DESKTOP LINUX

Mike Angelo -- 17 August 2005 (C)

The look, feel, and features of the Linux desktop metaphor and environment are important ingredients of a good desktop Linux. Experienced Linux users can, of course, implement and configure their desktops to look, feel, and function almost any way they wish.

(If desktop metaphor is confusing, please see the Desktop Metaphor Unraveled sidebar on page 4.)

However, that's not so for new and inexperienced Linux users, or for Microsoft Windows users migrating to Linux. They pretty much are blessed, or stuck, with the default desktop metaphor and environment of the Linux distribution they choose to install -- and they are pretty much blessed, or stuck, with how the Linux distribution provider has implemented that desktop environment.

What Is Good Desktop Linux?

Previously in our pursuit to find good desktop Linux, we asked:

So, you are not sure what makes a Linux distribution a good desktop Linux but you know it when you see it, right? Perhaps -- but perhaps not. So, what does it take to be a good desktop Linux distribution?

Additionally we defined the term desktop Linux to refer to:

Linux-based computer systems that sport graphical user interfaces (GUIs) laid out to look and feel like desktops. Two popular GNU-Linux GUI desktop systems are GNOME and KDE. What most people see when they use Microsoft Windows is a GUI desktop. (Ibid, page 1)

The Linux Desktop Is Very Important

Look, feel, and features of the Linux Desktop

The look, feel, and features of the actual desktop metaphor, or desktop environment if you like, running on top of the Linux operating system are a very important part of what makes a desktop Linux a good one. Face it. The desktop is the human, or user, interface.

The desktop is the face of Linux that people see

With people, it is the human face that you know and with which you interact -- not the blood and guts of what is under that human face -- even though all the memory, personality, and processing are going under the face. Computer-wise, it is the user interface, the desktop, that most people see and know -- not the nuts and bolts of what is under the user interface.

Thus, much like a human face, it is just as important for Linux to put its best face forward as it is for a person to put his or her best face forward.

Using a computer in many ways is similar to using a car. Most car drivers and riders do not give a tinker's darn about what is under the hood or about stuff like overhead cams, displacements, rear-end ratios, and so forth.

All they care about is putting the key in the ignition and twisting it to start the engine, putting that lever thing into one of the numbered or lettered positions such as P, R, or D, and depressing the pedal to the metal to get where they want to go. In other words they are interested in performance and ease-of-use -- not the technical, structural, and architectural stuff.

Ease of use and performance are what counts

Likewise, most computer users today do not give a tinker's darn about what is in the computer box -- stuff like the operating system, the CPU, megabytes and gigabytes of this, megahertz and gigahertz of that, and so forth. All they care about is turning the computer on, rolling the mouse around and clicking it, writing letters and other documents, doing their e-mail, surfing the Web, playing music, playing games, engaging in instant messaging, and so forth. Just as with their cars, they are interested in performance, speed, and ease of use -- not the technical, structural, and architectural stuff.

For several months now, we have been looking over the latest releases of five important GNU-Linux distributions, Fedora, Mandriva, Novell, SUSE, and Xandros. We compared them using our Pogo Linux Altura64 test system and using multi-boot technology. Some things we have been looking at are out-of-the-box ease-of-use and performance.

Previously in our Pursuit

Previously in our pursuit to find good desktop Linux, we found that:

Only one Linux Distro matched up out-of-the-box on both the criteria of (a) access to shared files on other computers on our LAN and (b) access to MS Windows files on the box on which it was installed. That distro is Xandros Business 3. Mandriva Limited Edition 2005 came very, very close. (Ibid, page 3.)

However, for other reasons we found Mandriva to be in the lead for the spot of best desktop Linux, stating:

For now, when it comes to looking for a good desktop Linux, Mandriva is in first place.

Today, we consider the look, feel, and features of the default desktop metaphor or environment running on each of these important GNU-Linux distributions. How each Linux distribution implements its default desktop environment is an important part of our consideration. More about implementation further on in this series.

So, let's see which distributions make the cut, out-of-the-box, for:

1. desktop ease-of-use and

2. compatibility with the MS Window desktop

Compatibility with MS Windows desktop

Compatibility with MS Windows is not to be taken as an endorsement of the Microsoft Windows desktop. Rather, compatibility with the MS Windows desktop is a consideration because many people are migrating from Microsoft Windows and Microsoft applications to the Linux operating system, and to free and open source software (FOSS) too, these days.Actually, we believe that the Linux operating system (OS) and the Linux desktop are better than the MS Windows OS and desktop. That is an important reason that we strongly recommend that people switch from MS Windows to GNU-Linux.

Promoting migration from MS Windows to Linux

Thus it is important that a good desktop Linux make that migration an easy one. It also is important because high compatibility between the Linux desktop environment and the MS Windows desktop environment can and will help to promote migration from Microsoft Windows to GNU-Linux -- and from Microsoft applications to free and open source applications.

