Aqua vs Gnome vs KDE

[2cute4u]

OK I have a question for those who LOVED their Macs, and used Aqua (the Mac OS X DE) for a long time BEFORE using Windows, Gnome, KDE.

From your perpsective as a Mac user:
What does Aqua do bettter than KDE and Gnome?
What does KDE do better than Aqua?
What Does Gnome do better than Aqua?
In what ways is Gnome more like Aqua than KDE?
In what ways is KDE more like Aqua than Gnome?

Please also say how long you used a Aqua, KDE, Gnome etc.

Thanx this will help me decide if I want to switch or buy another Mac.

[dermotti]

This is like asking what vessel has the best controls

A Klingon Vessel
A Federation Vessel
A Romulan Vessel

They all get the job done. Its just personal preference.

[John.Michael.Kane]

2cute4u As you will hear from most who post to this thread. you have to use what ever DE/WM/OS that is right for you. there is no one best of the three you listed, they all have short comings.

[ComplexNumber]

2cute4u
gnome is generally closer to having the mac look and feel than kde. there are also tons of mac themes for gnome, but few available for kde.
as dermotti says, its personal preference. the best and only advice is to try each out for about a week and see which you feel most comfortable with.

it doesn't depend on if you're a mac user or not. it depends on what that user wants. maybe the mac user hated the mac and wants something thats as far away from the mac as possible. perhaps they like the mac and want something similar. perhaps.....

[Qrk]

gnome is generally closer to having the mac look and feel than kde

I think its actually the opposite. You can have KDE put the menu for each application up on the top of the screen, just like in OS X. I don't think Gnome can do this at all. You can get a Dock clone for KDE also.

The only thing that Gnome does more OS X like than KDE is nautilus. However nautilus --> finder is a stretch unless you are using OS 9.

[wmcbrine]

This is like asking what vessel has the best controls

A Klingon Vessel
A Federation Vessel
A Romulan Vessel

Definitely Federation.

Seriously though, I don't think this was a "which is best" question, so much as asking for a detailed comparison. Which I'm not up to, sorry.

[ComplexNumber]

You can have KDE put the menu for each application up on the top of the screen please explain?



The only thing that Gnome does more OS X like than KDE is nautilus. However nautilus --> finder is a stretch unless you are using OS 9. gnome feels slightly like the mac. kde feels as far away from the mac as is possible - they are worlds apart.

you're probably on your own with that opinion.

[2cute4u]

This is like asking what vessel has the best controls

A Klingon Vessel
A Federation Vessel
A Romulan Vessel

They all get the job done. Its just personal preference.
Well thats why I'm asking the question the way I did. I'd like to know the experience of the people who have the same background as me, who started out with a Mac preference. The more detailed the feedback I get from people who started out where I am, the more able I am at predicting what will be my preferences. So that way it will be less likely I will regret my next hardware purchase.

I wanted to try stuff out for myself, but after asking questions on how to get gnome working on MY mac, and not getting anywhere with it. I decided to get the feedback from others so I can have a better Idea what I should do. At the moment I'm kind of clueless, all I know is I don't want to use Windows, I love my Mac, but if theres reason to bellieve I will love either KDE or knome more I want to know that before spending alot of money on a new computer.



gnome is generally closer to having the mac look and feel than kde. there are also tons of mac themes for gnome, but few available for kde.
as dermotti says, its personal preference. the best and only advice is to try each out for about a week and see which you feel most comfortable with.
Can you go into detail about how gnome has a more mac like look and feel? I don't care about themes, my mac doesn't even have a mac theme.


It doesn't depend on if you're a mac user or not. it depends on what that user wants. maybe the mac user hated the mac and wants something thats as far away from the mac as possible. perhaps they like the mac and want something similar. perhaps..... It does matter, because someone, who started out on windows, is more likely to be predisposed to liking the similarities between gnome or kde and windows. But if someone who liked the mac way, and then decided he liked KDE or gnome better, that would have a greater impact on my opinion of whether or not i would too.

Poofyhairguy, I would love to hear what you have to say.

[Qrk]

please explain?

KDE Control Center --> Desktop --> Behavior --> Place Menu at Top of Screen

Placing the menu at the top of the screen is part of OS X that you can't emulate with Gnome. I personally think it is OS X's defining characteristic, besides the dock.

