OT: Siemens sees Linux desktops at 20% of market by2008--recommends GNOME over KDE

[Robert Williams]

Navindra Umanee wrote:

>Kurt Pfeifle <kpfeifle at danka.de> wrote:
>  
>
>>>I think it is just Ximian marketing, that's all...
>>>      
>>>
>>I think, this should be taken very seriously.
>>
>>It shouldn't be dismissed in such a light-minded way.
>>    
>>
>
>Well, if you do can something about it, that's great.  
>
>I suspect that to get credibility vis-a-vis Ximian, we would need to
>get the KDE League or some similar entity in action, pro-actively
>pursuing these cases and new ones.
>
>How can I help?
>
>  
>
>>I believe KDE should make a serious effort to get hold of this
>>internal comparison study Siemens has conducted. We should see
>>it as an opportunity to learn about the results of that study.
>>We should tell them that we want to work on the shortcomings
>>they may have found, but we first need to evaluate them, of
>>course.
>>    
>>
>
>Sounds great.  It would be quite interesting if you find that they are
>quoting Ximian's own internal studies and facts and figures.  Because
>this is the kind of research Ximian has told us it has already done.
>Or maybe Ximian helped them conduct the study, or Siemens ran another
>one to confirm the existing Ximian ones.
>
>  
>
>>>And in any
>>>case we know what the Ximian people are like.
>>>
>>>      
>>>
>>Well, I don't. So?
>>
>>And if we all *did* know it, and if they *were* liars, and *if*
>>their software was just so much worse than KDE's -- what *would*
>>then be the right way to react to such a public statement, IYHO?
>>    
>>
>
>Well, KDE as an entity as far as I know, does nothing.  Nor does
>GNOME.  But GNOME has Ximian which actively goes around and courts
>these companies, selling them the GNOME party line inevitably at the
>expense of KDE.  That is Ximian's well-known modus operandi.
>
>  
>
>>>>  "McNutt went on to say that Ximian's suite -- consisting of a
>>>>   Gnome-based Linux desktop, Evolution mail and calendar app, a
>>>>   tweaked OpenOffice suite, and Red Carpet admin tools -- can be
>>>>   deployed in very large enterprises at lower cost and with no
>>>>        
>>>>
>>???   [ You want to say that in reality these figures are much
>>         less favourable towards Linux/OSS/Ximian? ]
>>    
>>
>
>I don't care about the figures so much as the Ximian press quoting.
>
>  
>
>>If Siemens wants to just use these arguments to get a better deal
>>from Ximian -- fine. But what were the reasons to go over to
>>Ximian at all, if they could have KDE for free?
>>    
>>
>
>Ah, I suspect this *is* the key.  They did not go over to Ximian.
>
>==> Ximian went over to them. <==
>
>At least, that is what I suspect is the likely scenario.
>
>What I *do* know is that Ximian is aggressively courting these
>companies and feeding them these lines about GNOME, KDE and how XD2 is
>so much better for them.  In fact, there seems to be very little point
>for Siemens to go over to Ximian when they can get practically
>everything they offer, software-wise, from a distro like Red Hat.  But
>Siemens had nobody to tell them that.
>
>Plus, Ximian no doubt offers them something (perhaps: services,
>internal company party-lines, "support", indemnification, comfort and
>hand-holding) that we as an OSS community can't.
>
>This is the sort of thing the KDE League was founded for.
>
>Cheers,
>Navin.
>
>  
>
What happened to KDE League?  I thought a few large companies donated 
money to get it set up.  Is it dead?