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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

...the typical Linux desktop is that it lends itself to customisations that can fit almost any need.

To make up for less configuration, KDE 4 glazes over the desktop with the addition of, yet again, more widgets. For example, with KDE 4, you have one mouse menu, the left-mouse menu, which offers Konsole, Run Command, Desktop Settings, Unlock Widgets, Lock Screen and Leave.

Gone is the Winlist desktop menu, where you click a mouse button to see what applications are running. KDE 4 has also removed the ability to add mouse menus. Without mouse menus, the desktop has become even less efficient.

8. System tray overkill
With Windows, it seems as if the loading of system-tray applets is never-ending. On a Fedora 10 KDE installation, the following applets are in the system tray by default: Sound, Wi-Fi, Klipper, Power, Beagle, Knotify, Battery Monitor and Clock.

Gnome? Power, Wi-Fi, User Switcher, Clock and Sound. The biggest difference is that the Gnome system tray loads instantly, allowing Power and Wi-Fi to come up as detected, whereas KDE's system tray applets load up one after another.

But load time of a system tray is less of an issue than the space it occupies. If you tend to have a lot of application launchers on your panel, an already full system tray could make for a very cluttered panel.

I think Beagle could be folded into the K menu, and that the Battery and Power applets could easily be one. The typical bloat in the KDE 4 desktop is not limited to the system tray, but it still provides a perfect example of the problem.

9. Default applications
As mentioned, the default file manager in KDE 4 is not good. The original default file manager, Konqueror, was moved over to act as the default web browser.

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Konqueror is a fine web browser. But when you are trying to win over users, and show everyone that Linux is just as easy to use as Windows, the last thing you want to do is give them something completely foreign as a web browser. It is the tool they will use more than any other.

When you have a web browser available in the form of Firefox, which is giving Internet Explorer a serious run for its money and is one of the best browsers available, why not make that the default?

On top of this, KOffice is the default office suite, which is a serious problem because KOffice is not even compatible with Microsoft Office. Try opening up .ppt files in KOffice and see what happens.

At least Gnome has the intelligence to make Firefox the default web browser and OpenOffice the default office suite. Of course, you can change the KDE 4 defaults. But the new user should not have to replace default applications, when these things could be done correctly on installation.

10. KDE equals Vista?
Ask anyone about Vista, and you are sure to get a negative reaction. Vista has been nothing more than a failure for Microsoft, and KDE 4 seems bent on emulating Vista. You can even theme KDE 4 to give it the glass feeling of Aero. But why? Linux is Linux, and one of the things that makes it Linux is that it does not look or feel like Windows.

The OS X interface does not share much with Windows, and neither should a Linux desktop. I am not saying the Linux desktop should be different just to be different, but it should be true to its core. Linux is about stability and flexibility. KDE 4, at least in its current state, very much goes against that, whereas Gnome holds true to those values.

The battle continues
The rivalry between Gnome and KDE is far from over. But while competition will continue to breed innovation, that innovation needs to move things forward. Before KDE 4, I would have always chosen KDE over Gnome. But with the advent of KDE 4, I have to say Gnome is far ahead in terms of design, stability and usability. What do you think?

Credit: 10 reasons why GNOME is better than KDE from TechRepublic.com