Torvalds abandons KDE for Gnome
Summary
Ticked off at the latest revamp of KDE - a "disaster" and "half-baked" - Linux progenitor Linus Torvalds has switched to Gnome.
Topics
Ticked off at the latest revamp of KDE, Linux progenitor Linus Torvalds has switched to Gnome. Apparently he thought KDE 4.0 was a "disaster" and "half-baked". Harsh words indeed.
In an interview with Computerworld, Torvalds said "break everything" probably wasn't the best idea.
Torvalds said, "I got the update through Fedora and there was a mismatch from KDE 3 to KDE 4.0. The desktop was not as functional and it was just a bad experience for me. I'll revisit it when I reinstall the next machine which tends to be every six to eight months."
"The Gnome people are talking about doing major surgery so it could also go the other way."
Ooh, fickle! He does, however, refrain from proclaiming 2009 as the year of Linux...
Talkback Most Recent of 85 Talkback(s)
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The kids will be switching in droves
Now that Linus has switched, will be interesting to see the new Gnome users that have abandoned KDE. For me however, I knew KDE sucked before Linus figured it out.
LandonAB27th Jan 2009 -
I agree ...
... being a relative newcomer to Ubuntu Linux (1 year), I tried KDE, but found it too alien. Gnome may not have all the built-in features of KDE, but it is, at least for now, a more comfortable, logical interface. I hope the folks working on Gnome keep this in mind and don't get too wild.
Tony R.27th Jan 2009 -
Upgrade woes
If I interpret what Linus said correctly, he upgraded an existing KDE 3.5 desktop to a KDE 4 desktop. I strongly suspect that most problems he encountered, wouldn't have happened if he had done a clean install of KDE 4.
I am a Gnome user myself (I love the simple and easy Gnome desktop!), but this criticism of KDE is too harsh.
pjotr12327th Jan 2009 -
Poor Linus
I strongly suspect that most problems he encountered, wouldn't have happened if he had done a clean install of KDE 4.
Poor guy must not know what he's doing when it comes to Linux, eh?
MGP227th Jan 2009 -
NonZealot27th Jan 2009 -
You guys are funny.
Linus chose to switch from KDE to Gnome. He also could have chosen Xfce or Fluxbox or a half dozen other desktops without changing his underlying distro. How many desktops do you have to choose from in Windows 7: The Linux Killer!!? Or do you just learn to like what you get from Microsoft?
kozmcrae27th Jan 2009 -
If we didn't like it....
If we didn't like it then we'd switch. Duh.
mikefarinha27th Jan 2009 -
You'd switch to Linux?
Or does Windows have many different desktop managers to choose from? I'm not sure what you would switch too, an abacus? It would be a lot more stable than Windows.kozmcrae28th Jan 2009 -
Sure
KDE, Gnome, and more than a few others. Try facts, rather than ill-advised, elitist rhetoric.
Someday some of you are going to figure out the OS is nothing more than a means to an end. Windoze, Linsux, Muc - doesn't matter - they've all got good and bad in their DNA - they have to, they're created by people. Duh!
Dr. John28th Jan 2009 -
You suspect wrongly
I strongly suspect that most problems he encountered, wouldn't have happened if he had done a clean install of KDE 4.
No, KDE4 really just sucks. It was shipped out feature-incomplete, to name the most obvious problem. Apparently they decided to imitate Microsoft and have the users do the primary debugging.
Fortunately, there's nothing stopping anyone from sticking with KDE3 until they get the ugly out of 4. That's what I'm doing.
Yagotta B. Kidding27th Jan 2009 -
3.5 raised our expectations
KDE 3.5 had everything a 2D desktop could possibly offer. But when KDE 4.0 went to a 3D widget based system it had to start all over from scratch. Even now, KDE 4.1.4 is still in the alpha stage if you were to compare it to KDE 3.5.10. There are some good ideas in there, but for those who are used to the things you get in 3.5 it is still subpar.
I still like KDE applications, so I stick with KDE because of that. But the loss of Torvalds' endorsement could increase Gnome's momentum, which has been increasing as of late. So KDE had better get their ship in order pretty quickly.
Michael Kelly27th Jan 2009 -
I was thinking about going the opposite direction..
...due to the entanglement of Mono in Gnome. I just won't support it unless MS ports the thing themselves.
The thing that holds me back however is that I just can't get with the look of KDE. Version 4 seems to be nice and glossy but its still just too big and wasteful of space to me.
storm14k27th Jan 2009 -
I don't understand
The thing that holds me back however is that I just can't get with the look of KDE. Version 4 seems to be nice and glossy but its still just too big and wasteful of space to me.
Could you explain that?
KDE has so many knobs that I'm having trouble imagining a desktop setup it can't do.
Not that it doesn't have issues, but lack of configurability has never really been one of them.Yagotta B. Kidding27th Jan 2009 -
What KDE are you referring to?
KDE 3.5.x and KDE 4.1 are completely different desktops.
KDE and Gnome have always been very different. But they have both taken off on different trajectories lately. KDE is trying to add more utility, at least it has in the past. Gnome is improving the user experience by removing utility. If you don't like "so many knobs" on your desktop then remove as many as you like. If you want more knobs in Gnome, well you might have to hunt them down. I use KDE 3.5.x but I've used Gnome in the past and recently while installing Ubuntu on some machines. If I really really wanted to use Gnome for some reason, I'd dress up KDE to look like it (which can be done). I don't know why Linus didn't just stay with KDE 3.5.x. Maybe he was bored?kozmcrae27th Jan 2009 -
RE: Torvalds abandons KDE for Gnome
What is the point of a 3D desktop? Another triumph of style over substance.
Full install vs. upgrade? If an update don't work, its proof the new system is flawed, especially if "throw everything away and build this new house of cards and it'll work OK" (for awhile!) is the "solution". Microsoft is as bad as anybody here.
wkulecz27th Jan 2009
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