However, I would agree that, by default, Gnome seems to have a more mac "feel". The controls are simpiler and the interface is more refined, but I think that is just because both Gnome and Mac are good interfaces; not that they have that much in common. KDE is great, its so customizable that it can look exactly like Windows or Aqua, you just need to replace Konqueror.

I'd say the best way to describe Gnome is what would happen if the OS 9 devolopers decided to make a modern desktop. They seem to have a lot in common, interface wise.

[briancurtin]

this is the point where you know ubuntu has gotten big where every day you see the same question asked 5 times with no one searching anything at all.

[Iandefor]

This is like asking what vessel has the best controls

A Klingon Vessel
A Federation Vessel
A Romulan Vessel

They all get the job done. Its just personal preference. Seconded.

[2cute4u]

This is like asking what vessel has the best controls

A Klingon Vessel
A Federation Vessel
A Romulan Vessel

They all get the job done. Its just personal preference.
Definitely Federation.

Seriously though, I don't think this was a "which is best" question, so much as asking for a detailed comparison. Which I'm not up to, sorry.
I'm glad at least someone understands


this is the point where you know ubuntu has gotten big where every day you see the same question asked 5 times with no one searching anything at all.
I searched plenty, but mostly what I found wasn't what I was looking for.
If you can do a better search than what I did, please post references to any threads that actually address my concerns. That will be alot more helpfull than making sardonic comments.

[graabein]

this is the point where you know ubuntu has gotten big where every day you see the same question asked 5 times with no one searching anything at all.

Yes that and the fact that all the chicks are too cute for you.

[awakatanka]

Someone had the same questions a few weeks ago, can't find the post that quick. But they go a little deeper in to some questions.

Edit found it. http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=154689

[zenwhen]

I love Ubuntu. The Linux kernel is amazing. The GNU project is beautiful. Hacking around with Linux is both fun, and effective.


Linux is ready for the desktop, in my opinion. I find the desktop applications usable, fast, and pretty.

However, nothing touches aqua in my opinion, when it comes to looks, and usability. Everything just works perfectly. Window drop shadows actually make windows pop out of the screen. Windows move around the screen smoothly and CLEARLY, in one piece. They don't tear and "block up".

The dock works beautifully for tracking what applications you have open. Expose works wonderfully for switching applications, and Quicksilver is the only way I really feel comfortable launching applications. Yes, Quicksilver is a third party application, but it is a Mac only application. Ctrl + space + type a letter or two of an app name, it launches.

It is the grace with which many separate features work together in OSX that makes it the perfect desktop operating system. Linux stands to gain a lot from incorporating ideas from OSX, and Gnome is doing a good job of that.

[ComplexNumber]

Placing the menu at the top of the screen is part of OS X that you can't emulate with Gnome. do you mean like this (http://shots.osdir.com/slideshows/slideshow.php?release=554&slide=48). the menu is at the top by default in gnome.


Qrk, let me ask you a question: have you ever seen or used gnome before? :confused:

[Sushi]

do you mean like this (http://shots.osdir.com/slideshows/slideshow.php?release=554&slide=48). the menu is at the top by default in gnome.


Qrk, let me ask you a question: have you ever seen or used gnome before? :confused:

have you ever used OS X before? There is a difference between placing a handful of system-menu's in the top of the screen vs. placing the _applications_ menubar on the top of the screen.

OS X (http://www.cs.unm.edu/~wneumann/cococaml/images/CCscreen-big.gif)
GNOME (http://davyd.ucc.asn.au/images/af/af-shot5.png)

Notice anything different?

[ComplexNumber]

have you ever used OS X before? There is a difference between placing a handful of system-menu's in the top of the screen vs. placing the _applications_ menubar on the top of the screen.

OS X (http://www.cs.unm.edu/%7Ewneumann/cococaml/images/CCscreen-big.gif)
GNOME (http://davyd.ucc.asn.au/images/af/af-shot5.png)

Notice anything different? yes. it seems that neither you nor Qrk know how to use gnome.
why not delete the applications/places/system menu and replace it with the the gnome foot menu(ieMain Menu) by adding the applet to the panel? also, have you ever heard of Drawers? obviously not for both of those.

