I was riding (bike riding that is) in to the office this morning and had the strangest feeling that I was not alone.

Then I thought I heard something just over head, so I looked up to discover....

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So, for the past few days I've been giving the Kompose task manager a try on my KDE desktop, and I have to say that I like it. I also recently learned that Kompose is going to be playing a part in the next release of KDE (aka Plasma), which is good news. I can see how Kompose could really help provide a truly innovative environment for future KDE/Linux users.

Looking forward to what the KDE team all have in store for us.

Well, finally, all of my repedative bagering finally payed off. Pat, from the Linux Link Tech Show (aka TLLTS) finally got around to giving Kanotix a try.

Not surprising to me, he discovered that he likes this distribution better than Ubuntu and Mepis, the two most popular "newbie friendly" Linux distributions today.

Pat mentions in his post on the TLLTS forums that he'll be discussing his findings with Kanotix on this Wednesday's broadcast of the show. I'm looking forward to it and am pleased that Kanotix has another satisfied user.

Do I know a good thing when I see one, or what?

Just out of curiosity, I've started playing with a desktop manager that comes with the KDE environment called Kompose.

What it is, is a virtual desktop manager that shows you scaled down versions of each application window in use on all of your virtual desktops within KDE.

It allows you to group your application windows in different ways, depending on the style that best suites your needs. It also uses little, in the way of system resources, and quite frankly, is an interesting way to navigate through your desktop.




In this example, I've got two applications running in my first virtual desktop session and two others in my second virtual desktop. The third and fourth sessions are empty at the moment.

I like the idea of having a bird's eye view of all of the applications I currently have running. However, I think this tool is better suited to a person who's in the habit of having several applications open at the same time. I usually only have open applications I'm immediately using, so rarely do I have more than four windows to switch between at any one time.

There are a few ways in which you can switch to the Kompose view. You can configure a hot-key, use the KDE system tray launcher icon, or set it us so it appears when you move your mouse pointer to a particular corner of your screen.

In practicality, I really don't see Kompose as a required replacement for your standard KDE task bar, it's just a different way of managing and navigating through your desktop environment.

To be ignorant about something is one thing. But to base an opinion - and voice that opinion - on such ignorance always seems to put a knot in my shorts.

Case in point: The boys over at The Linux Link Tech Show last night interviewed Eric Raymond, of the OSI and I was interested to hear what I had to say.

The first question they asked him was what he thought about Linux and it's readiness for the desktop of the "average Joe". Well, that's where my respect for his opinion kind of burned up on take-off.

His opinion was that the Linux desktop was not quite yet ready for the main stream, and estimated that it probably wouldn't be there for the next couple of years.

Okay, I can respect that, even though I think differently. However, what I can't respect is the answer to the next question he was asked.

"So, have you had a chance to see Linspire or Mepis?" Well, surprise, surprise, no he hasn't. And that's where my opinion of Eric's opinion took a nose dive.

My question is, how the heck can he sit there, commenting on a system he obviously has never even tried for himself? If you haven't been working with the latest advancements in Linux desktop software then you sure as hell shouldn't be commenting on it, other than stating "I have no experience on the subject so I cannot comment at this time."

If he's pulling opinions out of the air on this subject, then what other topics is he purely bull*hitting about?

Basing an opinion on hear-say and speculation is not a very professional thing to do. It certainly doesn't gain my trust or respect.

Okay... got that off of my chest. Back to reality.

Just as I suspected, Microsoft "Longhorn", now called "Vista", doesn't offer anything more than what I can do with my Linux and KDE system TODAY, let alone in a year's time.

In fact, it's actually going to restrict its customers even more and offer less, from what I've read here. And it's still a year away.

Just think how far more advanced the Linux desktop will be next year at this time.

I think this is the beginning of the end for Microsoft. All they seem to be doing now is playing catch-up. And strangely enough, people will be forced to pay for their substandard service. Shameful.

It never ceases to amaze me at how powerful, innovative, and fun the Linux desktop environment is. Okay, it's mostly due to the talented folks of the KDE desktop environment. But, it's still thanks to Linux and the open source movement.

I'm not expecting to see anything "innovative" coming from Microsoft anymore. What ever they come out with when "Longhorn" comes out, it's only going to be re-hashed from what's already available under Linux.

Take this blogging / Wiki stuff for example. Recently I created my own Wiki site and have been posting information to it. To do this, you simply use a text editor from within your web browser. However, if you're using something like IE, you have to do your own spell checking with either a plug-in you find somewhere or use an external text editor that has spell checking capabilities (which you then have to copy and paste your text from into the wiki editor).

Now, I do my updating using KDE and Konqueror. One of the nice things about this is that Konqueror has it's own in-line spell checker that watches my typing all of the time. The spell checking is built in to the browser! It's a small thing, but it's a useful thing.... an innovative thing. Something that Microsoft wasn't cleaver enough to include themselves. But not only that, I didn't have to pay the KDE folks for this feature. People pay Microsoft for their software, and it still can't compete with what's available from the open source community.

Linux; Kanotix; KDE.... it's all what Microsoft aspires to be, but has no hopes of reaching. If you're paying for and using Microsoft, you have my sympathy.