RH 6.0: Gnome and KDE Peaceful Coexistence or Wishfull Thinking?

["Marco Fonseca" <mfonseca yorku ca>]

Well, I managed to get both Gnome and KDE running now. Root runs Gnome and
user runs KDE. However, it seems as if RH6.0/Gnome is doing to KDE what
Windows does to non-Windows compliant software: changes all kinds of
settings, configuration files, user-defined options, etc WITHOUT CONSULTING
the user before or during installation.

1) As Greg Kelley reported tothis list on 28 April: RH 6.0 changed the kde
path files in /etc/profile.d/*.sh. I changed all references to /usr/ and
replaced them with the actual path of my original folder in /opt/kde.

2) Restored the kde .Xclients files to my user directory.

3) RH6.0 changed pppd, ppp0, /dev/modem, /dev/cua*, /dev/tty*, etc. file
permission settings which prevented user using either Gnome/KDE from dialing
out.

4) RH6.0/Gnome/E have managed to prevent the KDE file manager from
displaying its toolbar icons as icons. They are instead displayed as useless
coloured boxes. I haven't fixed nor do I know how to fix this problem yet.
Does anyone know how to?

Is this "friendly" or "passive" hostility toward KDE necessary? Isn't there
a way to make the RH/Gnome installation process a less predatory and more
peaceful process? Is there a way to make the user decide exactly what
changes -of those that are customizable- should or should not be implemented
during installation? I believe that working on a user-friendly installation
program/process for RH/Gnome should not wait until Gnome reaches maturity.
Even if there's only one customizable script that RH/Gnome will change, the
user should be adviced before hand or during the installation process and
the user should be given a choice to accept or reject the changes. Wishfull
thinking?

P.S. I am working on a critical review of RH/Gnome/KDE from a radically
user-oriented (non-programmer nor interested in programming) point of view.
This review is to incorporate an analysis of the "politics" (including
user-related aspects of the technology) of OpenSource/Linux/RH/Gnome/KDE for
the non-Linux (maybe even for the user-end of the Linux) community.
Hopefully this would be useful for the programmer-end of the same
community... who knows.