[Sushi]

yes. it seems that neither you nor Qrk know how to use gnome.
why not delete the applications/system menu and replace it with the the gnoem foot?

Dude, what on EARTH are you talking about? You tell how GNOME has similar setup as OS X does: menu's on the top of the screen. I point out that that is NOT the case. GNOME has handful of system-menu's on top of the screen, whereas OS X has the APPLICATIONS menubar in the top of the screen. There is a HUGE difference between the two in that area!

I know how to use GNOME, thankyouverymuch. And I have used OS X as well, and I'm well aware of the difference between the two.

What is this "gnome foot" thingy you talk about? A setup similar to start-menu? And that replicates OS X.... how, exactly? As to drawers.... We are still talking about APPLICATIONS menubar, you are talking about something else entirely. I know what drawers are, and they are NOT the same thing as the menubar on OS X!

I find it REALLY surprising that people think GNOME is OS X-like, when in fact, the only thing they did was to split the K-menu (on KDE)/Start-menu (on Windows) in to three menu's and place them to top of the screen, as opposed to the bottom. I'm sorry to say this, but that change does NOT make GNOME "OS X-like".

[ComplexNumber]

Susshi

I know how to use GNOME, thankyouverymuch. no you don't. you've just demonstrated that you don't.



What is this "gnome foot" thingy you talk about? A setup similar to start-menu? And that replicates OS X.... how, exactly? delete the Applications/Places/System button. right click on panel, select 'Add Applet'. click on Main Menu or Menu Bar. you don't have to have the Applications/Places/System set up. i don't have that setup on mine in root.

[Sushi]

Susshi
no you don't. you've just demonstrated that you don't.

Dude, you are SERIOUSLY not making any sense.


delete the Applications/Places/System button. right click on panel, select 'Add Applet'. click on Main Menu or Menu Bar. you don't have to have the Applications/Places/System set up. i don't have that setup on mine in root.

*sigh*.... you just don't "get it". How exactly does that replicate what OS X has? What you just described does NOT add the applications menubar on the top of the screen, period. You keep on talking about adding "menus" and "drawers", when in fact, those things have absolutely NOTHING to do with how OS X is set up!

KDE does support Mac OS-style menubars: Screenshot (http://www.terra.es/personal/diegocg/kde/menubar-macos.png)

[ComplexNumber]

*sigh*.... you just don't "get it". How exactly does that replicate what OS X has? What you just described does NOT add the applications menubar on the top of the screen, period. You keep on talking about adding "menus" and "drawers", when in fact, those things have absolutely NOTHING to do with how OS X is set up!hehe its YOU that doesn't get it. how about giving a screenshot after you've selected mac OS X style? notice how it gives you 2 seperate panels - the main menu at the bottom and the menu bar at the top. if you want to move the main panel to the top, they superimpose on one another.

[Sushi]

hehe its YOU that doesn't get it. how about giving a screenshot after you've selected mac OS X style?

And where is this "OS X style"? I have NEVER seen GNOME-desktop with a Mac OS style menubar. Show me where I can enable that particular feature?

Of course I can add "menubar" to the panel right now if I wanted to. But that is NOT the same thing as the one in OS X is!

[ComplexNumber]

And where is this "OS X style"? I have NEVER seen GNOME-desktop with a Mac OS style menubar. Show me where I can enable that particular feature?

Of course I can add "menubar" to the panel right now if I wanted to. But that is NOT the same thing as the one in OS X is!
i'm sorry, but while neither can emulate exactly, its a lot closer to OS X than you can achieve with kde. besides, the whole look and feel in kde is just as far away from mac as one can get.

[hoarythehedgehog2009]

Use the Live CDs for yourself and don't start a flame war. Everybody has a different opinion (including you). For example, I have a Windows background and I prefer XFCE. After you have selected a window manager you like, simply DUAL BOOT, that way you aren't stuck with Ubuntu if you don't like it. I recommend that you start off with 5 G (I made a post myself for that :)). Remember to back up all your files!

Good Luck,
hth

[Sushi]

i'm sorry, but while neither can emulate exactly, its a lot closer to OS X than you can achieve with kde. besides, the whole look and feel in kde is just as far away from mac as one can get.

Again: WHERE IS THAT OS X-STYLE IN GNOME? HOW DO I SELECT IT?

