KDE devs have been under fire since the release of KDE 4.0 - it’s bad enough that they’ve worked with Groklaw to expose misconceptions. It has been years since I’ve used KDE and all the chatter prompted me to take another look… after five days I’m hooked.

A entirely revamped desktop demonstrates the creativity that an empty canvas encourages. The Desktop, Oxygen Icons, Plasmoids, and Panel combine to present a beautiful desktop that’s fun and functional. Favorites in the Kickoff Menu make navigating through menus largely unnecessary. Folder View and Plasma shift your desktop from a dumping place to a functional, always accessible, launchpad. With the 4.1 release on the horizon, the entire environment appears poised to leap ahead.

It’s exciting to see a Open Source project of KDE’s size risk significant changes. I only hope moral stays high. Keep up the great work… KDE 4 will Rock!

Wal-Mart announced that they have discontinued Linux desktop computer sales on retail store shelves. The AP feed reads “Computers that run the Linux operating system instead of Microsoft Corp.’s Windows didn’t attract enough attention from Wal-Mart customers, and the chain has stopped selling them in stores, a spokeswoman said Monday.” And follows with “‘This really wasn’t what our customers were looking for,’ said Wal-Mart Stores Inc. spokeswoman Melissa O’Brien.”.

The AP feed misinterprets the problem presented by the Everex Linux Desktop. Rather than “enough attention” - the desktops sold out - the problems lies in the product itself. It’s a very low end PC and a terrible representative of the extraordinary advancement Open Source and Linux has achieved. Of course it isn’t what your customers are looking for. If it looks like a Desktop your customers will expect a Desktop experience. A watered down OS loaded on cheap hardware distorts the uninformed consumers perception of Linux. That is precisely why Wal-Mart will continue selling the computer online. Better informed customers know they’re buying a cheap and limited desktop computer.

Instead of putting our best foot forward, Open Source and Linux continuously attempts to compete by saying “this is cheaper”. Not a single Open Source engineer is developing software to limit an end users possibilities. They’re developing software to enable the end user. Open Source is neither cheap nor free. It is more efficient, smarter, better technology. Lets sell it that way.