If you are selling cars, it likely is easier to sell someone with an automatic transmission another car with an automatic transmission than what it is to sell them a car with stick shift -- because the automatic transmission on the new car is more compatible with the automatic transmission on the old car than is a stick shift (manual transmission). Likewise, it is easier to sell someone a new computer if the new computer looks and feels like the old computer compatibility-wise.

There are least two reasons for this:

1. people tend to like to stay with things with which they are familiar and comfortable, and

2. learning to use something different means investing time and money to do the learning.

People want things they can use right away -- it's a normal human behavior. When there is high compatibility between the old and the new, you can use the new immediately -- without having to learn anything new.

Moreover, people do not like to spend time and money learning how to do things if they do not have to do so. And businesses are even less likely to adopt something different, such as a different computer operating system, if it means training expenses and loss of productivity during the training process.

Linux for Microsoft Windows Users

Ideally in the compatibility with the MS Windows category, if you put a Microsoft Windows user in front of a Linux-based computer, that user would believe that he or she was using a Windows-based computer -- with perhaps nothing more than a slight theme change. We explored that early on (2001) in articles #2, #3, and #4 of our Linux for Microsoft Windows Users series.

In those early Linux for Microsoft Windows Users series articles we tweaked the KDE desktop to look and feel very much like the Microsoft Windows desktop. Then in tutorial fashion we showed you how much using the Linux operating system with the KDE desktop is like using the MS Windows operating system with the Microsoft desktop.

If one has the requisite experiences and skills with a particular Linux distribution, then one can make most any desktop running on that particular Linux distro look and feel like the Microsoft Windows desktop. However, in our pursuit of good desktop Linux, we are concerned with the compatibility of the default desktop, right out-of-the-box, with the MS Windows desktop -- largely because the very people that need that Microsoft Windows compatibility, computer newbies and people migrating from MS Windows to Linux, likely do not have the skills necessary to modify the look and feel of the Linux desktop.

Linux Desktops Are Better Than The MS Windows Desktop

That said, there is more than merely good out-of-the-box compatibility with the MS Windows desktop required to have a good desktop Linux. For example several Linux-based desktop environments are better than the Microsoft Windows desktop environment. However, the features and functions available with many Linux desktop environments that are better than those of the Microsoft Windows desktop environment are not necessarily compatible with the MS Windows desktop environment.

And that puts an interesting hook into our standard for a good Linux desktop implementation. Initially, out-of-the-box, the desktop in a good desktop Linux must be very compatible with the Microsoft Windows desktop. That means that in a good desktop Linux, some of the features and functions that make Linux better than Microsoft Windows will not be immediately noticeable or available. However, all the features and functions that make a good Linux desktop better than the MS Windows desktop must be available easily to the user also.

Here is why. The out-of-the-box compatibility of a good Linux desktop to the MS Windows desktop is essential to make migration from MS Windows to GNU-Linux easy -- and something with which the migrating user will stick. It does not serve much, if any, purpose to get a Microsoft Windows user to try Linux and then have that user switch back to MS Windows.

Successful migration to Linux important

Rather, it is likely that if a Microsoft Windows user gives Linux a try and that experience does not go well, then that user will go back to using MS Windows. Also, it likely will be a very long time before that MS Windows user gives Linux another try. Moreover, that person likely will discourage other MS Windows users from giving Linux a try.

So, a word of caution to all the Linux enthusiasts and evangelists is in order. If you encourage an MS Windows user to give Linux a try, please make sure you steer that person to a very good desktop Linux -- even if your favorite Linux distro is not a very good desktop Linux.

Same thing goes for getting companies and organizations to move up to Linux, too. If you encourage companies or organizations that currently use MS Windows to give Linux a try, please make sure you steer them to a very good desktop Linux.

Of course company and organization adoption of Linux involves the two faces of Linux,

1. desktop Linux and

2. server/enterprise Linux.

The two faces of Linux come into play because one Linux distribution provider might have the best desktop Linux while another Linux distribution provider might have a better server/enterprise Linux product. This discussion today applies to consumer, company, and organization deployment of GNU-Linux for desktop computing. Discussion of deployment of server/enterprise Linux is for another day, however.

And even more directly to Linux distribution providers, if your Linux product(s) are not very good desktop Linux, please forget the profit motive and do not try to migrate Microsoft Windows users to your products at this time. Rather, focus your efforts on developing a very good desktop Linux first.

This might sound harsh, and it is a bit harsh. But in the long run the entire Linux community will be better off if you follow this caution -- and in the long run you will be better off too.

If you want to make the migration to Linux stick, you have to make the transition as easy as possible. Compatibility of the Linux desktop, which lights up on booting Linux, to the MS Windows desktop is an important part of making that transition as easy as possible.