[ComplexNumber]

Again: WHERE IS THAT OS X-STYLE IN GNOME? HOW DO I SELECT IT? i've already answered you're question, so just give it a rest. you're becoming like a record stuck in a groove.

[Sushi]

OK, I'll put the whole discussion in to simple terms:

- First comment was that GNOME does not have OS X-style menubar, where the applications do not have individual menu's, isntead there is one "universal" menubar, where apps show their menu's.

- Second comment was that GNOME does have it, and it's enabled by default

- I then commented that what GNOME has is nowhere near the system Mac OS-uses. GNOME has few system-menu's in top of the screen, but each app has an individual menubar

- Then I was told that it is possible to re-create the Mac OS-styly with drawers and foot-menu

- I pointed out that the foot-menu and drawers are nowhere near the setup that Mac OS uses. Apps in GNOME would still have individual menubars. I also mentioned that KDE does support such a setup.

- I then receive comments how GNOME can imitate Mac OS more perfectly than KDE and KDE is as far from Mac OS as possible. Well, it's not as far as the menubar is concerned, since KDE has native support for Mac-OS style menubars, whereas GNOME does not seem to have it.

I'm still waiting for instructions on how to enable this Mac OS-style in GNOME....

Seriously, this is not rocket-science, but it still seems to be too much for some people.

[Sushi]

i've already answered you're question, so just give it a rest. you're becoming like a record stuck in a groove.

If I follow your instructions will these things happen:

- Applications will not have individual menubars

- There will be a single universal menubar on top of the screen displaying the selected apps menubar?

I SERIOUSLY can't believe that I have wasted so much time with this, when you clearly have no idea what we are talking about!

EDIT: OK, I jsut followed your instructions. I now have a menu on top of the screen that has all the apps in it. No menubar in sight, all the apps still have individual menubars.

AGAIN: where is this Mac OS-style you talked about?

[Virogenesis]

ComplexNumber is right on two points.

1) gnome has more of a mac os feel to it due the fact that menus are not coming at you in all directions.

2) sushi you're sounding like a broken record ComplexNumber has sastated you cannot get file edit view and all the opionb lik you do in mac os I believe it won't ever be posible it might be patiented I ain't sure

As many have stated best to tery for yourself see which you feel comfortable , natural and happy with.
Ask yourself what you don't like about mac os perdsonaly alot will say the single button mouse and alot will say keyboard shorts are great on mac os.

Download a live disc visit a friends try them out for yourself ..
You won't ever get the whole mac os thing but you might get something close.
What do you do on your mac?

[Sushi]

ComplexNumber is right on two points.

1) gnome has more of a mac os feel to it due the fact that menus are not coming ng at you in all directions.

What do you mean by "from all directions"? And like it or not, the "universal menubar" is one of the defining features of MacOS. KDE supports it, GNOME does not.


2) sushi you're sounding like a broken record ComplexNumber has sastated you cannot get file edit view and all the opionb lik you do in mac os I believe it won't ever be posible it might be patiented I ain't sure

ComplexNumber claimed that GNOME can imitate the MacOS-style. In thise case that refers to the "universal menubar" on top of the screen. Hell, he even claimed that such setup is the GNOME-default! I merely pointed out that GNOME does NOT have similar setup as MacOS does. Having few menus on top of the screen does NOT make the system "MacOS-style". Having APPLICATIONS menubar there, would make it "macOS-stle" on this aspect.

ComplexNumber keep on claiming that GNOME support the MacOS-style. I merely asked him to tell me hos to enable it, so I could check for myself. So far I have received instructions that would turn GNOME in to something very DIFFERENT from MacOS. And he still keep on telling me how GNOME support MacOS-style. Who is the "broken record" around here?


As many have stated best to tery for yourself see which you feel comfortable , natural and happy with.
Ask yourself what you don't like about mac os perdsonaly alot will say the single button mouse and alot will say keyboard shorts are great on mac os.

Download a live disc visit a friends try them out for yourself ..

Uh, I'm already using GNOME, and I like it. I have been using Linux for close to 8 years now. My BS-meter just went off the scale when I saw the claims that GNOME support MacOS-style menubars.


You won't ever get the whole mac os thing but you might get something close.
What do you do on your mac?

