[ Thanks to James
Maguire for this link. ]
“Despite all the talk about the mythical Year of the
Linux Desktop, somewhere in the last few years, free software
passed a milestone without anyone noticing. At some point, after
years of struggling to rival proprietary desktops, both GNOME and
KDE have caught up in features and narrowed the gap in usability.
We are now at a point where free software is often an innovator on
the desktop.“Of course, GNOME and KDE have long had features that Windows
lacked, such as multiple desktops and finer controls for
customizing the user experience. However, in the last few years,
both major free desktops have added features that show not only an
interest in usability, but, at times, an effort to anticipate what
users might actually want. The focus is by no means consistent, yet
scattered here and there are features that can make any user glad
that they’re using a open source desktop.“Your list of such features might vary, but here’s my shortlist
for both GNOME and KDE:”