KDE Kicked Off October With Dolphin Improvements, Continued HiDPI Work

[markc]

RE the Qt = CLA comment, read the link below. I find it quite a reasonable approach for a commercial company and this has absolutely nothing to do with the development of KDE/Plasma itself. In fact I trust the Qt Company more than the GNOME Foundation to make the right decisions most of the time.

https://www.qt.io/legal-contribution-agreement-qt

[retardxfce]

It's not just you. Basically it feels like Windows 95 with blur transparency.

Gnome is a single threaded JavaScript desktop with ugly CSS+ JavaScript hacks as extensions

[Mario Junior]

I honestly don't know what to do. KDE offers all the necessary and basic options present in a desktop interface, but I don't like the look at all. The problem is not the default theme but because KDE is a DE that lacks a lot of polish and interface improvements, apart from those horrible fonts used by default. To this day I couldn't make Kwin work properly even on AMD GPU, because I have either screen tearing or stutter.

About KDE interface, just look this little modification to KDE interface:


Now compare with default interface. Makes a better difference!

On the other side we have Gnome, which in my opinion is the DE with the best visual consistency in the whole area of the system interface. You see how careful they were with Gnome's design and it appeals to me even in the default theme, but choosing custom themes makes the interface even more beautiful.

However, Gnome is a complete joke when it comes to a desktop interface. I won't even mention Gnome developers because I risk taking warning for the words I might use. But anyway, come on: what the hell do Gnome devs have in mind? Shit? An interface where you can't put your PC to sleep without installing a damn extension? Nautilus, a complete bad joke. Seriously I need to use the terminal to create a damn blank file in this damn nautilus? For whatever shit I want to do, I need a damn javascript extension as if the gnome wasn't already bloated by itself.

As if that weren't enough, there is still the famous "file picker" meme that persists after 15 YEARS without solution: https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gtk/issues/233

I don't mention XFCE because it's an irrelevant DE where developers can't make the composer work without screen tearing, and now after version 4.14 there's an absurd input lag!
Mate is another irrelevant to me. Cinnamon is a joke because I don't know who is worse, if it's cinnamon or if it's gnome.
Using WM is out of the question. A lot of work editing files to make it work to my liking and customizing is a lot of work.

Honestly, it's hard to be a Linux user.

[retardxfce]

Gnome is very consistently ugly across the entire DE.

[tildearrow]

tildearrow A flexible desktop allows app developers to use CSD.

Your point is invalid. A flexible desktop also allows app developers to use SSD.

When has KDE prohibited CSD apps from running?

[Britoid]

An interface where you can't put your PC to sleep without installing a damn extension?.

You can either hold down alt or hold down on the power off button, but yes it should be more easily accessible and a system menu revamp is planned which will address this.

As if that weren't enough, there is still the famous "file picker" meme that persists after 15 YEARS without solution: https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gtk/issues/233

Same as above, I believe the file picker is due for a redo which based on current mockups, includes an icon file picker.

Gnome is a single threaded JavaScript desktop with ugly CSS+ JavaScript hacks as extensions

You live up to your name, because it's not single threaded and Javascript isn't responsible for drawing the UI (C is).

[Citan]

Is it just me, or is KDE terrible?

I feel like KDE is probably the last thing I would want to use.
I would prefer GNOME, Windows 10, Xfce, macOS, last on the list would be KDE, just before Weston and Enlightenment. I think probably like Sway, i3, wmii, etc before KDE too maybe.

This troll is nice enough, I can't help myself but bite.

KDE is by FAR the MOST usable desktop for somebody that 1) wants something that works 2) has little clue about computer*.
Why, will you say, when everyone agrees that KDE is the richest in customization, through loads of buttons and options?

1. Nearly everything in KDE is accessible with a contextualized menu item (contextualized as in providing tooltip + keyboard shortcut when existing). People that are not very familiar with computers usually prefer using menus systematically, even if it takes some time, than wild guessing things magically (like, for example, many things on MAC OS which rely *solely* on keyboard shortcuts without *any clue* as to what that shortcut is). And the fact there are tooltips and shortcut means one can improve his use of desktop at own rythm, without needing internet searches.
Furthermore, "menu littering hell" that many criticized about old versions of KDE has been tackled since start of KDE5. While there is always room for improvement, it's now much easier for people not familiar with desktop environments to understand which options are the most important one (my taste would lead me to say they even went overboard, but hey, it's just me ^^).
--> Learning curve is actually as smooth or as high as you decide.

