KDE is "bite the back of you hand" gorgeous

[fatality_uk]

I haven't used it since 4.0 came out and lacked in almost every aspect.
Just installed KDE over my Ubuntu install and IT'S making me drool :P

Just wanted to share :)

[billgoldberg]

I haven't used it since 4.0 came out and lacked in almost every aspect.
Just installed KDE over my Ubuntu install and IT'S making me drool :P

Just wanted to share :)

screenshot or it didn't happen

[Regenweald]

I installed KDE-Core yesterday, spent some time attempting to configure it, promptly removed it. i see why so many love it, but it was just not for me :)

[SomeGuyDude]

It's beautiful.

Now if only its functionality matched its form.

[Pasdar]

KDE on Kubuntu is not as good as KDE of OpenSUSE imo.

[fatality_uk]

screenshot or it didn't happen
Hmmm yummy :D

On my SamsungNC10, everything working 100%
*Ohh more than 3 apps running very smoothly, Win7 eat your heart out.

[kernelhaxor]

4.2 or 4.3 beta 1?

[kernelhaxor]

KDE on Kubuntu is not as good as KDE of OpenSUSE imo.

so true!

[joey-elijah]

It's sexy etc... until you open a non-QT application....

[Kareeser]

I see you don't want us to see what you were running in the terminal... ;)

At any rate... nice screenshot - but I don't like how the bottom panel takes up so much space... there "seems" to be a lot of useless white-space around the top and bottom each open program, and not enough horizontal space, because there's so many huge icons crammed in there.

Yes, user-customized... but that's one of the reasons I can't stand KDE.

Nice, though :)

[SunnyRabbiera]

so true!

I disagree, KDE4 feels the same in both to me.
KDE4 sucks right now

[lukjad007]

It looks a little... cramped.

[geoken]

I see you don't want us to see what you were running in the terminal... ;)

At any rate... nice screenshot - but I don't like how the bottom panel takes up so much space... there "seems" to be a lot of useless white-space around the top and bottom each open program, and not enough horizontal space, because there's so many huge icons crammed in there.

Yes, user-customized... but that's one of the reasons I can't stand KDE.

Nice, though :)

I wouldn't call it useless white space. The Icon may not stretch to the edge of the panel but it's hit area does, so at the very least it serves the purpose of enlarging the hit area for a given item.

I feel the opposite about customization. It's that lack of customization that made me want KDE, specifically the panel icons. I have a big monitor and my gnome panel was set to 32px. I was constantly frustrated by the fact that the icons didn't scale up, severely limiting the usability of the Window List (IMO). One of the first things I tested on KDE 4 was to see if the panel icons scaled with the panel.

The only thing I would want is the ability to theme the panel independently of the plasma theme. It seems hard to settle on the perfect plasma them because some work well with the plasmoids and not with the panel and others are the inverse.

[jpmelos]

It feels a little... cramped. [2]

[geoken]

It feels a little... cramped. [2]

Any DE would feel cramped at that resolution with that many applets on a single panel. I don't really think it's a KDE issue. At 1024 with a menu, 4 launchers, 6 windows, 5 items in the tray, a clock and 4 different notification icons a single gnome panel would seem just as cramped.

Here is a pic with a few less icons on a slightly larger res;
http://www.my-techlife.com/WP/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/desktop.png

[mips]

Stop defending KDE. Let people believe what they want to. This is mostly a Gnome forum so this will happen.

[dragos240]

Gnu Network Object Model Environment rocks.

[geoken]

Stop defending KDE. Let people believe what they want to. This is mostly a Gnome forum so this will happen.

What's wrong with posting a picture that shows a more typical setup?

[benerivo]

KDE on Kubuntu is not as good as KDE of OpenSUSE imo.I don't see much difference between distros. If i were to try two different distros, the implementation of the desktop environment would be insignificant, compared with other factors (i've tried kde4 on four distros).

[Firestem4]

KDE on Kubuntu is not as good as KDE of OpenSUSE imo.

Kubuntu's implementation of KDE greatly improved from 8.10 to 9.04, but it is still lacking in some areas.

I didn't try SuSE's version, but Mandriva's KDE is rock solid stable.

but by far my favorite is Arch + KDEmod

[Firestem4]

I don't see much difference between distros. If i were to try two different distros, the implementation of the desktop environment would be insignificant, compared with other factors (i've tried kde4 on four distros).

