HEPiX X11 Desktop HEPiX X11 Desktop Project: Project: Pros and Cons Pros and Cons Author: Víctor Robles Forcada, IT/DIS/OSE With the collaboration of: Germán Cancio Meliá Lionel Cons Philippe Defert Presented by: Philippe Defert
Mar 31, 2015
HEPiX X11 Desktop Project:HEPiX X11 Desktop Project:Pros and ConsPros and Cons
Author: Víctor Robles Forcada, IT/DIS/OSE
With the collaboration of:Germán Cancio MeliáLionel ConsPhilippe Defert Presented by:
Philippe Defert
Presentation Plan
• Part 1: Modern desktops: GNOME and KDE
• Part 2: Deployment issues
• Part 3: Questions, general discussion
PART 1PART 1
MODERN DESKTOPSMODERN DESKTOPS
GNOME and KDEGNOME and KDE
Why not only a basic X11 environment?
• Most X11 applications have important shortcomings:• Application Interoperability is too hard• User Interface is inconsistent and of unequal quality
• Modern desktop environment brings the "glue" • Drag & Drop, Session Management, etc...• Consistent "look and feel"• Unified Help System• Easy dialog based desktop configuration• Common application development framework (-> MFC)• Compound document framework (-> OLE)
• New exciting possibilities:• Hundreds of new applications (including Office)• Powerful application development environment
KDE and GNOME (reminder)
• K Desktop Environment• KDE is a "complete desktop environment that try to make linux
accessible to everybody"• At present KDE 1.1.2 and for the first half of the next year KDE
2.0
• GNU Network Object Model Environment• AIM: "GNOME Intends to build a complete, user-friendly
desktop, similar to CDE or KDE, but based entirely on free software"
• At present GNOME 1.0.40
What is new since April?• New Qt 2.0 for KDE 2.0 with QPL License• GNOME Documentation (still not enough)• Lots of new applications• Component model: now in the basis.• Agree (KDE 2.0 & GNOME 1.0.50):
• Session Management protocol (XSMP)• Drag & Drop protocol (XDND)• Window Manager Specifications• Storing part of Desktop Information • Sound System (near future -aRTs-)
• Still disagree:• CORBA (common IDL, server activation, etc.)• Printing• Help System• Directory layout, rc files, mime types, ShortCut keys
KDE Screenshot
GNOME Screenshots
GNOME Screenshots
Use of CORBA (reminder)
• Used for implementing a component based programming framework (OLE)
• As a general IPC mechanism• Exporting an application's API (IDL files)• Scripting (macros and Visual Basic)• Define system services• KOM/OpenParts and Bonobo (OLE2 and
ActiveX)
Applications (reminder)
• Both desktops have hundreds of applications.
• Some useful, some buggy.• All kinds of applications: Mail clients,
network, sound, development tools, games, etc.
• Perhaps in a near future we will forget our 'standard' X applications
• See the applications table
Office Suites
StarOffice KDE GNOME MS WindowsSpreadSheet StarCalc Kspread Gnumeric ExcelPresentation StarImpress Kpresenter Achtung PowerPointVector Drawing StarDraw Killustrator Gill PaintWord Processor StarWriter Kword AbiWord WordChart Drawing StarChart Kdiagramm Guppi Excel Graphic FeatureFormula Editor StarMath Kformula Equation Editor Image Processor StarImage Kimage Gimp Ms. ImageDiagram Creation Dia VisioPlanning Events StarScheduleCalendar Korganizer Gcalendar
PART 2PART 2
DEPLOYMENT ISSUESDEPLOYMENT ISSUES
Choosing a Desktop
• Only one desktop or both ?• Main criteria for the selection:
• Stability • Efficiency• Usability (ease of use, customization, ...)• Applications• Office Suite• Technology
• Users will have the last word.
Desktop Customization
• Central management avoids support nightmare• Things to customize:
• Icons on the desktop (home directory, trash bin, applications ...)
• Start up applications (mxconns)• Icons on the panel (netscape, xterm, phone book ...)• Applets on the panel (clock, CPU load ...)• Start Menu (like NICE?)• Specific programs (E.g. Tokens Applet)
• Similar to HEPiX X11, NICE
Needed local Programs
• Interface to local print services• Managing Start menus• Applets (token watch, phone book, ...)
Estimations
Qt/GTK+
KDE/GNOME libs
OpenParts/Bonobo
Development (cost)0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
KDE vs GNOME
KDE
GNOME
Tim
e (
we
eks
)
More Information
• Web pages:• http://wwwinfo.cern.ch/umtf/working-groups/X11/desktops/• http://www.kde.org• http://developer.kde.org• http://www.gnome.org• http://developer.gnome.org
PART 3PART 3
HEPiX IN THE GAME ?HEPiX IN THE GAME ?SOME DISCUSSION !SOME DISCUSSION !
Usage
• Who is using KDE/GNOME now ?
• Which site is planning to support modern desktops ?
• Which site plans to deploy GNOME/KDE ?
Deployment
• Which site plans to have centralized deployment of a desktop ?
• Which site would like to have a centrally managed desktop environment for his users ?
• Would it be useful to organize an HEPiX collaboration about desktops to answer the questions: one or both, which customization, when, which OS, etc... ?
Development
• Who is planning development in these desktop environment ?
• Encourage or discourage experiments to do so ?