crouse
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 Posted: Fri Dec 12, 2024 10:13 pm Post subject: George Staikos of KDE |
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November 22 2024
George Staikos of KDE
KDE is one of the industry's leading desktop environments. At the current stable version 3.1, it is without a doubt a great tool to Linux. KDE has many utilities and programs that it comes with. It is easy to use, and attractive to view.
USALUG: Please state your name and your connection to the KDE project.
George Staikos: George Staikos KDE core developer, app developer, North America/Canada press contact, and I also involved in North American PR, among other things. :)
USALUG: What big changes should we be expecting in the upcoming releases?
George Staikos: To put it simply, speed, applications, features, and bug fixes. The number of changes are astonishing, and I can't possibly list them all, but I'll try to touch on some of the important ones.
Speed
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We did some great optimizations in various areas of KDE. Some of note include major KJS performance enhancements (from Apple and us as well), faster loading Konqueror via the preloader, application launch time reductions, and general optimizations to the core libraries.
Applications
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We have several new applications. Kopete is a general purpose instant messaging client with plugins for AIM, MSN, Yahoo, IRC, and more. Umbrello is part of the KDE SDK now, and is a powerful UML tool. KPDF is an XPDF frontend. A wireless network monitor and configurator is included in kdenetwork. Kontact provides an Outlook-style interface for KMail, KOrganizer, and other PIM apps. JuK is an iTunes style media player. For developers, KCachegrind is a great profiling application that works together with valgrind. There are at least half a dozen more new applications in 3.2 that I haven't mentioned!
Features
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Many Safari fixes for KHTML have been merged, providing a faster and more full featured KHTML. We also have a password manager with strong encryption called KWallet which is used to automatically fill in passwords where possible. The KDE APIs have been enhanced as usual, providing an even more powerful development environment. An excellent looking new widget style known as Plastik has been added, and KMail IMAP support has been greatly enhanced. Laptop support is much improved. I could write pages upon pages listing all the new features we have in 3.2.
Bug Fixes
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I don't remember a release since the "2.0 days" which had as many bug fixes as 3.2 has. Some of the top "most hated bugs" have been fixed too, including KHTML form widget z-order, several big KMail bugs relating to IMAP, many general KHTML bugs, and more. The graphs on bugs.kde.org speak for themselves.
USALUG:What look is KDE going for? With the start menu it resembles Windows, but with the icon panel it resembles Mac?
George Staikos: We don't try to emulate any look that's out there. What is important is to make the desktop accessible to people with a bit of knowledge but who are not computer "pros". This means making an interface that is somewhat familiar. The beauty of KDE is that this interface is almost infinitely configurable, so that once you are comfortable with KDE, you can make it look like whatever you like. There are even replacements for Kicker, replacement window and widget decorations, and more.
USALUG: Being recognized as one of the simplest and easiest window managers, What do you feel is the reason for KDE's success?
George Staikos: We have always been very consistent with the look and feel. Despite regular comments to the contrary, we have always had a user interface style guide and we even have automated tools to verify compliance with various parts of this guide. The Qt and KDE APIs are rich enough to provide for almost any UI needs in an application, and this means that all applications look and feel the same. It's very easy to dive into a new application when this is the case.
It's important to point out that KDE is not just a window manager. It is a full desktop environment and platform which happens to include a window manager. It takes all parts of this platform to make a complete, easy to use desktop. From the file dialogs, to the panel and desktop, to the widgets, everything is important.
USALUG: With KDE's Control Center, and various GUI tools do you feel KDE is helping newer users with Linux?
George Staikos: I like to think of the Control Center as the power user's playground. Most settings for new users are inside the applications, and get set via wizards or just have the right defaults to begin with. New users don't tend to change too many settings. The best thing we can do for new users is to make sure that the default settings are chosen carefully. The worst thing we could do for power users is to remove configuration options. Don't forget, new users eventually become power users.
That being said, I think that one of the most important things for KDE is to help new users become productive with Linux and other platforms that KDE runs on. The goal is to help people move to free software.
USALUG: At the current time, do you think Linux and KDE are ready for the end-user?
George Staikos: Yes, definitely. The biggest problem is that people find Linux and KDE "confusing" because they can't call up their friend or neighbor to ask a question - they're Windows users of course. This is changing as Linux gains more and more users. The internet also helps with this, as a quick search will reveal all kinds of useful information. Really, KDE, Windows, OS X, and all the other major desktops seem to be equally easy to use - just different. Perhaps the areas that need the most work are polishing the installation and hardware interfacing areas (drivers, adding new hardware, etc). This is hard from a KDE perspective because we target such a wide range of hardware and operating systems.
USALUG: What is KDE's main method of addressing the needs of the end-user?
George Staikos: We're trying to make a platform that is easy to use and learn for new users, fast and powerful for the power users, and aesthetically pleasing for everyone. This is a difficult task, especially given that everyone has a different idea of what is "pretty". Theming and styles help us there.
In many cases this means being able to provide something that looks like Windows or a Mac for the migration phase. Then as the user gets more comfortable and has time to explore the system, he or she can be migrated to the standard "KDE" desktop style. The current look and feel is something that we have found works well for the majority of users out there. It borrows from many others desktops, and they in turn borrow back from us. This is a healthy process, similar to evolution in species. In addition, I think we do the user a service by not doing anything too strange in comparison with the status quo. There are many good user interface ideas out there, but sometimes it's best to stick with what is well tested and well understood. I guess that's why the user interface for cars (steering wheel an pedals) hasn't really changed in decades.
USALUG: Do you think down the road Linux could ever overtake Windows as "the" desktop OS?
George Staikos: I'd like to think so, yes. I wonder if the concept of the "desktop" will really mean much by then, though. Much like PDAs are being made extinct by smart phones, the same could happen to the traditional desktop PC. Tablets seem to be a failure, but media centres are becoming very popular. Linux is a great choice for these since it can be easily customized by the manufacturer, and it lowers the cost per unit since there is basically no licensing cost.
As far as desktops in the near future, I don't think Linux will eliminate Windows, but I think it can be a solid competitor. Perhaps that's the most ideal situation in any case.
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