I'm selling my Mac. I haven't used it that much recently, sicne Linux is my Main OS (has been for ears now)

[aysiu]

ComplexNumber, here are two screenshots to illustrate what Sushi is talking about.

In one screenshot, notice how Extras, Settings, and Help are in the toolbar above the window (i.e., a universal, Mac-like toolbar)? In the other screenshot, Extra, Settings, and Help are part of the window.

This behavior is not available in Gnome. If you want to keep insisting it is, maybe you can provide a valid screenshot with the appropriate configuration editor that makes it possible.


1) gnome has more of a mac os feel to it due the fact that menus are not coming at you in all directions. On the contrary, KDE starts off with one panel on the bottom and no menus "coming at you in all directions." It has one menu--the KMenu. Gnome, however, starts out with two panels--one at the top, one at the bottom. It has three menus--Applications, Places, and System.

I love Gnome as much as the next person, but spreading lies about KDE just doesn't seem right. I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume these lies come from sheer ignorance and not malice (though why anyone would have malice for a desktop environment is beyond me). I've stated on numerous occasions what I feel to be the strengths and weaknesses of both desktop environments and have yet to see anyone substantiate the assertions that KDE is too "busy" or "more Windows-like than Gnome."

[Sushi]

According to ComplexNumber, this is how you make GNOME look and behave like MacOS:


why not delete the applications/places/system menu and replace it with the the gnome foot menu(ieMain Menu) by adding the applet to the panel? also, have you ever heard of Drawers? obviously not for both of those.

and


delete the Applications/Places/System button. right click on panel, select 'Add Applet'. click on Main Menu or Menu Bar. you don't have to have the Applications/Places/System set up. i don't have that setup on mine in root.

It's pretty obvious to me that ComplexNumber simply does not know how MacOS behaves. Those instructions do NOT make GNOME look and behave like MacOS does. For starters, there would be no universal menubar, each application would still have individual menubars, and MacOS does NOT have "Start-Menu". It has the Apple-menu, true, but it's not used to launch applications like Start/foot/K-menu are used.

This whole discussion has been just a huge waste of time.

[helpme]

ComplexNumber is right on two points.
1) gnome has more of a mac os feel to it due the fact that menus are not coming at you in all directions.

You can make KDE match OSX's behavior a lot better than what you can achieve with Gnome in my experience.



2) sushi you're sounding like a broken record ComplexNumber has sastated you cannot get file edit view and all the opionb lik you do in mac os I believe it won't ever be posible it might be patiented I ain't sure

He's only sounding like a broken record because our resident troll can't accept the fact that you can do one thing with KDE (that is, have a global menu bar) that matches OSX's behavior that you can't have with Gnome.

To add insult to injury, he didn't even know what people were talking about, but instead of asking nicely, he chose to insult people who knew what they were talking about.

[Sushi]

ComplexNumber, here are two screenshots to illustrate what Sushi is talking about.

THANK YOU :)!

[ComplexNumber]

aysui
how about showing everyone the whole screen?

[GeneralZod]

2) sushi you're sounding like a broken record ComplexNumber has sastated you cannot get file edit view and all the opionb lik you do in mac os I believe it won't ever be posible it might be patiented I ain't sure


He sounds like a "broken record" because ComplexNumber has strongly implied that GNOME is just as capable of emulating the Mac OS X style of menu bars as KDE is, and accused Sushi of "not knowing how to use GNOME" for not realising this. When pressed, he gave "proof" in the form of a sequence of steps in GNOME that showed he did not even understand what he was arguing about! :)

In short, ComplexNumber was wrong and, as far as I can see, has not explicitly acknowledged this, nor apologised for making incorrect assertions, nor apologised for stating that Sushi "did not know how to use GNOME" and "did not get it" under a pretext later shown to be incorrect. I understand Sushi's frustrations completely, and think he has a right to keep on pressing for closure. A simple "Ah, sorry - I mis-interpreted what you meant" a few posts ago would have nipped this ugly derail in the bud quite nicely!

[Sushi]

I decided to illustrate the point as well. In the attached screenshot we have KDE with MacOS-style menubar. It also has Kmenu in the top of the screen, so it imitates MacOS quite nicely as far as the "feel" of the desktop in concerned.

