Plasma Applet Direction

[Jud Craft]

Well, true.  I suppose the only reservation is that such solutions
like the Google Gadget/iPhone software stores require the development
of a supported software delivery system, that I think should not be
outsourced to a third party website.  And that takes a lot of planning
and resources - KDE can't spin up such a framework overnight, and it's
unrealistic of me to hope that you can do such a thing in any short
amount of time. :)  Free software tends to be that way.  Code first,
and then the plan follows it.

(It actually happens the same in the proprietary world, I figure.
Everything is just kept behind close doors for an extended period
until the design is on par with the code. :)  Free software gives
users an earlier-looking glance at the same development timeline --
good for freedom and all, not so great when you see the growing pains
of a new platform.)

(extended note:  that assumes the free software development is
maintained at a healthy pace.  The derailing of free projects off the
path of productivity is almost cliche. :)  )

But, Plasma's definitely on the up-and-up.  Due to difficulties with
my latest Linux install (Amarok2 not working with music players,
Banshee not working with music players, Skype not working, pulse not
working :), etc. ) I've retreated to Windows.  But I really will jump
back to the next Suse or Fedora just to try KDE 4.2.

I really do wish that all these upstream projects (Pulse, GNOME, Xorg,
KDE) didn't all decide to do their revolutionary new releases at once.
 (Pulse's...well, birth, GNOME's GVFS and nautilus refactoring,
Xorg's...whatever the heck they did, and to a lesser extent KDE4.)  It
seemed like everything was working so well back in 2006, when I got
back into linux. :)  I was so impressed when I saw OpenSUSE 10.3 -- I
thought maybe it really was time to give Linux a shot.  But then came
Fedora 9 and OpenSUSE 11, and then KDE 3.5 bit the dust.  Dark times.
:)

But KDE seems to be the earliest project to emerge from the
often-regression-filled "evolution" that has occupied the last two
years, and it's even better for it.  In fact, considering the problems
the rest of the free software stack is having due to growing pains
these last two years, KDE4 really does deserve a pat on the back for
actually _emerging_ from this mess better than it was, whereas
projects like Pulse and Xorg seem to be fighting to regain the
functionality they previously had.

Sorry.  Another rant.  Great work!