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Ten reasons Gnome has the edge on KDE

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Open Source,
KDE,
Gnome

Jack Wallen Tech Republic

Published: 24 Apr 2009 13:38 BST

... for your files and directories? I could perhaps understand this feature if you are on a multi-user system, where users depend on files being rated.

I would have expected Dolphin to lend file/directory tags to the KDE search engine, but it does not. So honestly, I can think of no justifiable reason for adding bloat to an application that was supposed to be free from it.

4. Foundations
KDE 4 was built using the Qt 4 application development framework in the hope that KDE could and would be ported to other platforms, such as Windows and OS X.

That change was huge and meant KDE had to be completely rebuilt. Gnome 2.24 continues to use the GTK+ 2 tookit, but includes flags in the code to enforce stricter compatibility with the upcoming GTK+ 3. These flags are included so that when GTK+ 3 is put into production use, the transition for developers will be seamless.

When you install Gnome 2.24, you are using the newest release with many new additions, but the underpinnings are effectively the same. Because of that fact, the latest version of Gnome is still stable, even while containing flags for the migration to a new foundation, in contrast to KDE 4's instability.

That instability is due to the immaturity of the code base, and I understand that. I have to admit it would be cool to have a Windows port of KDE. But to port KDE 4 and its huge code base to Windows would take a great deal of resources.

Considering how far KDE 4 has to go before it is truly production-ready, I think redirecting any viable resource away from the main project would be a mistake.

5. Resources
One area where KDE 4 has the edge over its predecessor is in memory management. According to the developers, KDE 4 uses approximately 39 percent less memory than KDE 3.5. Gnome 2.24, on the other hand, uses less memory than KDE 4.

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Comment: Ten ways to smooth the switch to Linux

There is no reason why moving users to Linux should be traumatic for them or stressful for you...

On my running system, from a fresh login, I see 1,268,876kB memory usage in Gnome compared with 1,279,348kB memory usage in KDE 4. That difference is 10,472kB — granted, not a huge amount, but it does show that Gnome requires less hardware to run.

You can certainly tell the difference between a default Gnome 2.24 and a KDE 4.1 desktop. You will also find that KDE 4 is a bit flakier with video cards. Even Nvidia cards, which typically work with Linux, can have some issues with KDE 4. Nvidia suggests several performance tweaks to get KDE 4 working with cards older than GeForce 8.

6. Clutter
With KDE 4 came the widgets. With the widgets came clutter. KDE 4 emulated the OS X dashboard and its widgets and tiny applications turn your desktop into a junkyard.

I am currently staring at a KDE 4 desktop with a single widget, Desktop, that is doing nothing. What is it? It is a simple file manager for a single directory — ~/Desktop. This widget is on the KDE 4 desktop by default. Why? I have no idea.

When I can open up the file manager and see what is in my ~/Desktop folder without having extra clutter on my desktop, why would I need a widget to do that for me? The widgets included with KDE are fairly useless.

Naturally, developers may create some pretty nifty widgets that might add some worth to the dashboard. But as it stands, I prefer to keep them off my desktop. Of course my desktop is not everyone's desktop.

I do understand that there are plenty of people out there, such as my wife with OS X, who like to have all those bells and whistles on their desktop. KDE 4 will give those people plenty to play with. But those of us who prefer a workspace that is efficient and clean will want to stay clear of KDE 4.

7. Customisation
You would think that KDE 4 would allow for extensive customisation. What KDE 4 does permit is the addition of tons of things, such as widgets and panels. You can change the size of your panel and reposition it. But that is really where it ends.

Unless you add a theme to KDE 4, you cannot change the look of your panel. Not so with Gnome. With Gnome, you can do whatever you want with your desktop. That is the Linux way.

KDE 4 has gone the way of Windows, locking the user down to limited configuration options for the look and feel of their desktop.

Now you might think that customisation runs counter to the whole efficient-workspace argument that I frequently make. Not so. One of the good things about...