PC-BSD Is Developing Its Own Desktop Environment

[tomtomme]

Here I have to agree with you. I bet LXDE-Qt (or as I like to call it 'LAXOR' pronounced similarly to 'laser') is going to be a great alternative to KDE that is also based on Qt. I don't know, only time will tell how things will work out. I'm thinking they might incorporate some stuff from the LXDE camp in their DE.

LXDE-Qt is still vaporware / not released:

http://blog.lxde.org/

The screenshots look ugly like a unpolished mixture of KDE 3 and 4 (which I both use(d) many years).

http://itmages.ru/image/view/1628853/d27452c9

It was announced almost 1 year ago and now is said to be reaching "a Quite Usable State".
They are mainly only a two-man team (LXDE + Razor-Qt developer)...so yeah, time will tell and that may be another year or two until it is mature for everyday use like the old LXDE (which I used for 2 years) and not only a playground :/
At he initial anouncement I hoped for more...

[Markore]

Why? Because. Be modular and multiplatform.

My first reaction was: Why (another DE) . Where are screenshots?
And then, why not?
Considering OpenBSD could not be looked at as target for major desktop, people have freedom to experiment.

I just have 2 suggestions:
1. Be modular and let people make their environment how ever they like, instead of forcing them to use "just one look" (like windows, kde, gnome etc.),
more in line what Xfce allows users - to make environment and panels whatever they like.
2. Be multiplatform from the day 1. Don't make OS boundaries where they should not be. If it is multiplatform and portable, then it is alive, if it is not, then... good luck.

Anyway, i want you all the best, just consider those 2 suggestions and you would be on the positive side, I think.

[dee.]

If tomorrow OSS decides to close down or turn into proprietary at-key shelf-solution (BSD-based hardware with own proprietary OSS stack in a black box, like PS4), then BSD will be without sound at all.

How have you been on Phoronix forums for so long and still not know how licenses work?

Licenses can't be changed retroactively. Even if OSS becomes proprietary tomorrow, any code released today will still be open source. The same applies no matter what open source license is used - BSD, GPL, etc. BSD people could just fork the last oss-version of OSS and keep maintaining that.

This isn't to say that there aren't problems with OSS... but "turning proprietary" isn't one of them, just like it isn't with anything else released under an open source license.

[Marc Driftmeyer]

Well the good thing is that it's not the "Linux community" behind it but BSD.

As an ardent supporter of BSD [particularly FreeBSD], this is a dead end idea and a waste of resources. If you wanted to do something and get it right you would have blown up GNUstep, removed all the GPL and actually make a modern NEXTSTEP equivalent, not a hack that is Afterstep or GNUstep, neither of which remotely tapped into what actually made NeXTSTEP/Openstep so well done.

[Awesomeness]

The real question is - why are they not taking LXQT, aka ex-Razor?

You're stupid. That's no question because it has already been answered: They want a BSD-licensed DE, not a GPLed one.

[Mike Frett]

HUH

"Rally behind one" "Too many" etc.. I'm sorry but the MORE the BETTER. If I wanted no choice, I would use Windows. Some of you people here need to get your priorities straight...

[Vim_User]

Because we all need another DE right?
MATE is very good
KDE is very good
Some of the others are very good.

I honestly hope it fails. I'm sorry but the Linux community needs to rally behind 1 or a few DE's.
Anyone creating a new DE at this point has a level of arrogance that the Linux community dosen't need.
Take a look at Ubuntu for an example.

I guess you haven't read the PC_BSD forums thread, but are arrogant enough to comment nonetheless here:
1. PC-BSD is not part of the Linux community.
2. They clearly state why they are not going for one of the other DEs.

[Vim_User]

The work needed to make it competitive with Linux should be devoted elsewhere.
FreeBSD has a lot of things going for it but being a desktop is never going to be one of them. They should make a framework rather than a desktop. It would be more productive and in line with what freeBSD has become.

And you now even have the nerves to tell open source developers what they should work on, but call others arrogant. Another mindless troll, welcome to my ignore list. Have a nice life.

[nslay]

Calling BSD Unix shows how little you know.
...

Your post says it all. You're the arrogant ones and have been all along; not BSD. There's the Unix-like community and then there's Linux.

Arrogant.

[Vim_User]

Here I have to agree with you. I bet LXDE-Qt (or as I like to call it 'LAXOR' pronounced similarly to 'laser') is going to be a great alternative to KDE that is also based on Qt. I don't know, only time will tell how things will work out. I'm thinking they might incorporate some stuff from the LXDE camp in their DE.

In the thread on the PC-BSD forum they state why they are not going with LXQt:
1. It is GPL licensed and they want something BSD licensed.
2. The Razor-Qt developers are very Linux centric, which ondoubtedly will lead to difficulties for the BSD guys.