Matt’s Blog of Truth

Nokia announced recently, that it plans to release it’s newly acquired Linux Free and Open Source graphics library under the LGPL. (Lesser General Public License). Previously, Qt was developed and owed by a small company called, Troll Tech. Troll Tech sold Qt under restrictive corporate licenses, therefore, stifling it’s potential wide acceptance in the Free and Open Source Community that builds Linux and thousands of other Applications under it’s development model.

This is VERY good news, because Qt is the graphics library that KDE (the K Desktop Environment ) uses. KDE is second in popularity only to the GNOME Linux Desktop.

KDE developers, over a year ago, did a complete over haul, mainly to exploit Qt version 4’s amazing, newly added graphics capabilities and cross platform support. As a result, KDE 4.0 has a beautiful polished look and feel, making Desktop Linux shine brilliantly.

However, all was not rosy getting to this point. Initially, KDE 4.0 was intended to be a developer release, which contained known bugs and incompatibilities. Unfortunately, the major Linux Distributions (Ubuntu, openSUSE, Mandriva and more) did not take note of this, and released their KDE4.0 Linux Desktop, as being 100% End User ready. This created an up roar of ‘KDE 4.0 Sucks’ and endless blogosphere comments and slanders about the state and future of KDE 4.0, as a result of this mistake. In other words, KDE 4.0 was not intended (by the KDE release team) to be released as a 100% stable version.

But, now that KDE 4.2 RC was released this week, it is the version that KDE developers are saying ‘End users SHOULD use’ and the KDE version the Major Distros SHOULD have used in their initial Official release, to replace the older KDE 3.5 version.

Also, with the great news, that Nokia has released KDE’s graphics library (Qt 4.5) as completely Free and Open Source, KDE 4.2+ is expected to explode in size. Both in terms of contributions (developers and artists) and End Users.

For years, GNOME Linux Desktop Environment has been the top Linux Desktop, for many reasons. One reason being that GNOME’s graphic library (GTK) was released as true Free and Open Source Software, resulting in a lot of community backing. GNOME however, has been pegged as ‘too plain and simple looking’ and not up to par with modern looking Desktops, to stand side by side with Apple Mac’s and Microsoft’s Vista shiny modern look.

Not any more… KDE 4.2+ is set to replace GNOME as the top Linux Desktop Environment. KDE 4.2+ looks damn good. Not only that, but it is also easier to use than KDE 3.5, with a focus on making the configuration options and menu system, easier to navigate and manage.

GTK (GNOME’s graphic Library) is also pegged as not being sophisticated enough, in that, it is programmed in strait C and not C++. C++ is a modern ‘Object Orientated Programming’ language. Qt is programmed using C++. C++ reveals it’s power, with complex software, by making it easier to program complex programming concepts, which C lacks. Others argue that strait C is more efficient, than C++. But, it can not be argued, that C++, if done right, can make a programmer’s life easier.

Look out Apple and Microsoft… KDE and Qt are on their way to making some major heads turn.

A Long, LONG time ago, there was this Operating System called, WINDOWS. It was created by a monolithic software company named, Microsoft. Microsoft once commanded all corporations AND home users (business and pleasure) to run Windows. Windows 95, to the harped upon Vista Operating System.

Microsoft Windows was all people used. All around the world. Rich or poor.

Than one day… people started working together. First, the nerds and geeks, than Corporate Businesses. All talking about SOFTWARE CODE, using this new invention called, THE INTERNET.

Over time, the geeks and nerds attracted the attention of business folk. Business folk want money. Money employs people, brings people together to form Corporations, JUST LIKE MICROSOFT!

Microsoft, being the big ol Dinosaur, gets scared!

Oh no!

Someone…

Wait MILLIONS?! All contributing to a common code base and evolving into something LIKE Windows?!

Impossible! This can not be!

Microsoft felt threatened.

After all, Linux was Free, Open Software, built by Millions of Human Minds.

Linux is Free and Open.

Free, allowed not just one Corporation to ‘get rich’, but MULTIPLE corporations!

Open, as in, easy for masses of geeks to contribute to a common Code base, using this new ‘Internet Thing’. It allowed them to custom build Web Sites, create opinionated BLOGS, and Servers to run it all. What scared Microsoft about all this ‘activity’, was that it was completely NOT related to Micro-saurus!

Over time, Microsoft fought, tooth and nail, to convince Corporations running Windows to NOT, please DO NOT INSTALL Linux! But, Linux was FREE OF CHARGE, and the nerds loved it, because the code was Open to read and write.

