From owner-freebsd-chat Tue Feb 2 10:51:56 1999 Return-Path: Received: (from majordom@localhost) by hub.freebsd.org (8.8.8/8.8.8) id KAA17703 for freebsd-chat-outgoing; Tue, 2 Feb 1999 10:51:56 -0800 (PST) (envelope-from owner-freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG) Received: from smtp01.primenet.com (smtp01.primenet.com [206.165.6.131]) by hub.freebsd.org (8.8.8/8.8.8) with ESMTP id KAA17698 for ; Tue, 2 Feb 1999 10:51:52 -0800 (PST) (envelope-from tlambert@usr05.primenet.com) Received: (from daemon@localhost) by smtp01.primenet.com (8.8.8/8.8.8) id LAA20017; Tue, 2 Feb 1999 11:51:49 -0700 (MST) Received: from usr05.primenet.com(206.165.6.205) via SMTP by smtp01.primenet.com, id smtpd019864; Tue Feb 2 11:51:33 1999 Received: (from tlambert@localhost) by usr05.primenet.com (8.8.5/8.8.5) id LAA06588; Tue, 2 Feb 1999 11:51:27 -0700 (MST) From: Terry Lambert Message-Id: <199902021851.LAA06588@usr05.primenet.com> Subject: Re: Lets Endorse KDE To: allenc@verinet.com (Allen Campbell) Date: Tue, 2 Feb 1999 18:51:27 +0000 (GMT) Cc: des@flood.ping.uio.no, freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG In-Reply-To: <36B68BA5.86D5DFDD@verinet.com> from "Allen Campbell" at Feb 1, 99 10:22:45 pm X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.4 PL25] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Sender: owner-freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG Precedence: bulk X-Loop: FreeBSD.org > Along with the clueless masses attracted by shiny things like GUI > desktops, come a certain number of developers who find mpegs more > interesting than mbufs. This is exactly what is needed for multimedia > progress. When you think about it, an engaging desktop environment is a > necessity to foster this sort of work. A well integrated and polished > desktop has done an inestimable amount of 'good' for the RedHat and > Caldera crowd. This is a serious point which must be reiterated. Just as there are applications users that don't want to have to screw around with applications developement, likewise there are application developers that don't want to have to screw around with OS developement. I think this is the middle ground that everyone is missing seeing, and I think that a desktop is just the thing to start the ball rolling. The thing to keep the ball rolling is a "Visual G++", including an interface documentation browser, but one part of the puzzle at a time. > If you want a successful FreeBSD Desktop Contest, I would suggest that > the incentive of rewarding the winner by adopting the result would be a > good start at a second attempt. KDE is highly theme-able and is easily > tailored to be very functional and provide a unique result. I envision > the kdm login screen with Chuck decorating the scene in a muted red > background appearing right off the RELEASE distribution CD. That's the target, I think. I actually have code for an xdm replacement, called xportmon, that knows how to throw up logins on a lab full of X terminals from one process (using call conversion and session contexts to do the right thing with regard to not having been written with threads). It would be easily adoptable by anyone who wanted to do the work on it to pixmaps instead of bitmaps. The current code basically puts up something that looks like a "NeXTStep" login, and has run 32 X terminals at much less load than 32 xdm's on an old Sun box. It even does the cute little "beep" and "shake the login ``no''" that the NeXT login does... 8-). > Is there a genuine possibility that KDE could be adopted as default[1] > desktop? I would say "Time for a contest!"... 8-). Be sure to include the advocacy list in the announcement, Jordan... Terry Lambert terry@lambert.org --- Any opinions in this posting are my own and not those of my present or previous employers. To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-chat" in the body of the message