HEPiX X11 Desktop Project: 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

Presentation Plan Part 1: Modern desktops: GNOME and KDE Part 2: Deployment issues Part 3: Questions, general discussion

PART 1 MODERN DESKTOPS GNOME 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

PART 2 DEPLOYMENT 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

More Information Web pages: Victor.Robles@cern.ch http://www.kde.org 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 Victor.Robles@cern.ch

PART 3 HEPiX IN THE GAME ? 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 ?