[osol-mktg] Re: OpenSolairis a choice for the government desktop? // Re: [osol-discuss] KDE, GNOME, etc.

[James Carlson]

Glynn Foster writes:
> > Other european contries also KDE as primiary desktop and I don't see
> > how Solaris can get a better acceptance as long KDE is not supported.
> 
> Given the sheer amount of resources that we've already thrown into
> GNOME, I feel that it would be almost impossible to throw equal
> resources into KDE as well. Having 2 desktops really doesn't make any
> sense from a business point of view - goodness knows we already have *4*
> CD's already, which is way too many. If there's stuff about GNOME that
> isn't getting us deals [1] then we need to start tackling those issues
> and figuring out what we need to improve.

That's actually not the big problem here.

The big problem is the NxM matrix that adopting a new desktop causes.
If we can't pick one "official" desktop, then every single application
with any sort of user interface is forced to deliver (and test and
support) N different sets of integration hooks, look-and-feel bits,
and configuration mechanisms.

The result is chaos: poor and uneven results when choosing different
desktops (e.g., application A works fine with desktop X, and B with Y,
but A doesn't work right on Y and B doesn't work on X), and fewer good
products released because project teams are forced to waste time on
multiple standards.

I wouldn't count myself as a fan of GNOME -- I'm currently using twm
with m4 to process my .twmrc because GNOME definitely doesn't meet my
needs -- but I still think it'd be far worse to have more than one
"official" answer here.

(The issue with the German government and other buyers is something
that ought to be escalated properly.  If it's a real problem, it
shouldn't just be left to fester.)

-- 
James Carlson, KISS Network                    <james.d.carlson at sun.com>
Sun Microsystems / 1 Network Drive         71.232W   Vox +1 781 442 2084
MS UBUR02-212 / Burlington MA 01803-2757   42.496N   Fax +1 781 442 1677
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