What linux needs on the desktop is...
... oh, screw it, why not say what it doesn't need? It's better for my blood pressure.
It doesn't need Be refugees whining about how BeOS was so awesome and Linux desktops suck. You know what, guys? If BeOS was so cool, and Linux sucks so much, how come BeOS is dead? Now put a sock in it and go practice your OS-necrophilia.
It doesn't need windows users saying "it's not like windows, it sucks". If Linux was just like windows, you would say that there is no reason to switch, so put a sock in it, because you can't have it both ways.
It doesn't need Mac users saying how there's no point working on it because OSX is already as good a unix desktop as there's gonna be, so why bother?. Put a (designer) sock on it, because in order to use OSX you have to buy an ungodly expensive (except the 12" ibook, that's kinda cheap and cute) computer that provides only adequate performance, and I am a cheap bastard.
It doesn't need old unix gurus explaining how there's no need to work on KDE or GNOME because Window Maker is lighter, and all that's needed is a way to keep their xterms sorted. Put a sock in it, because xterm sucks, Window Maker is featureless, and you can't do anything useful for a regular user with just xterms and Window Maker, so you are comparing apples to apple orchards.
Most of all, it doesn't need any "What linux needs on the desktop" editorials.
On other news, I will be speaking about Linux on the desktop at the UADE in Buenos Aires, Argentina, this saturday, and about PyQt/PyKDE programming this friday.
More information at the CafeLUG site. If you read it here and mention my blog, I will pay you a beer (offers limited to a maximum stock of three beers).
you're SOOOOO right... :D
But WindowMaker rocks! Expecially with ROX Filer.
But then again, I'm a RISC OS necrophiliac. ;-)
K.
Heh, I take it you've been reading Eugenia's latest self righteous article.
Never thought I was so obvious :-)
I don't know why I even keep osnews.com in my morning quiver of websites to check... But, gosh, Roberto, you're absolutely right. Even about Windowmaker, although that does have a function. KDE makes it so easy to multitask that I sometimes want an environment where I can do nothing easily but write with Emacs. That's WindowMaker for me :-).
I agree in all of the above points ;-)
I specially liked the last point, about old unix gurus saying Window Maker rules and KDE sucks. (What is GNOME? Hehe) Linux doesn't need them.
Boudewijn: I had this customer who had me set up his computer. He intends to use Linux and free software for his business management (he's trying kumula... I think it's too green, but hey, it's PyQt, I can hack it ;-).
He's an old casual linux user. He used it circa 1996, and is a Jobs fan. He wanted Window Maker because he had read it was NeXT-like.
So, I experienced Window Maker for hours and hours.
Man, I love KDE more now :-P
WindowMaker sucks. It has far too much features. aewm++ rules almost - almost no features and it's only configureable by hacking the source, just as god (if one existed) would have meant window managers and configuration to be. :-)
(okok, that's only on Linux at work - at home I am a designer sock wearing Mac OS X weany ;-) )
Georg, you are going to develop a split personality :-)