KDE vs Gnome
The first Linux distribution I was about to download was OpenSUSE, a free Linux distribution offered by the American networking giant Novell, who offer two different versions of Linux - a KDE version or a Gnome version. So today’s effort went into discovering the difference between the two before downloading.
My plan is to download five or six different versions of Linux as I discussed in this post to try out how each works. Once I’ve chosen one, I’ll use it for a month to see if it can become my main computer. Along the way I’ll post my findings for anyone who is interested.
I learned from Hall and Sery in their book "Red Hat Linux 7 for Dummies" (previously referred to in this post) that unlike the Windows operating system, the Linux user interface is a distinct layer, separate from the operating system’s "kernel". The user interface is what we see on our monitors, and it passes on our instructions to the kernel where the computing takes place. The kernel’s results are passed back to the user via the user interface Because the interface is a "shell" around the kernel, different user interfaces have been designed for different user priorities.
In Linux’s early days, limited computer capacity made it important to focus different interfaces for different user needs, and several different shells were developed. Two became popular - KDE and Gnome.
Now that computers have a greater capacity, prioritizing different functions is less important than it was in past times, and so now both Gnome and KDE have similar capabilities and they both work well. I’ve read that the main difference is in look and feel.
Computer journalist Bruce Byfield has written a short, well written historical background to the Linux shell and the origins of KDE and Gnome. He’s also compared the two in "KDE vs Gnome: which has the best Apps?"
My reading has lead me to the conclusion that both are good interfaces, and that the choice should be based on what feels best for the things I need to do with a computer. So I have to try out both interfaces.
As I go thorough the various distributions I am sure I’ll come across both Gnome and KDE, and its likely one will appeal to me more than the other. I’ll write about my thoughts and feelings as I see the various choices.
After all that research, I decided that my first review should be a distribution that doesn’t give me choices I’m not ready to make. Freespire
looks line a good candidate, which I will report on in my next post.
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