The major differences you'll see between distro's are more subtle than anything. Mostly to do with stability, performance, and features, and the development cycle.

[days_of_ruin]

Hmmm yummy :D

On my SamsungNC10, everything working 100%
*Ohh more than 3 apps running very smoothly, Win7 eat your heart out.

That titlebar fatter than three gnome panels stacked on top of each other.

[benerivo]

That titlebar fatter than three gnome panels stacked on top of each other.
Or six times fatter, or three times thinnner, or no panel at all!

[chucky chuckaluck]

haha! awesome title.


It's beautiful.

Now if only its functionality matched its form.

bah! function schmunction!

[Vostrocity]

Or six times fatter, or three times thinnner, or no panel at all!

Lol!
:lolflag:

[Tipped OuT]

I'm downloading Kubuntu and have requested a free CD. I really want to see what's so great about KDE. I tried it twice, but by installing KDE over Ubuntu... wasn't a pleasant experience. I'm giving it another try, this time the right way. ;)

[gymophett]

I'm "bite the back of yo hand gorgeous."

[gymophett]

Or six times fatter, or three times thinnner, or no panel at all!

True, Gnome panel can be just as large, small, or no Gnome panel at all...

[Vostrocity]

I'm downloading Kubuntu and have requested a free CD. I really want to see what's so great about KDE. I tried it twice, but by installing KDE over Ubuntu... wasn't a pleasant experience. I'm giving it another try, this time the right way. ;)

Jeez man, don't be wasting CDs and bandwidth. ;)

[Tipped OuT]

Jeez man, don't be wasting CDs and bandwidth. ;)

I am happy to report...KDE is actually not that bad! Of course it's going to take some time to getting used to, after only using gnome for 5 months. But I sense the potential in it.

*sigh* Thumbs up for KDE. Yes you just heard that from a gnome user.

[TheNosh]

enlightenment is fun to toy around with, other than that i like gnome. kde never really clicked for me. oh well, to each their own i suppose

[Delever]

Icons are nice. Wallpaper is nice. Panel is nice. Buttons are nice.

Yet, many things are terribly misaligned, for example - trash bin compared to another icons (well, same problem with GNOME).

Also, space around icons in panel is so uneven, it hurts. Three icon sizes for different parts of panel - a bit too much.

That's what ruins gorgeousness for me :)

[Screwdriver0815]

folks...

the one and only truth is: KDE 4.2 rocks

reasons:
- it looks nice from the beginning without downloading tons of new themes to get rid of uglyness

- its customisable in each and every detail if you want, but you don't have to as it is pre-configured very well

- the apps shipped along with KDE are much more professional
(except Amarok and when one installs Amarok on his Gnome-OS I don't know what to say to this... :o )

- the system sounds (startup, shutdown, new-mail-sound etc) work... something that in Ubuntu-Gnome is broken since... :confused: 3 releases?

- the icons have the right default-size and scale in the right way

- it doesn't need compiz

... to be continued

In Mandriva, KDE 4.2 is configured slightly better than in Kubuntu, but from the stability-point-of-view its the same. And KDE 4.2 is stable.

[ibuclaw]

Hmmm yummy :D

On my SamsungNC10, everything working 100%
*Ohh more than 3 apps running very smoothly, Win7 eat your heart out.

NC10, eh?

I was just thinking about buying one of those...

[growled]

KDE on Kubuntu is not as good as KDE of OpenSUSE imo.

I disagree. After trying both I couldn't tell hardly any difference between the two, except a few things work in Kubuntu that doesn't in openSuse. Kubuntu is also much easier to set up and has a much better community.

I'm not sure why people hate on Kubuntu but I've found it a very pleasant experience. And KDE 4 IS gorgeous.

[fatality_uk]

NC10, eh?

I was just thinking about buying one of those...

I'd say go for it. It's a great machine. I bought it as a backup to my laptop, but my laptop burst into flames, so I used this as a stopgap.

The stopgap has now run on for about a month and won't stop. I bought another 1GB RAM and that really helped. Cost about £25 from Maplin.

It's dual booting due to my need for remote SonicWall access, but in the office and mostly out of it, I use Ubuntu.

