Lest anyone think we're alone...

[George Ganoe]

Dan Smith wrote:
> ...
> 
> What I would like to see is more cooperation between KDE, Gnome and 
> other desktop managers. Linux is about freedom right? Yet distros like 
> Ubuntu don't even bother including KDE in the base install. Gnome under 
> SUSE can be a real pain. What major distro doesn't include not just both 
> but other commonly used desktop managers?  I'm seeing clique like 
> behavior. Elitism and snobbery that will turn people away from Linux in 
> droves.  The C/C++ snobbery has already hurt Linux badly. I'm sorry but 
> not everybody like C based languages. We should be bending over 
> backwards to accomadate people not drive them away from Linux.
> 

Cooperation between KDE, Gnome, and other Desktop managers would be great
to see.  However, I think it should be at the upstream level between the
various projects themselves.  As to dissing other distributions for
what they choose to include in the distribution, I think that is uncalled
for.  For instance, Ubuntu has made a concerted effort to provide as
complete a desktop environment as possible on a single CDROM disk.  If
they were to put KDE as well as Gnome on the disk, something else would
have to go.  Since KDE and Gnome serve the same function, they made a
choice, and with many other applications with multiple selections, they
made choices there as well.  But in the end, they were able to create
a very complete desktop environment and put it on a single CD.  If the
user wants to add KDE, they can select it for install in the "Synaptic
Package Manager" and get a very complete KDE desktop very easily, or
use the command line and type "sudo apt-get install kde" to get the same
thing.

I find it hard to believe that giving someone who is having trouble with
his Windows machine and wanting to try something else, a single CD that
provides him with an environment he can play around with and install if
he likes it, will turn people away from Linux.  On the contrary, I believe
it gives many people an easy path to entering into the Linux world.

                    George