8375

I hope that this FINALLY settles what we are talking about when we talk of MacOS-style.

[Sushi]

aysui
did you deliberately leave off the bottom half of the screen in your screenshot for a reason? how about showing everyone the whole screen?

The bottom of the screen is irrelevant, since we are talking about the MENUBAR that is on the TOP OF THE SCREEN. The bottom of the screen could contain anything the user wants it to contain. By default it contains the taskbar.

[red_Marvin]

As a person who hasn't seen this thread before, but read through it, I believe that "discussions" as this easily can be avoided by early describing the differences between the menu types.

"Menubar" = [ File Edit View Help etc. ]

and

"Applications bar" = The linux variant(s) of the Windows start menu (and it's OSX equivalent)

I'm sorry I can't add anything to the original topic, as I don't come from a mac environment.

[Sushi]

ComplexNumber: If you feel like admitting that you were wrong, now is a good time to do it. Admitting your mistakes and apologizing makes you a better person in the end.

[ComplexNumber]

In short, ComplexNumber was wrong and, as far as I can see, has not explicitly acknowledged this, nor apologised for making incorrect assertions, nor apologised for stating that Sushi "did not know how to use GNOME" and "did not get it" under a pretext later shown to be incorrect. I understand Sushi's frustrations completely, and think he has a right to keep on pressing for closure. A simple "Ah, sorry - I mis-interpreted what you meant" a few posts ago would have nipped this ugly derail in the bud quite nicely! i apologise if i was wrong about the menu bar. but as far the whole look and feel, i still think gnome emulates the mac far better. i haven't heard many mac users or ex mac users disagree with that point. that was the main point, i feel.

Sushi
ok, i apologise about the menu bar :).

[Sushi]

Sushi
ok, i apologise about the menu bar :).

OK, apology accepted. Hugs and kisses all around

[GeneralZod]

i apologise if i was wrong about the menu bar.

That's much better - I know from experience that you're willing to admit that you're wrong, but it just seems to take so much more argumentation from the other side than is necessary :) Your passion for your chosen desktop environment is admirable, but it does very often feel like you are letting it get in the way of facts (and I'm not the only person on these forums that thinks this), and this has led to long and frustrating de-rails on more than one occasion.


but as far the whole look and feel, i still think gnome emulates the mac far better. i haven't heard many mac users or ex mac users disagree with that point.


That's fair enough, although stating concrete reasons as to why you think this at the same time as you state it would again cut down on some de-railing :)



Sushi
ok, i apologise about the menu bar :).

Hugs and kisses indeed \\:D/

[Virogenesis]

To both aysiu & Sushi , when I talk about menusa I talk about the options kde gives the user.
Mac os has quite strict guidelines when it comes to dialogs ahe options are centered.
I'll be linking the mac os print dialog, kde dialog and gnome dialog to show you what I mean.
mac print dialog (http://developer.apple.com/documentation/Printing/Conceptual/About_MacOSX_Printing/art/print_dialog07.gif)
gnome print dialog (http://www.gnome.org/~davyd/gnome-2-8/images/gnome-print-dialog.png)
kde print dialog (http://printing.kde.org/screenshots/pics/printdialog_normal.png)

As for the menu not being available on kde I was wrong haven't toyed around with kde in ages the last time I fully used it was when I use to run suse 7 i think it was anyway I played around with it with hoary for a couple of hours but then reinstalled ubuntu after konqueror kept on crashing on me .

[aysiu]

To both aysiu & Sushi , when I talk about menusa I talk about the options kde gives the user.
Mac os has quite strict guidelines when it comes to dialogs ahe options are centered.
I'll be linking the mac os print dialog, kde dialog and gnome dialog to show you what I mean.
mac print dialog (http://developer.apple.com/documentation/Printing/Conceptual/About_MacOSX_Printing/art/print_dialog07.gif)
gnome print dialog (http://www.gnome.org/~davyd/gnome-2-8/images/gnome-print-dialog.png)
kde print dialog (http://printing.kde.org/screenshots/pics/printdialog_normal.png) Ah, now I see what you mean. Gotcha.

[2cute4u]

Was it something wrong with the way i asked my question or is it just a fluke that all the people who i was hoping to resond to my question totally ignored it, and a bunch of hot heads turned who obviously are NOT primarily mac users, hijacked this thread and turned it into another flame war. I'm totally frustrated, and disapointed.