Standby/hibernate all work. The only thing is set the auto-brightness in the BIOS to manual and then the dim screen issue goes away.

Ubuntu first then KDE on top of that is spankin :D

[geoken]

True, Gnome panel can be just as large, small, or no Gnome panel at all...

As can the KDE panel. The KDE panel has the extra advantage of actually being able to scale your icons along with the panel. At some point the gnome panel will stop scaling your icons hurting it's usability and accessibility.

[Hybrid-photog]

folks...

the one and only truth is: KDE 4.2 rocks

reasons:
- it looks nice from the beginning without downloading tons of new themes to get rid of uglyness

- its customisable in each and every detail if you want, but you don't have to as it is pre-configured very well
But the "cashew nut" thing in the top-right corner is still there... unless the distracting thing's removable as well.

[hyperdude111]

I fine kde is better with gtk apps and emerald if you run it from within gnome.

Go to gnome terminal and type "plasma"

[vikrant82]

Ok! Another Gnome(3 yrs) to KDE convert here. As they say it, it was long coming, and its finally here. :p

[Pasdar]

I disagree. After trying both I couldn't tell hardly any difference between the two, except a few things work in Kubuntu that doesn't in openSuse. Kubuntu is also much easier to set up and has a much better community.

I'm not sure why people hate on Kubuntu but I've found it a very pleasant experience. And KDE 4 IS gorgeous.

The most noticeable difference is the long load time at the beginning with the standard KDE loading screen that you get with Kubuntu. Other differences are that on Kubuntu you have KDE installed in the standard theme with no changes. That's what KDE looks like when you install it on your distro yourself. On OpenSUSE its not only faster, feels more stable, but its also very well integrated with their standard design.

That your hardware didn't work has nothing to do with KDE or whatever DE.

[Sand & Mercury]

But the "cashew nut" thing in the top-right corner is still there... unless the distracting thing's removable as well.
The "I Hate The Cashew" plasmoid gets rid of it.

[Screwdriver0815]

But the "cashew nut" thing in the top-right corner is still there... unless the distracting thing's removable as well.
whats so bad about the cashew-thing? Whats distracting about it? I don't even see it, or do you stare at the right-upper corner of the screen all the time?

The equivalent thing in Gnome is: when you want to see the notifications about new mail and the music being played, you have to put 2 or 3 notification fields onto the upper panel. Why isn't it default?

one of the good things about KDE 4.2 is: if you want to change to a new theme, wallpaper or whatever you can browse KDE-look.org directly from inside the system without opening a browser, from the "change appearance" dialogue. The same for new plasmoids. This makes the OS feel much more sophisticated and solid.

I also have the opinion that people who say that Kubuntu is bad, don't know Kubuntu. Compared to the older versions, Jaunty is a huge step forward. Compared to Mandriva it doesn't look bad. Mandriva has some special goodies like the control center and a better integration in the special Distro-look (like in Suse) but this is not so significant that I would say "Kubuntu is bad". It isn't.

[growled]

On OpenSUSE its not only faster, feels more stable, but its also very well integrated with their standard design.
KDE on openSuse is not faster. Kubuntu is in fact faster for me since I can use ext4 with it. Both are equally stable. As for design, I like plain old KDE. I hate the way openSuse mangles everything to look the same. Plus, Yast and their package system sucks.

That your hardware didn't work has nothing to do with KDE or whatever DE.

I said nothing about hardware. All my hardware worked on both. Not everything in openSuse works. KDE in openSuse will not recognize any network, so apps like knemo won't work. Also, a couple of KDE games refused to run. That's two things right off the top of my head. I'm sure I could come up with more if need be.

Kubuntu has been everything I could hope for in a DE.

[Tipped OuT]

Kubuntu has been everything I could hope for in a DE.

:lolflag:

[Vadi]

They're late on the widget scene and late on the vista/win7 type look. I don't appreciate either, so it's not for me :/

[abn91c]

I see you don't want us to see what you were running in the terminal... ;)

At any rate... nice screenshot - but I don't like how the bottom panel takes up so much space... there "seems" to be a lot of useless white-space around the top and bottom each open program, and not enough horizontal space, because there's so many huge icons crammed in there.

Yes, user-customized... but that's one of the reasons I can't stand KDE.

