Ubuntu

inconsistence in kde/gtk/etc apps

Asked by deadowl

I'm a bit frustrated at the lack of coordination among apps built on top of different libraries.

If I want to run a KDE app, it's going to use a KDE GUI, and follow the KDE HIG.
If I want to run a GTK app, it's going to use a GTK GUI, and most likely follow the GNOME HIG.

These high-level libraries simply don't communicate with each other. Essentially, it's like running two separate operating systems that are sharing the same file system, scheduler, etc. The theme isn't consistent, the layout isn't consistent.

Is there any effort to settle on a common HIG?
Is there any effort to make themes recognize each other across libraries?
Is there any effort to share services like keychain?

All of the division between using KDE and GTK is limiting of my choice of software, as well as whatever library Mathematica is using here, though I run into it far less often: http://www.linuxjournal.com/comment/reply/6386

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Gord Allott (gordallott) said : 		#1

KDE and GNOME/GTK are two very different technologys that provide a different environment as different people tend to want different things, if they both provided the same interface then there would not be much of a point in there being two different systems. you can however sometimes get themes designed for one system 'ported' to the other, such as the popular clearlooks ported to KDE
http://www.kde-look.org/content/show.php?content=37009

generally most people tend to stick to either applications that are designed for the desktop environment that they are using.

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deadowl (deadowl) said : 		#2

A lot of people using GNOME would actually prefer Amarok to Rhythmbox. Exaile is trying to clone it. However, it's more that the effort from someone is there but the support isn't, in the sense that it can't even properly sort.

I would argue that people tend to stick to applications that are designed for the desktop environment that they are using because there is no coordination between libraries. I use KMail in KDE because it does the job. However, I prefer Firefox in KDE to Konqueror. OpenOffice even has it's own KDE port. That would suggest that there are similar demands of both user bases. Kopete competes with Pidgin. I would honestly prefer using Kopete. However, it doesn't integrate well with my environment and Gaim offers the same functionality to the extent that I use it.

Different people tend to want choice, yet consistency is a major factor in that choice and the lack thereof, I believe, is being divisive in choices of software.

I'm sorry for being stubborn. If you could elaborate on the difference in technologies and their intended users, I would be more convinced. Some people want some things to be simple, yet will be a power user for other applications. The most common example of this would be college students using Amarok for music in a GNOME environment.

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Vincenzo Ciancia (vincenzo-ml) said : 		#3

There are efforts like freedesktop.org trying to join the two technologies step by step, for example once upon a time cut-and-paste didn't work between gnome and kde, now it works. However, they remain two different technologies, which are still competing, and this question does not belong to ubuntu that much :)

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