OK I have a question for those who LOVED their Macs, and used Aqua (the Mac OS X DE) for a long time BEFORE using Windows, Gnome, KDE.

From your perpsective as a Mac user:
What does Aqua do bettter than KDE and Gnome?
What does KDE do better than Aqua?
What Does Gnome do better than Aqua?
In what ways is Gnome more like Aqua than KDE?
In what ways is KDE more like Aqua than Gnome?

Please also say how long you used a Aqua, KDE, Gnome etc.

Thanx this will help me decide if I want to switch or buy another Mac.
I thought I carefully worded my question to get the responses from the people who really know what they are talking about. Can someone help me to write a post that will get the attention of the right people?

[aysiu]

Was it something wrong with the way i asked my question or is it just a fluke that all the people who i was hoping to resond to my question totally ignored it, and a bunch of hot heads turned who obviously are NOT primarily mac users, hijacked this thread and turned it into another flame war. I'm totally frustrated, and disapointed. I think what happened is that someone tried to answer your question saying that KDE can mimic Mac's universal-menu-bar behavior, and someone challenged it, and that went on for a few pages.

It's now been firmly established that a universal menu bar can happen in KDE and not Gnome.

I'll try my best to answer your questions. If people decide to challenge me, it may, in fact, turn into another flamewar--sorry, such is the nature of the beast. I don't know why desktop environments get people so hot bothered, but they do.



What does Aqua do bettter than KDE and Gnome? Just general smoothness. When Dashboard comes zooming in, it's smooth animation.

What does KDE do better than Aqua? Offers more options. A lot more options. Maybe too many options.

What Does Gnome do better than Aqua? Allows for more keyboard shortcuts, easy theming (though, you stated in an earlier post that you don't care about theming).

In what ways is Gnome more like Aqua than KDE? The theming can be made to look more like Aqua. Though, again, you said you don't care about theming. Gnome also tends to go for simplicity over easy configuration. I think the same is true for Aqua.

In what ways is KDE more like Aqua than Gnome? That universal menu bar thing that we went on for pages about.



Please also say how long you used a Aqua, KDE, Gnome etc. Aqua, about a year and a half. KDE for almost a year, Gnome for about ten months.

[John.Michael.Kane]

2cute4u Pleople responded to you post the best way they could you don't like the responces you got to bad. load up kde,gnome,osx. or whatever other DE/WM/OS you feel you want to know about, and use it for yourself to find out which one you like. there is no one DE/WM/OS that is better then the other they all have their short comings. asking questions like you have is fruitless as every enduser will have a diffrent feeling about the OS/DE/WM. for you to make a statement that people who posted ignored your question or really don't know what they are talking about is rude, and uncalled for. next time you want help with mac related issues make it known you only want responces/help from those who use mac's everyday only ie: no responces from pc users

[Qrk]

OK I have a question for those who LOVED their Macs, and used Aqua (the Mac OS X DE) for a long time BEFORE using Windows, Gnome, KDE.

From your perpsective as a Mac user:
What does Aqua do bettter than KDE and Gnome?
What does KDE do better than Aqua?
What Does Gnome do better than Aqua?
In what ways is Gnome more like Aqua than KDE?
In what ways is KDE more like Aqua than Gnome?

Please also say how long you used a Aqua, KDE, Gnome etc.

Thanx this will help me decide if I want to switch or buy another Mac.

Either KDE or Gnome would be great. If you haven't used either, say if you haven't switched to Ubuntu yet, don't worry about it. I'd recoomend looking at a screenshot tour of KDE and Gnome to get a good idea of how they are set up, but keep in mind that both are much more configurable than Aqua or Luna.

http://shots.osdir.com/slideshows/slideshow.php?release=469&slide=4&title=ubuntu+5.10+screenshots

http://shots.osdir.com/slideshows/slideshow.php?release=470&slide=4&title=kubuntu+5.10+screenshots

On to your questions... aqua doesn't do much better than KDE or Gnome. Its a little more polished all around, but it seems to have more quirks. I find Gnome more intuitive than aqua, but not as pretty or polished. KDE has more aqua-esq eye candy and prettyness; but I find it less intuitive.