Nice, though :)
His screen look has to do with the resolution he is using for the screen-shot, here is my laptop at 1024x 768

[zurack]

But the "cashew nut" thing in the top-right corner is still there... unless the distracting thing's removable as well.


In 4.3 the cashew is removed on default.

[zurack]

- Gnome is better compared to kde3 (both very similar), as kde4 is in a different class altogether. ;)

[Screwdriver0815]

His screen look has to do with the resolution he is using for the screen-shot, here is my laptop at 1024x 768
nice screen...

how did you get this Kubuntu-logo on the icon for the startmenu?

[SushiR]

I love KDE3. It's just such a nice desktop environment, and I'd been using it from the beginning. But KDE4 made me switch over to GNOME. I really can't stand KDE no more...besides a few apps (k3b, digikam)

[HappyFeet]

It's beautiful.

Now if only its functionality matched its form.

I agree. Very nice looking, but I found it's performance sub-par. No thanks. It's still not ready for prime time.

[WinterMadness]

i love kde 4 and i think its better than gnome in every way.

when kde 4.0 came out and it was a mess, i still kept it...

i think more people should try kde now that "4" has matured. and frankly, its 2009 and i think gnome is just too primitive, cluttered and messy.

Gnome is ok if you dont have many programs, but the application, places, system menu dosnet organize things well if you have a lot of stuff.

[SuperSonic4]

Kubuntu's implementation of KDE greatly improved from 8.10 to 9.04, but it is still lacking in some areas.

I didn't try SuSE's version, but Mandriva's KDE is rock solid stable.

but by far my favorite is Arch + KDEmod

Damn right. Arch+KDEmod is sweeter than sweetened sugar. Plus it's very nice having plasmoids either in kdemod-extragear, kdemod-playground or the AUR. I don't think I've compiled anything since installing this version of arch.

nice screen...

how did you get this Kubuntu-logo on the icon for the startmenu?

Download the svg file you want and move it to /usr/share/icons/oxygen/scalable/places/start-here-branding.svg

It should work after a log out or maybe if you just kill and restart plasma.

Source (http://www.kde-look.org/content/show.php/Arch+KMenu?content=101012)

[growled]

I love KDE3. It's just such a nice desktop environment, and I'd been using it from the beginning. But KDE4 made me switch over to GNOME. I really can't stand KDE no more...besides a few apps (k3b, digikam)

I actually like both Gnome and KDE. I've used both for several years. They are suppose to be different and they are suppose to appeal to different users. Nothing wrong with liking either of them and disliking the other. Everyone is different.

[MickS]

Each to their own of course but I like KDE a lot, the one thing I liked about Gnome was the top panel so I have the same on KDE with bonus that if you lock the widgets, no cashew.


Mick

[irv]

i love kde 4 and i think its better than gnome in every way.

i think more people should try kde now that "4" has matured. and frankly, its 2009 and i think gnome is just too primitive, cluttered and messy.

Gnome is ok if you dont have many programs, but the application, places, system menu dosnet organize things well if you have a lot of stuff.

I disagree with you about gnome being primitive and cluttered and messy. And that gnome don't have many programs.
I have my system set at the login to either go to KDE or Gnome. I have tried them both and I find my choice is Gnome because it is uncluttered and very neat. See my screen shot and tell me if this in not very clean and uncluttered? I also find Gnome very easy to use and I use the terminal for most of my work on the system. Most people use Firefox, and Open Office and it runs about the same on both KDE and Gnome.
It all boils down to what a person likes and I guess one could argue about what is better, but it is still a choice we all have to make. You might like KDE but I like Gnome. The main point is we both like Linux and (Kubuntu or Ubuntu). I have a 60gig HD on my laptop and I am using 48% of it for programs. And I don't have Windows on it just Linux.
115355

[irv]

I feel the opposite about customization. It's that lack of customization that made me want KDE, specifically the panel icons. I have a big monitor and my gnome panel was set to 32px. I was constantly frustrated by the fact that the icons didn't scale up, severely limiting the usability of the Window List (IMO). One of the first things I tested on KDE 4 was to see if the panel icons scaled with the panel.

The only thing I would want is the ability to theme the panel independently of the plasma theme. It seems hard to settle on the perfect plasma them because some work well with the plasmoids and not with the panel and others are the inverse.

