EDE (Equinox Desktop Environment) is a desktop environment for UNIX-like operating systems. Main features of EDE are speed and responsiveness, low resource usage and a familiar look and feel. This is the second test release for the upcoming major 2.0 version. Notable changes are a new panel and XDG Desktop Menu support, a new bug report tool, and improved existing code. Release notes, download link and installation instructions can be found on the EDE homepage.
I really like the FLTK (the 2.0 branch) so EDE has always been an interesting project to me. Keep up the good work guys, looking forward to 2.0 final.
…we could deviate from the make-everything-like-windows mindset and create something new. I’m sorry if this sounds harsh to any possible EDE developers out there, but this is really how I feel. In my opinion, the most elegant desktop solution for Linux today is (no, not KDE or Gnome) Openbox with a slew of other apps, but this of course needs quite a bit of polish.
the thing is, it’s really useful to convert people in the industry and avoid training costs… or teach again grandpa and grandma how to use the computer…
so, if you like something else, good, you can use it… but this project also has its users.
And also, for the most part, the Windows interface is pretty good.
I wouldn’t say that the Windows interface is pretty good, but I would say that the Windows interface is currently convenient, because it’s a paradigm that most people are familiar with.
Edited 2009-10-09 20:04 UTC
Which therefore makes it good. It is easy enough to become familiar with and not so dreadful that, despite familiarity, it is still unusable. Sounds successful to me.
to quote one of my favourite Joel Spolsky ever, ( http://www.joelonsoftware.com/uibook/chapters/fog0000000061.html , about UI design and consistency):
And, don’t be so sure it’s not right. Microsoft spends more money on usability testing than you do, they keep detailed statistics based on millions of tech support phone calls, and there’s a darn good chance that they did it that way because more people can figure out how to use it that way.
I really do see your point, and you’re right. I’m merely pointing out the fact that almost all DE’s these days are playing copy-cat. I also try not to be too much of a critic when I’m admittedly not part of the solution.