KDE/GNOME? on WINDOWS

Hi,

I've just read this website http://kde-cygwin.sourceforge.net/

From what I've read :

"Windows is the OS of choice for many companies. How does this square with the promotion of KDE? The answer is simple: build something that allows KDE applications to run atop Windows. This is the goal we are aiming for with this project."

Is that bad idea or good idea ..to put KDE project on WINDOWS...if that good idea..what's gonna happpen to linux?

I 've read RED HAT LINUX trying to develop KDE/GNU tool for WINDOWS already.. ????

Will Linux holding hand with windows..?

I fail to see the point in doing the above, surely the main challenge is to get windows apps like M$ Office to run in linux.
And i thought the point in KDE was to make a GUI for Linux that is as easy to use as windows, or am I misinformed?

-aX

yupe that's what I thought too..

Quote:

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And i thought the point in KDE was to make a GUI for Linux that is as easy to use as windows, or am I misinformed?

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I though Linux will be Linux...Why they want develop KDE on buggy windows?

It might be for marketing strategy...most of user still using Windows..?<< just a dummy thought from me..

It could be like the DemoLinux project (a Linux version on one cd that you can run without any installation) in order to show to standard users the assets of Linux without frightening them with the obligation to quit their dear Windows (or in the case of DemoLinux, without installing anything on their machine).

Well, it might help to prove the point that Windows is a modular OS, and that it is not necessary
to run it with 100% Microsoft supplied components.

This is one of the big issues in the legal fights that have
been going on, with Microsoft insisting that every feature
is integrated into the core OS.

If something as prominent as the GUI can be swapped out for an alternative, then so can any other app or utility.
Just like the good old days of ms-dos.

I think that some projects to replace the Windows GUI were already done (and not only change the aspect). I have not really study such programs, but I know that at least one of them completely replaced "explorer.exe".

EDIT:
Even if it is not as serious as KDE, Talisman has really replaced "explorer.exe". I don't know for others Windows components linked to the GUI.

As much as i hate M$, i seriously doubt that any other company will be able to do a better job than what M$ has already done with its GUI for windows.
Baring in mind that M$ are the only people with the source code, it would be very difficult for other programmers to figure out how the OS works.

-aX

I can't see the point of it, and I think it should not be done.

The Linux GUIs are quite heavily tied into the OS, and the way it will be ported to Windows is via a compatability library like cygwin. Whilst I recognise the potential usefulness of this,

1. KDE will not beat Windows at its own game, at least not on Windows. The only thing Windows is really good at is running a desktop environment.

2. It will be a poor imitiation of the Linux versions of KDE apps, i.e. they will run, but with less performance and reliability (Look at GIMP, for instance, under Windows). This will reflect badly on Linux (unfairly) and discourage people from switching.

3. It will fuel Microsoft's coffers, and give people fewer reasons to switch "If I can run Linux application X on Windows, why do I need to bother running Linux?"

So DO NOT port your KDE or other Linux apps to Windows, unless absolutely necessary. Instead port your Windows apps to Linux, and swtich os.

Indeed, slarty. That's a very good point. That's almost the inverse of my argument against the further development of windows emulators like wine and Win4Lin. (Put down your guns and back away from the negs.... let me explain.)

I'm an old OS/2 user, and so I've already been down the OS emulation path with the "better Windows than Windows" thing. What made it bad was that it was true. WinOS/2 did a better job of running 16-bit Windows applications than Windows because it could run them in protected memory space at least as reliably as Windows itself. IBM thought they had achieved a technical marvel that would ease the transition from Windows to OS/2 and encourage more users to switch since they could run Word, Netscape, and all the other apps they were used to.

What they did, in fact, was remove any incentive that ISVs might have had to port their applications over to OS/2. Every time we contacted a vendor about an OS/2 port, we were told, "Doesn't OS/2 run Windows apps? Just run it under there. It runs fine." Ergo, there were no OS/2 applications. And since there were no OS/2 applications, there was no reason for anybody to switch.

In a twisted kind of way, I'm *glad* that wine is as badly broken as it is because I don't want to see a repeat performance. Linux developers need to stop trying to get Linux apps running on Windows and stop trying to get Windows apps to run on Linux. They need to learn from the mistakes of the past and focus on making the Linux applications as good as they possibly can be on Linux. *That* will give people a compelling reason to switch, and none of this other stuff will.

You guys have good point here..KDE developer should concentrate on their amazing work for linux cause I think Linux will be Linux..

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In a twisted kind of way, I'm *glad* that wine is as badly broken as it is because I don't want to see a repeat performance. Linux developers need to stop trying to get Linux apps running on Windows and stop trying to get Windows apps to run on Linux. They need to learn from the mistakes of the past and focus on making the Linux applications as good as they possibly can be on Linux. *That* will give people a compelling reason to switch, and none of this other stuff will.

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I am totally agreed with this..cause most my workmate tried to have "Vmware,WinLIn,crossoffice..etc.." but no matter what this "developer" done to get windows running on linux..most of us dissapointed with the result( running to slow,can't use 3D,etc..) . I/workmate dumped already that kind of software ...and we see here Linux growing very fast..so we decided to get back to Linux/nix not using anykind of that sotware again.
The developer should concentrate on making KDE/gnome step ahead from Ms and stop to make application for Ms or Ms for Linux

Contrary to what you say, I think having Wine *is* a good idea.

Wine should not be used to run everyday applications, like browser, email, etc, but may be used to run the "occasional" apps which Linux users don't want to boot into Windows for

For example, if I have a configuration program for my external dongle-spanner 1000, which uses the serial port, I don't want to have to boot into Windows *just* to run this program once. The makers of the dongle-spanner 1000 probably have a 1-man software team, and do not have the ability to port the config program to Linux, plus also, they point out that you only actually have to run the config program once.

Therefore it *is* useful to have Wine.

The other reason is games, which there are relatively few natively written for Linux (yes, Quake, UT, etc). Games companies will either not care, or say "We'll port it to Linux provided it's easy enough", to that end they can use winelib etc, to make porting easier.