Giving KDE a second chance

When I first started using Linux about 6 years ago, I did not even use any GUI. I preferred to run my Linux as a headless server providing web and other service and connecting from my Windows box via SSH. About 2 years ago, however, I started tying to use Linux as my main desktop. I started using Red Hat, then switched to Debian, tried several other versions along the way, and eventually ended up using Ubuntu. Somewhere along the way KDE fell out of favor with me and I became a Gnome user. It was not love at first site with Gnome, it was something that transpired over several different versions of Linux OS loads. I just kind of liked the simple feel of Gnome.

Now just I am definitely an adventurous person and I like to try new things. I regularly download several different versions of Linux and try each one in a VM just to see what the latest and greatest is in the Linux world. Along the way I have run into a few KDE desktops and usually load the Kubuntu desktop packages on my Ubuntu machines. But I never really got a good feeling for KDE, that is, until yesterday.

I have been reading alot on the Internet about the problems with KDE 4.0 and that 4.1 and now 4.2 made great improvements so I deciede to give KDE a second chance. Since I use Ubuntu I just loaded the kubuntu-desktop packages and switched sessions. I do a lot of photography and I have a saying that I can look at a picture I have taken for about 1-2 seconds and tell if it is a keeper or not. I just clear my mind, look at the picture, and see if it affects me in anyway or tells me a story. I used the same technique with the KDE 4.1 desktop and to my surprise is past the test. I really like the layout of the desktop and the feel of the whole setup from the icons to the color schemes. I have not had a chance to play with all of the customizable functions of the desktop yet but I find the choices available be very appealing.

The only problem that I found so far is that Firefox, my preferred browser, do not look to good in KDE. I did some research and found a couple of fixes that make the browser look a little better but it will do for now.

I think I am going to give KDE a go for a while and see what happens.