KDE initiative aims for corporate desktops

Software developers associated with the K Desktop Environment project have launched an initiative to help convince big business of the benefits of Linux -- and particularly the K Desktop Environment (KDE) -- over more traditional software.

KDE::Enterprise is an attempt to remedy one of the persistent limitations of Linux: its failure to achieve significant use as a desktop platform. This failure stands in stark contrast to Linux's success in back-end systems and particularly Web servers, where it controls up to a third of the market, according to some estimates.

Organisations like KDE, the GNOME Foundation and Ximian are trying to make Linux more convenient for end-users by creating stable, easy-to-use interfaces. Many observers remain convinced that Linux will inevitably make significant headway into the desktop market just as it has with Web servers, and KDE::Enterprise says it is part of this effort.

The new project will largely aim to persuade businesses of KDE's viability by giving examples of past successes. "KDE is ready and poised to make substantial inroads in the enterprise, schools, universities and other institutions, and a forum was needed to catalogue the successes, together with any problems and their solutions," said Andreas Pour, chairman of the KDE League, in a statement.

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