Linux creator Linus Torvalds has helped to re-ignite interest in the on again/off again public flame war between GNOME and KDE Linux desktop users. Torvalds gave an interview in Australia last week where he noted that he had chosen to go back to GNOME after a negative experience using the KDE 4.x desktop.
Frankly I’m not surprised since I did the same thing. I had been a loyal KDE user for nearly 10 years and then switched in mid 2008 back to GNOME as my everyday desktop.
KDE developer Aaron Seigo is now offering his views on Linus’ choice as well as some promises for the future. Though Seigo isn’t happy with Torvalds comments, he correctly notes that Torvalds is only one user.
“I don’t like losing any user, though, and such a happening can be deflating and make one second guess what they are doing (which isn’t an entirely bad thing either, as long as it doesn’t result in bad decision making or paralysis),” Seigo blogged.
Seigo added that KDE 4 was about the future, a future that will be more fully realized with the upcoming KDE 4.2 release.
“KDE 4.2 is a phenomenal release and unlike KDE 3.5, which was also a phenomenal release, this new release is a platform that we can successfully build on and compete in the market with for the next decade,” Seigo stated.
OpenSUSE 11.1 which is already out, includes some KDE 4.2 backports and in my limited usage of the distro found it to be a very good desktop experience.
I don’t know that the KDE 4.2 will be enough to sway long time GNOME users to KDE. However, I strongly suspect that it will make those that have switched from KDE to GNOME to second guess themselves and give KDE another chance – I know I certainly will.
