![]() I remember cycling thru several docks and several spotlight clones within a couple years. Threads, blogs, newsites, etc constantly had discussion on new apps you could use to mod your Linux (mostly Gnome) desktop experience. We were definitely loud, but maybe also a minority. My top panel had a clock, system tray, and I don't think anything else. I switched apps with the Expose plugin provided by compiz/beryl. I removed the application launcher and instead used the dock plus a Spotlight clone. It's been a decade, so forgive me for forgetting most of the specific app names but: I used compiz then later beryl. I used Gnome 2 at the time, but I also changed a lot. I think a more charitable explanation is they listened to a loud minority, one I would have been part of. > At the time, KDE, GNOME and Ubuntu developers alike, were simply drunk on popularity. I was using Linux around this time and I don't remember hearing about this threat either. ![]() I agree MS is probably being scapegoated here. So, I'm utterly useless as a point of reference. To be fair, I couldn't even tell you if I ever used KDE 4 or not. You won't be that happy with it, but, at least you aren't stuck with the worst option. ![]() I suppose there's a bit of a decent veneer there if you only judge them by screenshots and aren't terribly critical of the standard 'modern' sort of design in general.īut that falls apart real quick if you dare to think taboo words like 'configuration' or 'option.' Though I suppose at least on linux you're just in for pain as you try to figure out what to configure, and how, and disappointment when you accept that you can't actually get everything the way you want, and that whatever subset of features you want isn't actually available together. I uh, can't say 'polish' is a world I ever associated with the likes of Dolphin and co., or any of the alternatives if I'm being honest. I recently had to dive into the world of linux GUI file managers and their various accessories after living for years pretty much exclusively with just i3wm and the terminal for that sort of basic stuff. FAT and SMB patents were more serious threats. Any claim that money was thrown at KDE really upsets me because it would be a complete mischaracterization of the nature of the project and motivations of people behind it. It was the first SVN repository to reach 1 million commits, etc etc and most of it has been volunteer work. KDE is one of the biggest softwares out there. Very few engineers paid to work on it hired by entirely different set of companies like Blue Systems or Krita trying to make a living with very modest donations and contributions. There was a few attempts on KDE side to get paid by Intel to develop an office suite for mobile but it was also pretty small.Īnd to this date that is still the case with KDE. Most of the contributions were volunteers. I don't think more than 10-15 engineers have done paid worked on KDE at any given time. At best, a handful of engineers from a few different companies (TrollTech/Nokia, Novell/SUSE, Red Hat, Canonical) were hired to work full time and that was pretty much it. Im not really educated about the GNOME world, but I was involved on KDE side of things (very minor contributor). If experience is the name we give our errors, refusing to accept errors were made means stating you've learnt nothing. Microsoft was (and is) a terrible company and a constant threat to the FOSS ecosystem, but defining some of the biggest design choices of the Linux desktop only in antagonistic or reflective terms does a real disservice to those projects and the people who worked in them. It's sad that people try to justify their missteps in this way. Interaction targets moved from keyboard+mouse to touch screens, because "convergence" and the fact that the mobile sector was suddenly awash with cash. The core teams really thought they had a shot at redesigning how people interact with computers, "like Apple did with phones". And then the iPhone happened and the whole UX world just went apeshit. Linux usage was in ascendancy, money was being thrown around, and the FOSS world was starting to attract young designers who saw it as a cheap way to build professional credibility. The FAT and SMB patents were much more of a worry than anything related to the desktop interface - only outright clones were being pursued.Īt the time, KDE, GNOME and Ubuntu developers alike, were simply drunk on popularity. This worry was never expressed at the time in significant terms. I think that MS here is being used as a convenient scapegoat.
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