“It might not have generated the kind of media circus associated
with a Microsoft product launch, but last week’s release of KDE 2.0
was big news in the Linux community. As most readers will already
know, KDE 2.0 is a tightly integrated set of office productivity
application tools along with an easy-to-use graphical desktop.
It massively simplifies Linux for non-technical users and is
aimed at making the sometimes cryptic operating system accessible
to everyday users….“
“At the core of KDE is the excellent Konqueror web browser,
which doubles as a file manager in much the same way Microsoft’s
Internet Explorer can double as a file manager. This is an
interesting move for a couple of reasons. First, it legitimizes
Microsoft’s argument that a web browser is not a separate
application but an integral part of any operating system. Speaking
personally and from a user point of view, I can’t actually see why
integrating a browser with an OS is regarded as controversial. I’m
not bothered by Microsoft integrating explorer with Windows, I am
concerned about the way Microsoft actions reduce consumer choice
but that’s another issue.”
“The other interesting point about Konqueror’s web/OS
integration is the way the software underlines the Internet’s role
as a giant computer system accessible from any desktop. Of course
this conceptual leap is possible with Explorer, but somehow
Konqueror manages to make the move from local files to HTML to
remote files seem like a seamless experience.”