Have you ever tried Cairo Dock. I personally don't care for it, but I just loaded it to show you what it looks like. Here is a screen shot of of my desktop with Cairo Dock.
115356

[geoken]

Have you ever tried Cairo Dock. I personally don't care for it, but I just loaded it to show you what it looks like. Here is a screen shot of of my desktop with Cairo Dock.
115356

I tried every dock except for Docky (I switched to KDE before finding out about it) and none of them fit the bill because they couldn't completely replace the panel. I was already running a single panel (I felt 2 was a waste) so I didn't wan't to introduce a new panel/dock unless it could complete replace the existing one.

[Tipped OuT]

Have you ever tried Cairo Dock. I personally don't care for it, but I just loaded it to show you what it looks like. Here is a screen shot of of my desktop with Cairo Dock.
115356

Cairo dock is the worst dock ever. Sorry, but that's just my opinion.

[phaed]

I like how KDE looks, but I hate how Firefox looks in KDE. I've tried tweaking various things, but FF never looks as good or integrated as it does on Gnome.

[benerivo]

...The only thing I would want is the ability to theme the panel independently of the plasma theme. It seems hard to settle on the perfect plasma them because some work well with the plasmoids and not with the panel and others are the inverse.You can theme desktop elements separately using System Settings > Advanced > Desktop Theme Details.

[abn91c]

nice screen...

how did you get this Kubuntu-logo on the icon for the startmenu?
its the hycons icon theme from http://www.kde-look.org

[Mazza558]

Everyone who's still "meh" about KDE should wait until KDE 4.3 arrives with Karmic. It's incredible (as far as desktop environments go) and faster than gnome.

[Screwdriver0815]

Download the svg file you want and move it to /usr/share/icons/oxygen/scalable/places/start-here-branding.svg

It should work after a log out or maybe if you just kill and restart plasma.

Source (http://www.kde-look.org/content/show.php/Arch+KMenu?content=101012)

its the hycons icon theme from http://www.kde-look.org

thanks!

[Changturkey]

Everyone who's still "meh" about KDE should wait until KDE 4.3 arrives with Karmic. It's incredible (as far as desktop environments go) and faster than gnome.

Isn't KDE 4.3 already in Karmic as a beta?

[wsonar]

I haven't used it since 4.0 came out and lacked in almost every aspect.
Just installed KDE over my Ubuntu install and IT'S making me drool :P

Just wanted to share :)


yea they could make the default menu a little smaller but it is pretty slick

[wsonar]

enlightenment is fun to toy around with, other than that i like gnome. kde never really clicked for me. oh well, to each their own i suppose


E17 looks really slick but the beta seems real buggy and not a lot of word on progress

[wsonar]

as far as comparison I prefer gnome look feel customization but KDE apps
(k3b, krdc)


why would you limit a password field on a VNC app vinarge.....

</rant>

[wsonar]

I like how KDE looks, but I hate how Firefox looks in KDE. I've tried tweaking various things, but FF never looks as good or integrated as it does on Gnome.


my FF looked good in KDE when I started using it with emerald but then I had compiz going and it might as well have been gnome so I switched back to the KDE composite manager

[gymophett]

Somewhat had to catch my fall when I installed KDE 4.2

[lykwydchykyn]

I just love the snot out of KDE, have for years. I guess everyone has their opinions, and that's ok.

I can't stand the default look though; I think it's embarrassingly tacky. Something about the particular shade of blue in both the wallpaper and in the plasma theme is just nasty and amateur looking.

Oddly, there are some really nice wallpapers available in the official kdeartwork package, I don't know why they picked "air" for the default. And there are some great plasma themes like glassified and aya readily available.

I wish Kubuntu would move away from the default upstream look the way Xubuntu and Ubuntu have (ok, maybe not brown, but something a little classier).

But to end on a positive note:
- I love the fact I can turn off compositing with a hotkey without changing window managers (and thus not having to maintain settings in two WM's or losing my window layout).
- I love the whole idea of plasma. If you think it's just about fancy clocks and weather widgets, you've missed the coolness of it.
- I love the Bespin theme, and I"m not even an Apple guy.

