Razor & LXDE-Qt Desktop Projects To Merge

[dee.]

I would say it is fragmentation of resources (developer time, etc). I'm all for choice, but when there is too much and too little differentiation you hurt the community by splitting what are very similar groups smaller than they need to be.

Just a general statement, I barely play with different DEs.

People who care about one project, work on that project because they care about that project. If that project were to somehow disappear, it's not certain at all that the people would then contribute their time to the competing project. It doesn't really matter how many desktops there are, they wouldn't exist if there wasn't at least some kind of user base for them, a group of people who find it suitable for their needs.

[Awesomeness]

Sure, but I think that counts. I doubt there are many lines of code in current Gnome or KDE releases that date back to their first releases either, even if they've never done big-bang rewrites.

IMO there's a difference between a project whose code evolved gradually over the years and one that threw away every single line to start from scratch.
I'm more informed about the KDE side than Gnome but there actually quite some bits and pieces that lasted over the years ? code in KWin talking directly to X11 and the session startup script are two frequently cited examples by KDE devs.

Now personally, I don't actually like the XFCE desktop much... it's never really suited me. But you've got to give them credit - they don't get the recognition of the bigger desktops, but they've endured and thrived over a long period of time...

IMO Xfce has always just been a cheap knock-off of something else. Up to 3.x it was a CDE clone and 4.0 started to clone Gnome 2.x.

[TheOne]

While LXDE is a great environment I still find Xfce much more feature complete and customizable enough to make it work on your own style which makes things faster. I love Xfce panels but LXDE is catching up on this also.

[Delgarde]

?In March 1999 Fourdan began a complete rewrite of the project based on GTK+?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xfce#History

So yes, the Xfce name is used for longer than Gnome but today's project is younger than Gnome.

Sure, but I think that counts. I doubt there are many lines of code in current Gnome or KDE releases that date back to their first releases either, even if they've never done big-bang rewrites.

Now personally, I don't actually like the XFCE desktop much... it's never really suited me. But you've got to give them credit - they don't get the recognition of the bigger desktops, but they've endured and thrived over a long period of time...

[Awesomeness]

XFCE is a well-established project in their own right - it's actually been around longer than both Gnome and KDE.

?In March 1999 Fourdan began a complete rewrite of the project based on GTK+?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xfce#History

So yes, the Xfce name is used for longer than Gnome but today's project is younger than Gnome.

[F i L]

Keeping my eye on this. May end up switching from KDE to LXDE eventually if their combined efforts can create a simpler DE based on Qt/Kwin.
I think the name should have been "Razor-LXDE" or "LX-Rasor" or something along those lines. Has a better ring to it, and it's "fresh" (a newer buzz word).

[Teho]

Whereas XFCE is a well-established project in their own right - it's actually been around longer than both Gnome and KDE.

Source? Both KDE and XFCE were released in 1996.

[Delgarde]

XFCE and MATE should merge as well.

That would be silly. MATE is a half-assed attempt to keep Gnome 2 alive, with an over-complex code-base that was abandoned by it's original developers. Whereas XFCE is a well-established project in their own right - it's actually been around longer than both Gnome and KDE.

[beaverusiv]

What fragmentation? The idea that many DE's causes "fragmentation" is just plain wrong. Fragmentation in the context of DE's is nothing but a buzzword term that is used incorrectly - kind of like how ignorant people have started using "FUD" as a synonym for "anything I disagree with".

If each of these DE's were completely incompatible with each other, so that you couldn't run software designed for one in another, that could actually be called "fragmentation" - but this isn't the case.

I would say it is fragmentation of resources (developer time, etc). I'm all for choice, but when there is too much and too little differentiation you hurt the community by splitting what are very similar groups smaller than they need to be.

Just a general statement, I barely play with different DEs.

[duby229]

XFCE and MATE should merge as well.

Am I allowed to say, "Hellz to the naw!"?