Discussion on:

10 must-have Linux desktop enhancements

Nice article. One thing I think you left out is in order to get the full Compiz experience, users will need to install all the additional Compiz plug-in packages their distro offers, and more importantly, CompizConfig Settings Manager. Also, you might have mentioned KRunner, if only under Gnome Do's entry since it's basically the KDE equivalent; it offers a plethora of very useful plug-ins as well.

PLEASE DON"T RECOMMEND TOMBOY.
IT'S A BLOAT WARE MADE IN MONO!

There ARE many applications that do the tomboy tricks with out mono - examples are:
1. Gnote
2. ZIM
3. Red Wall

and more ...

This is a great list. Well done.

These are all GNOME apps and options, other than the KDE Plasmoids at #7; Plasmoids maybe can be run under GNOME (not sure), but many of the others won't run under KDE, such as Cairo and Screenlets (afaik). Plus, in KDE there is no need for Compiz and Emerald, as KDE has KWin and plenty of theming options.

So, if these are *must haves* yet we can only run some of these or others at the same time...

Here is what you need:
KDE4
KWin from KDE4
Plasmoids in KDE4
Yakuake for dropdown terminal
Basket for notes
KRunner [Alt][F2] for launching apps

It would have taken a few words to mention that Kwin is what KDE uses instead Compiz (and its basically the same effects)

Jack loves ubuntu, which is gnome centric.
and KDE 4 made KDE a joke.
no-one really appreciates KDE any more, it just isn't anywhere near as usable as it was.

I, no-one, like the KDE4 (using 4.3.5 now) very much, and consider it the best desktop environment I ever used.

Current KDE4 versions are more usable than KDE3 ever was.

I agree KDE 4 is definitely headed in the right direction so far as innovating the use of a computer. But Gnome 3 blows the whole thing out of the water.

Gnome 3 is as revolutionary as was windows was when released on a DOS world, it is that good. (of course in my opinion, and I'm a die hard KDE fan)

Curious as to what distro you're on that uses that slightly 'older' KDE version? Sounds like something suse or debian might have in 'stable.'

not when it won't allow you to set it to WORK FOR YOU instead of against you.

case in point, the idiocy of not allowing the start menu to list most FREQUENTLY used apps any more, only the most recently used.

that alone is a deal breaker.
just because I had a once in 4 month need for an app does NOT mean it needs to be in the app list for ready use. instead, the apps used every day should be pin able there.

oops, KDE > 3 doesn't let that happen any more.

it has not made a single change that benefits my work, it has actually made work harder, just like GNOME itself does.

I add apps I use frequently (but not every day) to the "favorites" section of the menu.

Stuff I do use every day I add to the panel. I have konsole, kwrite, firefox, thunderbird and pidgin down there.

There's also several plasmoids to launch or organize apps with. For instance all the custom apps I have installed get a launcher (icon) in a single folder. (~/apps) Then one desktop has a folder view plasmoid on it set to show the contents of that folder.

The result is a little window containing several icons for launching special-use or testing type apps.

Numerous ways to skin the cat. I agree the option to put frequent, rather than recent apps on the top of the menu is desirable. I suspect if you filed a 'bug' requesting the feature it might be reinstated.

But that alone doesn't look like a show stopper to me.

garbage to the taskbar?
or another of the idiotic plasmoids to the desktop, CLUTTERING IT EVEN MORE?
not likely.

KRunner is so practical to launch application that I only use the menu (or kicker, or lancelot) to launch infrequently used applications.

KRunner with all its plugins is a great time saver. I use it to do quick calculations, spell check words, type a persons name in my contacts list and open kmail' email editor to send a email to that person, search files, etc.

GNOME or KDE doesn't matter, install both bloated U.I.'s and use the apps from both.
no conflict.

you can use gnome apps in KDE and KDE apps in Gnome.
[ at least, KDE 4 apps will run in GNOME for sure, KDE 4 should also. ]

the problem is some people will not install anything from KDE others won't install anything from GNOME.
apps need to be 100% desktop agnostic to be usable by everyone.

and GNOME and KDE both have to different ways of doing just about everything for apps to be completely agnostic.

When I read this comment I knew this guy was drinking some sort of kool-aid..."Not only is the default desktop a thing to behold" A thing to behold? The Louvre is a thing to behold, Machu Pichu is a thing to behold, The Vietnam Memorial is thing to behold, but a desktop? Really, your life must be very small whne you express your feelings in such a way.
My boy, it is just a tool, an operating system, it is not the Mona Lisa. I am so sorry if you are a married man, your wife misses you!

What about Real Sync with Smartphones? Like BB, I have to do several Ropes and tricks via google and finally isn?t Reliable.

Not very fancy, and no 3d effects and the like , but "CTRL + ALT + V" (gets the list at mouse cursor position) saves a LOT of time if you havegot a lot of strings (passwords etc) to throw around between diffrent apps.

A real production enhancer, as opposed to all the eye-candy nonsense.

regards

Brian Simonsen

Forgot screen - that should be #1

Uh.. No.. "10 completely pointless GUI add-ons to a linux system that only a Windows user would give a damn about".