KDE vs Android and iOS

[HappinessNow]

KDE takes on Android, Apple's iOS on smartphones and tablets
By Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols | October 9, 2011, 11:47am PDT

Summary: KDE, one of the leading Linux desktops, is taking dead aim at Android and Apple’s iOS on smartphones and tablets.

If another group was trying to take on Android and Apple’s iOS on smartphones and tablets, I’d dismiss them. RIM, BlackBerry’s parent company, is having a heck of a time getting anyone to buy into PlayBook and while HP TouchPad users loved it,HP killed the TouchPad after only a few weeks. So, why should anyone think that KDE, makers of one of the two most popular Linux desktops, should stand a chance with Plasma Active? Well, because KDE has a long history of delivering the goods with minimal resources....
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/open-source/kde-takes-on-android-apples-ios-on-smartphones-and-tablets/9717

Can KDE take on both Android and iOS and be a serious contender?...if yes or no what is your intellectual reasoning?

[hollowsyndicate]

no

[aysiu]

Can KDE take on both Android and iOS and be a serious contender? Only if this
We hope this appeals to many hardware vendors, and have in fact already started talking with some. The feedback so far was very good, and the concepts seem to appeal with potential partners. actually results in anything. If the hardware vendors preinstall KDE, and KDE is a good touchscreen interface, it'll be a serious contender. If it's some compressed file or .iso you have to download and install yourself in place of Android or iOS, KDE won't be a serious contender for everyday users, only hobbyists and tinkerers.

[hollowsyndicate]

kde doesnt even have a good browser =/

[HappinessNow]

kde doesnt even have a good browser =/
I guess what you really need to look at is how well the browser works on Plasma Active (http://plasma-active.org/)?

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-juFTWDn_keM/TpJ2p5dQoxI/AAAAAAAAMvQ/yKsOI7-v4es/s640/screenshot-20111009-213451.png

or would the system be similar to Android OS where you could load any compatible browser?


Only if this

We hope this appeals to many hardware vendors, and have in fact already started talking with some. The feedback so far was very good, and the concepts seem to appeal with potential partners.
actually results in anything. If the hardware vendors preinstall KDE, and KDE is a good touchscreen interface, it'll be a serious contender. If it's some compressed file or .iso you have to download and install yourself in place of Android or iOS, KDE won't be a serious contender for everyday users, only hobbyists and tinkerers. Agreed, and it sounds like they are trying to get the hardware vendors on board.

[wolfen69]

Meh.

[Mikeb85]

I don't think they'll be able to touch Android. Google is investing alot into it, many OEMs already use it, developers already write for it. It's got a solid base, a huge update is coming soon, and it's open source. What's not to like about it? If an alternative does come up, it will probably be Tizen (Intel, Samsung, Linux Foundation collaboration).

[StephanG]

I don't think they'll be able to touch Android. Google is investing alot into it, many OEMs already use it, developers already write for it. It's got a solid base, a huge update is coming soon, and it's open source. What's not to like about it? If an alternative does come up, it will probably be Tizen (Intel, Samsung, Linux Foundation collaboration).

I'm a little torn on Tizen. On the one hand, Intel, Samsung and Linux Foundation are all extremely large, and between them has a lot of money to invest into it.

But, on the other hand, that is also it's weakness. Meego, Maemo, Symbian and WebOS were all promising phone OS competitors. And they all basically disappeared because the organisation funding them decided it wasn't a worthwile investment anymore.

Given Android and iOS's combined market share, as well as the competitive nature of the phone market, I'm starting to think that the only viable Open Source phone OS that's possible, is an entirely community run one. Because if Intel or Samsung drop Tizen, it will scare of potential users, just like HP scared people off from using WebOS.

What KDE can bring to the table that no other phone OS has, is the fact that it is almost entirely community driven, and that means its not subject to the whims of companies and organisations.

[madjr]

I dont know about android or IOS and not the best comparison either as the apps are different.

but Plasma Active already looks more usable than Windows8 Metro UI (which by the history of kde seems to be a better comparison :))

unity is not made for tablets yet. So if you want to install linux on an windows8 tablet, you might want to try this UI

looks easy enough that i can see myself using it both on the tablet and on the desktop.

while i use both gnome and kde, the kde people always seem to amaze me frequently with new stuff. The flexibility of the platform is awesome. I seriously dont know where they get the manpower most of the time, but they never stop :)

[Dr. C]

It can on tablets and devices like the Eee Pad Transformer TF101 (http://www.asus.com/Eee/Eee_Pad/Eee_Pad_Transformer_TF101/) since it effectively brings desktop functionality to these devices. On smart phones no.

[Mikeb85]

I'm a little torn on Tizen. On the one hand, Intel, Samsung and Linux Foundation are all extremely large, and between them has a lot of money to invest into it.

But, on the other hand, that is also it's weakness. Meego, Maemo, Symbian and WebOS were all promising phone OS competitors. And they all basically disappeared because the organisation funding them decided it wasn't a worthwile investment anymore.


I would have bought a Meego phone had Nokia not killed the platform by selling out to Microsoft. It looked very promising.

I think Tizen has a chance. Samsung is one of the largest tech manufacturers in the world, has shown alot of determination, and Intel is desperate to gain some market share in the mobile chip market.

For the next year though we have Android.

[HappinessNow]

...just like HP scared people off from using WebOS....

ironically we may not have seen the last of WebOS as it is speculated that Amazon may buy WebOS and revive it.
http://venturebeat.com/2011/09/29/amazon-buy-palm/