On 12-01-12 06:14 PM, Courtenay Watson wrote: > Can you link me to or tell me about the differences between kde and > gnome? I'll look around for screenshots.. > Courtenay >
KDE kept more or less the same layout as the Windows desktop. Your "start" button is in the lower left by default. Gnome went with the task bar at the top of the screen.
The differences between Gnome and KDE are mostly philosophical (IMO). Gnome seems to want to make the desktop as easy as possible for the "common" person, to the point of hiding/removing features the designers don't think a common person would need. KDE aims for an easy to use interface, without hiding or removing options.
So, if you can trigger a feature on the command line, chances are that you can easily find an interface to trigger that feature in KDE. But unless that feature is essential to running the program, you may have less chances of seeing an interface to trigger that option in Gnome. (Assuming of course we are working with an application that works on the command line AND has both a KDE and Gnome interface...)
Gnome does a fairly decent job of simplifying the interface without sacrificing tooo much that the average person would use. Power users would notice the differences though, but they could still get the job done in Gnome - but they may need to implement other tricks.
KDE does a decent job of keeping things simple, and not requiring you to implement other tricks to do most things. (most features and settings are readily availble)
The BIGGEST difference you'll see right away is the single click versus double click. By default KDE rarely uses a double click, and Gnome rarely uses single clicks (for file selection/launching, etc.) But both desktop environments can be configured as you wish - the single/double click thing is one of those configurable options.
But I'm generalizing quite a bit here. The real answer is to try both and see what you like best. Installing either can be freely done with one command (or a few clicks). And you can still run KDE apps in Gnome, or Gnome apps in KDE. So picking a desktop does not mean you are missing functionality.
I use KDE. It fits my work style better. I occasionally will install Gnome or start from Ubuntu then install the kubuntu-desktop. They both are reasonable for me, but I prefer the KDE tools (especially the Kate text editor). I have to try Gnome 3 sometime though and see what it's like. I hate the Unity interface - it gets in my way (more clicks/effort to do stuff I need to do). But I am a coder and Unity isn't meant for my demographic.
OH, the one difference that matters (IMO again) is that KDE bit the bullet and rebuilt itself from the ground up with modern technology (the KDE3.5 to 4.x evolution). As with any new tech, there were issues early on, but KDE has those worked out and it is rather rock solid (except where Ubuntu messes things up - 11.04 is the very first Kubuntu install that worked properly for me with the standard graphical installer - I always needed to use the alternate installer, or go to Ubuntu then 'upgrade' to kubuntu-desktop to get a stable system).
Gnome3 is Gnome's attempt to switch to more modern code/technologies. There are some rough spots (so I've heard), but I would fully expect that at this stage. A year or two from now will be a different story.
How's that for a high level, non-commital, and impartial description? :) Shawn _______________________________________________ clug-talk mailing list [email protected] http://clug.ca/mailman/listinfo/clug-talk_clug.ca Mailing List Guidelines (http://clug.ca/ml_guidelines.php) **Please remove these lines when replying
