On 02/11/2012 05:53 PM, Timothy Pearson wrote:
> A hypothetical poll for users here....
> 
> If TDE were to close down, which desktop would you use instead?  You would
> be allowed to abandon Linux entirely in this scenario. ;-)
> 
> Please state why you have not already switched; i.e. what item are missing
> or suboptimal in the other environment.
> 
> I am curious as to why TDE still exists and need some concrete examples to
> fall back on to counter detractors.
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> Tim

Hypothetical Example:

  There is no comparison. It is the tools included in trinity that out of the
many -- Trinity is born, the suite of apps, kate, kwrite, kcalc, kpdf, basket,
kcolorchooser, kruler, quanta+, kcharselect, kmag, kdiff3, konqueror --profile
filemanagement, gwenview, kview, kslideshow, kiconedit, kcoloredit, ksnapshot,
kmix, kxmledit, khexedit, kbarcode, kjobviewer, kmenu, kicker, kded, kpager,
etc... and that hasn't even made it out of the "Utilities" menu.... All sewn
together with a backend that provides fine-grained user control over the look,
feel and behavior of the powerful desktop environment.

  All of the apps are clean and efficient and have all of the latest data
manipulation and syntax files along with the smart implementations of plugins
and templates and snippets that you simply cannot find in other app on other
desktops. The also communicated in a distributed computing environment via
fish:// or sftp:// -- that is advanced capability no matter what desktop you
look at.

  Which desktop? K4 - no way, it is in worse shape that TDE and it has a
bizillion kids working on it. Gnome2 - that is a contender, but the applications
are not nearly as robust as the TDE apps. Gnome3 - no chance, it has more bugs
than K4.

  Simply put, no other desktop has the suite of tools that TDE provides to "just
get work done" no matter what type of work you need to do. I have switched many,
many times over the past 12 years of Linux Desktop use, with WindowMaker, WM2,
blackbox, twm, IceWM, E-16, enlightenment, fvwm2, Gnome2, Gnome3, KDE4, openbox,
pekwm, sawfish, XFCE, but every time, the shortcomings were so apparent, I have
always come back to KDE3 (usually within a few hours or at most a few weeks)
Nothing beats the functionality and capability TDE provides that meet the needs
of virtually every task at hand.

  If it all cratered, and it was if KDE3 vanished into oblivion, then I would
make a bitter move back to fluxbox or enlightenment. None have anything close to
the tools provided by default on TDE, but both are lightweight and clean
desktops. Without TDE, it's not really a "Which desktop would you use?"
question, at that point that question would be irrelevant. The actual question
would be "What will you hunt and find to add to your collection of tools that
would allow you to try and get back the capability you had at your fingertips in
TDE?" That would become the relevant question. The desktop wouldn't matter. You
would simply have a collection of tools you would have to drag around and
install on any desktop no matter the one you would choose.

  Using another desktop is like going to a bar and listening to the weekend band
making noise for your enjoyment. Use TDE is like a night to the New York
Philharmonic. The difference is that complete.

-- 
David C. Rankin, J.D.,P.E.