Re: Food for thought: Why (and how) should KDE and Gnome unite?

[Adam Rotaru <arotaru cs sfu ca>]

On Wed, 23 Dec 1998, George Russell wrote:

> (Qt/KDE, GTK/Gnome, WINGS/GnuStep, Tk, Xforms, Motif/CDE, etc)
    Thanks for enlarging my horizons!

> Sorry.  Open Source code never dies.
   Did I imply that? Hope not!


> Interchanging KDE/GNOME should involve more than the widget set.  Help in html
> format in a common directory shared across GNOME/KDE, acessed from menu item on
> panel in both or F1 (help from menu bar, right most entry)in any KDE/GNOME app.
> Configurable keysettings so that consistency can be had, if so wished. 
> Similar terminology used (eg cancel  / abort), similar handling of cut n paste,
> drag n drop, and detection of the other desktop being available so that a GNOME
> app can insert itself into KDE's menu on the panel and vice versa.

   Absolutely. If these things would be common, Gnome and KDE could live
together more happily.

> In short, common behaviour before common look or codebase.
   Yes. Some common basic functionality is what's important, not common
code.

> Will speed innovation and prevent stagnation ala CDE.
   Yes, that's definetly a good effect of the competition.

> It is entirely possible that both will remain seperate, inter operating no more
> than any other X11 apps using the same toolkits would.
   Yes, this is also an option, which I haven't listed.

> A core of common features and interoperability may emerge, but this will
> be a subset at best.
   Let's hope for this!


> >  What next?
> 
> Define areas of common functionality ie help systems, menu structure,
> shortcut keys, rc file formats, WM hints, colour schemes, screensavers,
> locations for wallpaper, sounds, protocols for DND, CutnPaste, Session
> management,Data embedding, application supplied icons, a central application
> startup menu ( nested folders of links, probably) and standardise on them.  Then
> implement the standards.  Problem solved :-)

   You're damn right! Let's do it ;)

> Could be time to form a group to consider this and come up with 
> specifications.
> Like the LSB but limited to GUI interface standards for linux ( a super or a
> subset of KDE/GNOME standards as necessary)

  Maybe call it a committee? It is supposed to be more productive!
Definetly a directed effort for such specifications would harmonize
Gnome and KDE (and possible other desktop environemnts). I also
came to this comclusion. BTW, it had existed, it could be part of LSB.
BTW, talking about LSB, I checked the web site, and it has nice words and
editorials, but I couldn't find a single standard specification. Is it
because they are new?

> (happy christmas)
  marry Xmas to you as well,
    Adam.