But on the other hand, as the new-to-Linux immigrant gets use to the Windows-like desktop that pops up on booting Linux, the better and/or additional features and functions of the Linux desktop that make it better than the MS Windows desktop should be available readily -- as in already installed and perhaps already in the menuing system. More about this further on in this article.

Desktop Differences Across Linux Distributions

Thus, in a desktop Linux, the look and feel differences from one Linux distro to another are mainly in

1. the desktop metaphors used,

2. how the desktop metaphors are implemented, and

3. the applications included with the Linux distribution.

Because some desktop metaphors include a suite of applications, the metaphor used, its implementation, and its applications are interdependent.

For example, the K Desktop Environment (KDE) actually is a desktop suite. In addition to the basic desktop, KDE includes the award winning Konqueror file manager and Web browser.

KDE also comes with KMail an award winning e-mail client, which is part of Kontact -- KDE's personal information manager. You also will find KOffice included with the KDE suite. KOffice is comparable to Microsoft Office.

GNOME (GNU Object Model Environment) is another excellent and popular desktop environment and applications suite. It comes with the Nautilus file manager and Galeon Web browser.

GNOME's Evolution personal information and e-mail client is very similar in look and feel to Microsoft's Outlook. One of the best Microsoft Word clones is AbiWord, which is part of the GNOME Office collection.

Today, let's try to parse out the applications that are part of the Linux desktop suites and concentrate on;

• the desktop metaphors used by the subject Linux distributions.

In upcoming articles we will look at items:

1. how the desktop metaphors are implemented in each distribution, and

2. the applications included with the Linux distribution.

Good Desktop Linux Offers Both GNOME and KDE

First, it is our position that a good desktop Linux includes both the GNOME and KDE desktop suites. In part this is because both GNOME and KDE have a nice look and feel -- and they are easy to use. Also, both GNOME and KDE come with some very nice applications.

Moreover, the GNOME and KDE applications should be accessible through both the KDE and GNOME menuing systems regardless of whether GNOME or KDE is the desktop used. Thus if you have logged into the KDE desktop, the GNOME applications and utilities should be available through the K Menu. Likewise, if you have logged into the GNOME desktop, the GNOME Applications Menu should provide you with access to the KDE applications and utilities.

Additionally, we believe that KDE should be the default desktop of a good desktop Linux. As implemented in the Mandriva, SUSE, and Xandros Linux distributions KDE is easy-to-use, and it has a nice look and feel. KDE appears to have more compatibility with the Microsoft Windows desktop than does the GNOME desktop. On the other hand, the GNOME desktop seems to be more compatible with the Mac desktop -- but here the focus is on MS Windows compatibility, not Apple Macintosh compatibility.

Growing Newbies and MS Windows Migrants into Real Linux Users

The Mandriva, SUSE, and Xandros implementations of KDE initially provide a desktop environment that is very compatible with the MS Windows desktop. However, the Mandriva and SUSE KDE implementations provide a good depth of features and functionality to which the user migrating from MS Windows to Linux can find and learn to use. Learn to use later and after he or she has become acclimated to the Linux operating system and desktop with the initial, MS Windows compatible, out-of-the-box, K desktop environment implementation.

Xandros might well have the best initial Microsoft Windows compatibility. But it lacks the depth of features and functionality found in the Mandriva and SUSE implementations of the K desktop environment.

One of the Xandros Desktop OS strengths is its focus on encouraging migration from Microsoft Windows to GNU-Linux. However, that also is one of the Xandros Desktop Linux weak points -- because Xandros does not do as much as Mandriva and SUSE do to help migrants from Microsoft Windows grow into becoming real Linux users. More about this further on in this series.

The Mandriva and SUSE Linux distributions and their implementations provide an operating system and desktop environment that allows and fosters migrants from MS Windows to Linux to grow into real Linux users. Xandros does not seem to do this -- or at least not as well as Mandriva and SUSE so do.

Fedora includes both GNOME and KDE, but the KDE implementation in Fedora is a crippled and disfigured implementation of the KDE desktop.

Mandriva, Novell, and SUSE have both KDE and GNOME. KDE is the default desktop for Mandriva and SUSE, which overall have nice implementations of KDE.

Thus, all things considered so far, for now when it comes to looking for a good desktop Linux, Mandriva still is in first place. However, SUSE and Xandros might be in the running.

In the meantime, you can download free versions of Mandriva, SUSE, Xandros and the other Linux distros that we have been looking at and see for yourself how you like them. Links are in the Resources section below.

Will Mandriva stay in the lead as the best desktop Linux available? How do other Linux distributions match up against Mandriva, SUSE, and Xandros on other measures of what makes a good desktop Linux? MozillaQuest Magazine will take a look at how they do measure up in future articles.

Stay tuned.