[DeadSuperHero]

I really love KDE 4.2 so far. It's certainly gotten snappier and leaner. Also, it's nice to see how stable Plasma is nowadays.

That said, what I really enjoy about the KDE project is the Cmake build system. It's so easy for me to compile random apps and widgets that don't get packaged.

[WinterMadness]

I disagree with you about gnome being primitive and cluttered and messy. And that gnome don't have many programs.
I have my system set at the login to either go to KDE or Gnome. I have tried them both and I find my choice is Gnome because it is uncluttered and very neat. See my screen shot and tell me if this in not very clean and uncluttered? I also find Gnome very easy to use and I use the terminal for most of my work on the system. Most people use Firefox, and Open Office and it runs about the same on both KDE and Gnome.
It all boils down to what a person likes and I guess one could argue about what is better, but it is still a choice we all have to make. You might like KDE but I like Gnome. The main point is we both like Linux and (Kubuntu or Ubuntu). I have a 60gig HD on my laptop and I am using 48% of it for programs. And I don't have Windows on it just Linux.
115355

I never said gnome didnt have a lot of programs, i said if you have a lot of programs it gets clutterd and messy, which is true.

if you have 15 programs in one section, its often hard to find what youre looking for, the admin/prefrence sections suck the worst

KDE does a far far far betterjob at organizing.

Also, the way you install mouse themes and icons is just stupid, kde does it right.

If youre really into functionality or ease of use, then obviously KDE is the right choice. the only thing gnome beats kde on is disabling tap to click

[WinterMadness]

I like how KDE looks, but I hate how Firefox looks in KDE. I've tried tweaking various things, but FF never looks as good or integrated as it does on Gnome.

if you goto system settings and then appearence you can make gnome apps take on different gnome themes and make it look any way you want.

thats the biggest criticism of KDE, when you run Gnome apps, if more people knew that you can integrate gnome apps better than gnome integrates KDE apps then i think KDE would be more popular again,

[irv]

Let's face it, KDE and Gnome have both come a long way since they were first developed. It would be great to have the best of both worlds in one desktop. I don't know if this will ever happen, but it would be nice if those who work on improving either or, would start listening to the user and start working in that direction.
There is always going to be a problem with pleasing everyone because one might like it this way while the other wants it the other way. The only way to get to middle ground is to poll everyone on everything and take majority and build a complete new desktop to please the bulk of the masses.
There are things that you might not like in KDE and there are things I don't like in Gnome, but the reason we use what we use is because there is more about the one we chose to use that we find better that the other. Again I say it is a matter of choice.

[Hybrid-photog]

In 4.3 the cashew is removed on default.
Ah, that's good to hear. :)

[izizzle]

I love KDE 4! If you haven't tried it yet, it's more than worth a try.

[madjr]

It's sexy etc... until you open a non-QT application....

GTK apps, firefox and OOo is integrated very nicely in kubuntu

everything matches, can't complain :p

[Lajik]

MMM... KDE is soo shexy

[Foster Grant]

Icons are nice. Wallpaper is nice. Panel is nice. Buttons are nice.

Yet, many things are terribly misaligned, for example - trash bin compared to another icons (well, same problem with GNOME).

Also, space around icons in panel is so uneven, it hurts. Three icon sizes for different parts of panel - a bit too much.

That's what ruins gorgeousness for me :)

I've been using Kubuntu for months now ... haven't seen your problem with panel icon spacing.

Agree with madjr about GTK integration in KDE4. Can't tell the difference between Qt and GTK apps other than a few menu changes (mostly on the Help menu).

Biggest integration problem I found was that Firefox 3's default widgets didn't always display right. Switching to the "KDE4 + Firefox3" theme available at the Mozilla add-ons site solved that issue (and seems to have made Firefox somewhat snappier).

I'm much more pleased with KDE 4 than I was with the current versions of GNOME, which just looks old and stagnant in a Macintosh System 7.5 way. I love the Folder View plasmoid, which I switched from the /home/user/Desktop folder to /home/user; having the contents of my Home folder available to me on the desktop without opening a window simplifies things. :D

It's a pity nobody's hacked the display code of the Folder View plasmoid to enable output of CLI apps in a translucent plasmoid on the desktop (thinking about Conky here). Unfortunately, while I know what I'd like to have in that product I don't have the coding skills to actually do it. :(