Newcomers to Linux are often boggled by the number of components they can, and often must, choose from in setting up their systems. Nowhere is this situation better demonstrated than in the area of graphical user interfaces (GUIs), where you face an astounding number of options, even by Linux standards. Luckily, if you're moving to Linux, you won't have to look beyond the -big two" -- KDE and GNOME -- to find an excellent fit to your work style and preferences.
It's the layers
The GUI on a typical Linux system begins with software known generically as X11. This is usually XFree86, a free program that lets applications display information in graphical mode. You can run it alone, but bare-bones X11 is extremely primitive. Instead, you should run a window manager on top of X11 that offers a slicker appearance with more convenience features, such as taskbars or a -theme-able" look and feel. Popular window managers include Enlightenment, AfterStep, and Sawfish, but you can choose from about 20 more at freshmeat.net and LinuxApps.
The top rung of the GUI ladder is a desktop environment that includes KDE and GNOME. Like the move from bare X11 to X11 plus a window manager, adding a desktop environment uses more system resources but delivers more features. KDE and GNOME are close to a Windows 9x/2000 environment in overall operation and functionality, and include or work with an impressive number of free utilities and applications, from minor games to full-blown office suites. One exception is the ability to configure, which is an area where Linux environments beat Windows hands down. (See www.themes.org for hundreds of themes for various Linux environments.) You can get either the source code or pre-built programs for the latest releases of KDE or GNOME for free, but many people simply let their Linux distribution load and set up one or both of these desktop environments at installation time. All the major Linux distributions include excellent support for both KDE and GNOME, and will be revised to include the newest versions shortly.
It's the versions, too
Although KDE 2.0 was released in late October, even the previous version, KDE 1.1.2, was widely considered a more polished and complete package than GNOME 1.2, the version that was current at the time. KDE 2.0, a major upgrade to 1.1.2, is comparable to moving from Windows 3.1 to Windows 95, and it widened the lead over GNOME 1.2 considerably.
The most notable single change in KDE is Konqueror, its new file manager. (KDE 1.x included a functional but primitive file manager called kfm.) The far more capable Konqueror serves as a file manager, Web browser, and file viewer. Version 2.0 is an improvement in dozens of other ways including a more distinct visual style that makes excellent use of 16- and 32-bit display modes, to far deeper architectural changes that should entice programmers to create more applications for it or port them from Windows. (Most basic KDE and GNOME programs, however, will run fine under each other's environment as long as all the required system libraries are present.)
GNOME 1.4 is also new, and like KDE, the biggest news is its file manager. The interesting twist is that GNOME 1.4's file manager, Nautilus, was developed outside the GNOME team by a company called Eazel. Like Konqueror, Nautilus serves as a file manager, Web browser, and file viewer, which is why Eazel prefers to call it an -extensible shell" rather than a file manager. GNOME 1.4 and Nautilus, both free, should be released by the time you read this.
The most intriguing aspect of Eazel's plan is its offering of subscription services. These will update your system components automatically in much the same way the Windows Update feature does. You can also search the Net for new programs. Eazel will also offer an online -vault" service, essentially its own Internet based storage space similar to i-drive.com, Xdrive, and others.
Which should you choose?
Both KDE and GNOME are capable and free desktop environments, and they're both sprouting new features faster than you can say -Toto, we're not running Windows anymore." But for anyone moving to Linux, whether from Windows or the Mac OS, KDE has a significant edge in usability and overall functionality, making it the best available on-ramp to a Linux GUI. Best of all, if you decide you don't like it, you're free to switch to GNOME or a bare window manager.