2. The default disposition of KDE is sober, some would say "sad and bland" (although I don't agree, I can understand where that comes from), and similar to Windows desktops. Which is, for best or worse, the one reference for 90% users around the world. Yet you can change about everything in appearance and behaviour, a feat none other desktop can boast (sure, you can change much about Gnome, but it requires extensive tweaking + plugins + research. Lets not talk about Windows or Mac OS, we don't want to shame its too much).
---> You don't adapt to the tool, you adapt the tool to you.

3. Integrated tools of that environment are leagues above the others in termes of power user features, especially the capture tool, the file explorer tool, the terminal and the "all in one shortcut bar". That is something irrelevant for many users, but when you have intensive tasks, it's really appreciable.
(Note : I didn't try again other desktops since several months, it's possible they filled the gap at least partially).
---> Power users have several features from "useful" to "lifesaver" right at their fingertips.

4. This is not necessarily a good point (from the "I just want it to work and be fast" end-user perspective), but has to be noted: KDE is, since 10 years ago, the only one really trying to think through the user experience, what with their efforts on...
- Metasearch engine (although this sadly ended as a half-wreck, because they tried to use a prototype as a production-ready product),
- Semi-unified interface aka different structuration of similarly looking elements (which was very promising, but lack of resources made it a dead project, or nearly -from what I know at least),
- Customizability (which took a leap with their efforts on the website centralizing customization resources, alas it's still a huge mess because many things are completely obsolete for KDE5 yet displayed in interface).
... And globally trying to bake a solid foundation for ten years to come: which is sadly hard to do with their work force, so since they push several big tasks in parallel everything progresses at snail's speed.

* My experience on KDE 5 is somewhat dated though, and the version I'm using is indeed far less polished than the latest KDE4. It's enough for my current usage though since I don't work on my computer anymore. My current opinion is based on KDE4 + everything I read & watch about KDE5 in current state, plus very occasional try on livecd. I'll definitely jump on the wagon when I buy myself a new full AMD computer for personal work, in a few months. ^^

[TheBlackCat]

KDE have terrible usability. It has a million of buttons, menus, and options. It is super confusing. It looks like shit.

Yes, that was a serious problem...like ten years ago. Nowadays the default layout for pretty much every application you use, except for advanced ones of course, has only a handful of buttons. You can add a ton of buttons if you want, but by default it doesn't.

[TheBlackCat]

Britoid That’s not entirely true. Distributions who want to differentiate also prefer GNOME.

Gnome actively discourages distros from doing this. Distros can if they try hard enough, but there is no official support for theming Gnome, distros that try will not get any support from Gnome developers, and those themes will often break without warning on minor Gnome releases since it is not considered public API.

KDE, by contrast, actively encourages distros doing this. They provide an official theming interface, a way to distribute entire themes with a single file, and KDE developers will help distros get KDE themed the way they want it, and it is considered an official, stable API.

[Britoid]

Gnome actively discourages distros from doing this. Distros can if they try hard enough, but there is no official support for theming Gnome, distros that try will not get any support from Gnome developers, and those themes will often break without warning on minor Gnome releases since it is not considered public API.

KDE, by contrast, actively encourages distros doing this. They provide an official theming interface, a way to distribute entire themes with a single file, and KDE developers will help distros get KDE themed the way they want it, and it is considered an official, stable API.

KDE uses a toolkit maintained by 10x the number of people people as GTK is. Additionally Qt defaults to baking styles and a GTK "theme" can do a hell of a lot more than a KDE theme can (which is usually just colours).

GTK unfortunately gave way too much power, which certain distros were not very responsible with and were okay to hurt the GNOME ecosystem if it means they could apply heavy branding to things or for "eye-candy".

No platform with a healthy and successful app ecosystem has a theme system that applies to third party apps.