Re: [SLUG] Cheapie Acer PC, Part 2.

From: Robin 'Roblimo' Miller (robin@roblimo.com)
Date: Mon Dec 29 2003 - 19:56:27 EST


> Either way you should have a real winner. Definitely agree about ICEWM. ICEWM can start KDE or GNOME
> apps from the ICEWM much faster than from the bloated KDE or GNOME desktops. Yes, I know people have said
> ICEWM is not a desktop, just a mere window manager. It works faster and better for me(donning flameproof suit).

Then comes the question: Do most of us really need/use a "Desktop"? I
really use my "desktop" as a window manager most of the time, and only
need a tiny percentage of "desktop" features -- and mostly the cute-up
ones at that.

Warren - Mepis developer - and I both foresee a nice market for what we
  are calling "cubicleware" - basic installs that live behind screens
that usually run only a small group of apps, but need to have office
desktop look and feel. Warren is starting to get some help from the
University of W. VA in the form of grad student programmers, not to
mention finally paying an artist/deisgner to do pro-level graphics, and
is thinking about how to better-organize desktops and installs in
general for different types of users.

BTW, Warren is going to be keeping Mepis and its installers and
utilities GPL, and relying on service, voluntary registrations and --
before long -- subscriptions as basic income. The scary thing is, he's
already covering his basic expenses from voluntary registrations and
voluntary download fees. Libranet can also make it on a tiny income.
Xandros, SUSE or Red Hat probably spend all of the income Mepis and
Libranet take in, combined, before their first coffee break every Monday.

The question from Warren's view is whether it's better to build on IceWM
or strip down KDE to create the "basic" install.

Comments?

-Robin

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