.3.95.971111093452.11028A-100000@rieska>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

On Mon, 10 Nov 1997, Micah Yoder wrote:

> 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!

I pretty much agree. I currently always install it everywhere I put
Linux.

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

Which is most likely.

> 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.

I don't, and I don't think too many would mind.

> 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!!!!!

True. We'll see how it goes.

> 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 have also tried E. I must say, however, that while looking EXTREMELY
cool, it's a PITA to configure. No end user will like it.

> 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!

Agreed. I especially like the knotes program... :)

> 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)

True.

> 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.

<clippety clip>
> 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.

Still agreed. Besides, content will be added. What I also find very
important is the ongoing nationalisation of KDE. There are many language
versions being worked on, and it's easy to include more. As of now,
there seems to be no means to select the language, but I think it'll come
pretty soon.

BTW, sorry about my silence. I have been reading the lists, but my hands
have been too full for me to post.
- -- 
Juhana Siren * juhana.siren@oulu.fi * http://rieska.oulu.fi/~jsiren/

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