KDE and Gnome are roughly equally respected, so in some ways you'll never get an answer untill you install ubuntu and then do a sudo apt-get install kubuntu-desktop. Its easy enough to see for yourself, using Gnome doesn't stop you from using KDE at the least.

I've used aqua for about a year and a half... KDE for about six months and Gnome for about a year and a half.

You can say all you want about the merits of KDE and Gnome, but the real reason I switched to Gnome is because KDE reminds me of the Klan.

[Virogenesis]

2cute4u:

What do you prefer the uncluttered dialogs that os x has ??
Or
the taskbar on top of the screen?
What don't you like about mac os?
What woulkd you improvement knowing what you like would help suggest a DE for you.
Kde and gnome both have pros and cons I personaly love e as it doesn't use the mac os bar I guess I got used to the windows laylout getting use to mac os now .
I also personaly dislike option and x for cut as the keys are too close to each othere hopefully you'll be able to decide maybe some will be able to take screenshot of dialog boxes for you to compare.

Have you got access to the net on your box mayber you can try a few gtk apps os on your box from ports or fink?

[red_Marvin]

On second thought, I might have something to contribute to the discussion:
If you're not on dialup, why don't you download the ubuntu and kubuntu live
cd images, burn them and test them to see which one you like the most?

[2cute4u]

I think what happened is that someone tried to answer your question saying that KDE can mimic Mac's universal-menu-bar behavior, and someone challenged it, and that went on for a few pages.

It's now been firmly established that a universal menu bar can happen in KDE and not Gnome.

I'll try my best to answer your questions. If people decide to challenge me, it may, in fact, turn into another flamewar--sorry, such is the nature of the beast. I don't know why desktop environments get people so hot bothered, but they do.

Just general smoothness. When Dashboard comes zooming in, it's smooth animation.
Offers more options. A lot more options. Maybe too many options.
Allows for more keyboard shortcuts, easy theming (though, you stated in an earlier post that you don't care about theming).
The theming can be made to look more like Aqua. Though, again, you said you don't care about theming. Gnome also tends to go for simplicity over easy configuration. I think the same is true for Aqua.
That universal menu bar thing that we went on for pages about.

Aqua, about a year and a half. KDE for almost a year, Gnome for about ten months. Thank you for your reply. It's helpfull, but I would love to get more details of your subjective experience. I'm hoping to get what can't be gathered by just reading articles about Gnome or KDE.


2cute4u:

What do you prefer the uncluttered dialogs that os x has ??
Or
the taskbar on top of the screen?
What don't you like about mac os?
What woulkd you improvement knowing what you like would help suggest a DE for you.
Kde and gnome both have pros and cons I personaly love e as it doesn't use the mac os bar I guess I got used to the windows laylout getting use to mac os now .
I also personaly dislike option and x for cut as the keys are too close to each othere hopefully you'll be able to decide maybe some will be able to take screenshot of dialog boxes for you to compare.

Have you got access to the net on your box mayber you can try a few gtk apps os on your box from ports or fink?

What I like about the mac os is that it feels smooth, solid, and connected. I like the uniformity of the user interface across all applications. I like that menus pull down on mouse down and close on mouse up. I like that drag and drop, cut and past, work so well between all the applications and the desktop. I like that I like that windows belong to applications instead of applications belonging to windows. I'm used to the mac keyboard shortcuts, wiget placement, buttun order, and menu postitions, so I like them , but I'm curious if peoiple who were used to them changed there mind to like the other way.

[briancurtin]

Was it something wrong with the way i asked my question or is it just a fluke that all the people who i was hoping to resond to my question totally ignored it, and a bunch of hot heads turned who obviously are NOT primarily mac users, hijacked this thread and turned it into another flame war. I'm totally frustrated, and disapointed.
thats how message boards usually work.

[aysiu]

What I like about the mac os is that it feels smooth, solid, and connected. I like the uniformity of the user interface across all applications. I like that menus pull down on mouse down and close on mouse up. I like that drag and drop, cut and past, work so well between all the applications and the desktop. I like that I like that windows belong to applications instead of applications belonging to windows. Then neither Gnome nor KDE will suit your needs.

[helpme]

Then neither Gnome nor KDE will suit your needs.
:?: