In this week's KDE Commit-Digest: The menu item styles of the KDE 3 "Classic" menu return to Kickoff. GetHotNewStuff for KDE colour schemes. "Recently Visited" listings in Konqueror. A new simplified hotkeys configuration module. The ability to print a "cheat sheet" of shortcuts. Automation plugin for scheduling checks, and GetHotNewStuff support in KLinkStatus. Support for Synonyms, Antonyms and False Friends in Parley. Improved online play (through GGZ) in KSquares. "Photocopy" functionality in Kooka. Various scripting improvements and integration in Kross and Plasma. Ability to monitor the input and output of processes, and support for pausing and resuming processes in KSysGuard. The ability to scale remote VNC desktops in KRDC. On-the-fly spell checking comes to Kile. Work on a knotify-dbus-plasma bridge. A fullscreen KDE splashscreen, without flicker. Printer-applet (written in Python) replaces KJobViewer. Kubrick and Glimpse move to kdereview. KTip has retired. Various anticipated sanity enhancements to the default settings of a KDE desktop. The bugfix edition KDE 4.0.3 is tagged for release. Read the rest of the Digest here.
Comments
The rework of the hotkeys stuff reminds me of the mouse gestures.
Iirc, someone wanted to rework the mouse gesture recognition, and there were also several possible starting points for a new codebase. Is someone still working on it, even in a 4.1 timeframe? would be really cool to have working/renewed mouse gestures and also the "rocker" gestures known from Firefox and Opera.. would be really useful to have it for navigation in Konqueror for browsing the web. With that and the latest additions to Konqueror like sessions and restoring closed tabs Konqueror wouldn't need to hide itself from a feature point of view (the rendering engine already stands out), a browser that you could recommend and use without bad conscience..
I saw someone ask maelcum (Andreas Hartmetz) about this about a month ago: It's currently "on-hold", and I think he is quite busy with other things. It sounds like there is not much to do on the "core" part (although it is fairly "advanced" work), but there is a lot to do on the front-end part, with UIs for configuring gestures to be written, etc.
I would love to see this work continued - it would even be damn handy in Kate and other apps! :)
Wait, wait, there are no mouse gestures yet in KDE4? Obviously I haven't been using it, and stuff like this would be why. I keep reading the commit digest though, waiting for the situation to change :)
Yes. The gui is there though to give false hope :)
Can we implement pie menus too? Qt has a pie menu class but only in the commercial version. I dont think there is any kde specific code for pie menus, maybe I could commit some lines if I thought the work would be appreciated...
Why do you need someone else's confirmation for this? If you want this feature and will use it it's enough to justify working on it, and given the size of the KDE community there will be hundreds at least that will appreciate it once it's done (though I have no idea what pie menus are and if I'll be one of them).
To follow up on the blog linked to by Danny: I'd like to suggest that this post be my last, and that the dot stop accepting comments.
I'm not a KDE developer, so it's not like I'm proposing this because I can't take criticism of my work. It's because I can't take callous criticism of OTHER people's work without occasionally stepping in. So please, take mercy on the 98% of your users who love the work of the KDE devs/artists/packagers/translators, who feel compelled to wade through the morass each week just to try to restore some sense of decency and balance to the poisonous tone that has seeped in. Make that 98%'s lives easier by just shutting the dot down for comments.
All I want is a place to go to hear the latest news about KDE. We don't need comments for that.
Despite the occasional poisonous comment, I actually really look forward to reading comments on the Dot. I think we would lose something special if we removed comments completely.
What I would like to see is anonymous comments disabled, with an account required to post. This would also stop impersonation of posters.
P.S. This is the real Danny ;)
100% agree. Disabling AC's, and maybe adding a moderation system.
We might just give Slashcode a try, it does all of that and more.
or do what LWN does and only allow paying subscribers to post comments -- that would help out two ways :-)
LWN.net _does_ allow comments from non-subscribers as "guests". However, if you cannot read an article meant (initially) for subscribers, you cannot comment on it, can you? :-)
+1 Interesting
Agreed. I posted something to this effect on the linked blog from the Digest. Anonymous posting is only needed when people are going to be "outing" something or posting on dangerous/contentious issues. The dot isn't for that... and I think removing the option to hide behind Anonymous postings would make people think a little harder about what they say.
I know it works for me anyway.
"What I would like to see is anonymous comments disabled, with an account required to post. This would also stop impersonation of posters."
+1
and also possibility of removing topic which is totally offtopic and also trolling.
Then "Compositioning effects wishlist =)" from this digest could be removed, it is just stupid offtopic
The dot did get meaner, but I think it's because KDE was opened to a wider audience.
It's not too bad yet. I don't think banning comments would be a great idea, as some people, such as me. Rather just post on the dot, and have qualified individuals repost ideas I like on bugreports, etc.
This way it gets filtered down from a user perspective - the dot, to a programmers perspective - bug reports. Everybody wins..
your spam-topic "Compositioning effects wishlist =) " wasn't funy at all. Useless.
In bugzilla you have to think for a while and it would be more sane.
This list is just a wishlist that I've compiled from the last dot, and from suggestions for compositioning effects by others, and mine.
Don't take this as an absolute wishlist. Think of it more as brainstorming that should get some effects programmers exited, and maybe they can come up with others that aren't mentioned. (Obviously, there is no deadline, so I'm just gratefully if they'll be added to the KDE 4 branch "eventually" )
Feel free to add your own ideas to it. (describe them as best you could.)
_____________
(this list includes effects currently under development, or already done.)
*/ Rotate Desktop Cube (both normal and inverse) - Win Fish/KDE gears "swimming" in it.
(neat idea: please add "wet floor" and fish swimming outside of the cube. As if the Cube were a fishtank, but strangely the fish swim on the outside. Maybe make some of the fish 3d Penguin "Tux's". I think that would be cool.)
*/ A Compiz effect screensaver/"relaxation effect" for when people are "brainstorming" and would love their desktop cube interact with virtual environments. (neat idea: i.e.: Snowy hill -rolling down, or stuck on the side, floating in the ocean - like a message in a bittle, in a tropical setting - small lonely island with a lonely palmtree. Desktop is perched against the tree.)
*/ A "paper plane"/ or other origami effect for minimizing applications or desktops.
*/ An effect similar to "magic lamp" on minimizing applications.
*/ A "wet floor" effect - Have fun with it, surprise us. (I know its overdone, but many people expect to see it in a modern desktop. thank Apple, or whomever they first borrowed the idea from for that.. :p )
*/ Expose - better than desktop cube, it allows all desktops to be seen side by side on a nice glossy surface. (aka.: "wet floor")
*/ Effects such as "Fire" for when programmers/writers are frustrated and need to get rid of some frustrations.
*/ Maybe another effect like the above where a user can throw items (neat idea: such as Toasters, Red swingline staplers, Mice, calculators, notepads, sharpies, and lots of other typical "office equipment" at the desktop) This would then leave dents in the desktop background. -- That effect needs to clear easily and quickly, should the muse strike again and I'm ready to do work again.
*/ A "shuffle" effect, where windows bump each other out of the way, when moved violently or brought to foreground. (they should have weight/mass)
*/ A compositioning effect that reacts to the music that's playing using KDE's Amarok/Phonom engine. (could also be a screensaver) Make it do something cool with the desktop.
*/ Effects that entertain the user - when he asks for them to be loaded. (DON'T BE "CLIPPY" and show up without asking)
*/ A random effects generator. - for people who can't decide.
*/ A way for emerald window decorations to work - or a similar easy to use engine for getting additional window decorations, mouse effects, etc.
*/ The wobbly windows effect.
*/ A better minimize effect. IIRC, Compiz calls it the magic lamp or something like that. It provides a better visualization when minimizing windows.
Disclaimer: I realize many of these effects are less useful and more "fun", but that's what linux and desktop computing should be: FUN!!!!!!
Others please add effects you would like to see. Describe them as best you can, so creative 3d animators/3d effects programmers can incorporate them.
Example 2:
The common "over the shoulder look" by interested non Linux users when one is using a Compiz enabled laptop is a VERY, VERY useful marketing tool.
I've recruited at least 5 people in the last three months to the world of Linux and some to KDE because of "DESKTOP - EYECANDY".
Computer users like to be visually stimulated. Open question: Why do you think French food is prepared in such a nice way. The eye enjoys the meal too, so to speak.
Don't be wasteful with screen real estate either. Notice how big plates are when serving French food, and how little space is used by the actual food, leaving tons of room for "whitespace"?
__________________
Like I said before, please feel free to add your effect suggestions to this list.
> This list is just a wishlist that I've compiled from the last dot, and from suggestions for compositioning effects by others, and mine.
Using the dot for such stuff is so much wrong.
Please do NOT copy&paste them each dot article, it's pretty stupid (other than useless).
> Like I said before, please feel free to add your effect suggestions to this list.
There's bugs.kde.org or [email protected] for such things, stop flooding the dot.
*/ Expose - better than desktop cube,
Have been there from the start, it's called Desktop Grid.
*/ A compositioning effect that reacts to the music that's playing using KDE's Amarok/Phonom engine.
Good old Noatun had a plugin like this(not composite, but you get the idea) since the KDE2 days. Not very usefull, but you could try it with wobbly windows to see the funny effect.
>Disclaimer: I realize many of these effects are less useful and more "fun", but that's what linux and desktop computing should be: FUN!!!!!!
Desktop Computing ist not about fun it's about providing a workspace.
Work on the other hand might be funny sometimes, but it's not what it's all about either.
Sorry if you see it that way.
I happen to enjoy computing. Anything that can reduce the daily grind and amount of boredom is welcome in my book.
KDE finally managed to make computing "FUN" again. Why do you have to be such a pessimist about it?
Why do you think Apple has chewed away at Microsoft's marketshare? Because the company portrays using Apple products as fun and hip. Even if Apple users aren't hip. They like to think of themselves that way.
With KDE 4 Linux will finally be "hip" as well. It will stop being the foray of geeks and people that live in basements. (yes, I know horrible cliche :( ) Linux will finally be something cool people will WANT to use.
I think that eye candy helps with that. Sorry you see it that way.
I guess computing is supposed to be boring and tedious for you. Just please don't ruin it for the rest of us.
>Sorry if you see it that way. [...] Why do you have to be such a pessimist about it? [...] I guess computing is supposed to be boring and tedious for you. Just please don't ruin it for the rest of us.
Actually I'm not that pessimistic as I may sound :)
I don't know if you work for a living but if you do you might have noticed that PCs at work tend to be clean and somewhat boring. Save some artistic and hip industries noone uses apples for that. They are build just to get the work done. Nothing more nothing less.
They already have many of those suggestions out now in compiz fusion.
I know for a fact that the Magic Lamp "Genie Effect" exists (I use it) as well as the airplane one.
Also, wobbly windows exists in fusion.
hi everyone,
hope that somebody does read this. i've some (serious) questions on kde4 (why get the troll-thread such attention?!). so i wondered if kde profites from multicores.
i've already read about digikam, which is able to make use of several cores. so i wonder if there are more apps in kde4 which are able to use mulicore-cpus. perhaps someone with a broader knowledge can answer my question, thanks :)
and what is the status about adaptive personal responsive? some rumors is going on^^
I believe so, KDE ships with a library called Threadweaver to let developers take advantage of multiple cores easier.
We're planning multi-threaded support in KStars...stay tuned!
KDE normally has multiple processes running. So, it would benefit from multicores.
Then there are apps which use a lot of CPU time to accomplish one thing. Best example is rendering an image. These can be designed to use multiple parallel threads to do the single job faster.
Other types of processes can be broken down into subroutines and vector operations where the compiler (if it wasn't C++) could generate multiple threads. I am looking forward to the port to FORTRAN 2008. :-)
Since C++ doesn't have subroutines or vector operations, threads need to be done by hand pending extensions to C++ that will allow creation of multiple instances of classes that can execute asynchronously or in parallel.
> Since C++ doesn't have subroutines or vector operations, threads need to be done by hand pending extensions to C++ that will allow creation of multiple instances of classes that can execute asynchronously or in parallel.
With Qt 4.4 there is QtConcurrent::run() which runs a function in a separate thread.
http://doc.trolltech.com/4.4rc1/qtconcurrentrun.html#run
Printer-applet (written in Python) replaces KJobViewer
Unless I missed something in the k-c-d thread, I don't think Printer-applet has been included yet - it's just been suggested by Jonathan Riddell.