Microsoft, hired programmers at discounted rates from India, Russia, China and other countries pawing for a US Dollar.

Micro-saurus had one problem. It was based on years and years of OLD code, which Microsoft had BILLIONS upon BILLIONS invested in. The malware and viruses threatened Corporate secret files from hackers obtaining them and selling to competitors, as well as, all the Windows home users getting ‘fed up’ with viruses and Internet Porn pop up Ads.

There was no turning back for Micro-saurus. It had just too much time and money INVESTED in their virus ridden Operating System to rewrite a completely virus free Windows.

OK, that is the end of my, ‘long time ago’ story.

Unlike the quick and nasty extinction of the Dino’s, Microsoft was slowly eroded away. Linux just kept improving, over time. Multi-Corporate and Millions of ‘tinkering geeks’, eventually create something everyday masses of casual users could use. This attracted Game Publishers, as well.

The Mammals inherited the earth. The once, seemingly MEEK Mammals, small compared to the tromping and stomping Dino’s, suddenly inherited the Earth. My analogy is that Linux is somehow (in my own way) related to the Mammals and Microsoft to a Dinosaur.

Chrome, Googles own Browser, has many new concepts in web applications to concider. Many wonder, why would Google even release a browser, when Firefox is so popular, including a multi-million dollar deal with Mozilla, the company behind Firefox. Many wonder if this will ‘cut in’ on Firefox, therefore the Open Source communities war between Firefox and Microsoft’s Internet Explorer.

But, I see Chrome as an ‘inside browser’ released to the public, to ‘do with as they may’ browser ‘product’, rather than Google’s attempt at trying to strangle hold Firefox’s growing popularity, and Mozilla’s Ad revenue deal with the Search giant.

Chrome is not being pushed as the Firefox killers. In fact, Google took Chrome out of beta recently, which is completely unorthedox for Google. Gmail has been in beta, as well a Google docs, for years now, as an example.

What Google presents to the web browsers, is a prototype for ‘how the web could be’. How the web could be, is exactly what Google wants, and is their primary goal. Because, the more prevalent the web is, the more people use it, the more Ad revenue Google ultimately will profit from.

Google could throw literally millions or even Billions into the gBrowser. But, why? Firefox is already doing great. However, Firefox is slowly becoming more bloated, has a slow render engine for javascript and Google has very close business relations with Firefox (mozilla).

Chrome is a prototype browser. It doesn’t have the expansive plug in system, like Firefox has. Therefore, will never become as popular as Firefox. Google could easily instruct their coders to implement such a plug in architecture, but that could mean the end (or at least the break down) of Mozilla’s Ad profits it gets from the Google search bar. So, Google takes Chrome out of beta, without a plug in system, but leaves the exciting and important aspects of what a browser SHOULD have in Chrome, for Firefox and the world to use and improve upon.

Here is what Google wants to see Firefox, Opera and Safari, excel in, or surpass.

1) Javascript execution engine that is fast, VERY fast.
2) Web App Desktop Short cuts, to promote Web Apps like Yahoo! Mail, Gmail, Google Docs and the like.
3) A browser that has advanced Tab capabilities. Just drag a tab off Chrome and a completely new process is made. This guards against crashes, by isolating web pages (tab) from another, and gives the user more options.
4) Make the browser load fast, run fast and feel more responsive.
5) Continue to be standards compliant. Chrome is yet another browser that joins the pack along with Firefox, Safari and Opera against the non-standards complaint Browser known as, Internet Explorer.
6) Chrome comes stock with Google Gears. Maybe the other browsers will do the same, which is just ‘offline mode’ for Web Apps.

These are a few of the things, the wizards at Google, want to see in Firefox, Safari, and Opera, particularly, Firefox. Firefox is an awesome browser, but you have to admit, it is slowly becoming bloated, loads slower, and the Javascript execution could be sped up.

Well, Chrome not only sparked a (whose javascript can execute the fastest) ‘race’, but it also will make the developers of Firefox think about how it can make Firefox load as fast as Chrome and maybe even implement Chromes powerful ‘Tabs’ and Web Application Desktop shortcut innovations.

In all, Google’s Web Browser, Chrome, kick the ass’s of all the other browsers, and ultimately made them rethink about how the browser SHOULD work. Again, this only makes Web Applications more popular, and benefits Google Docs, Gmail and all of the Internet’s ‘up and coming’ Software as a Service, Computing Cloud concepts.

Thanks Google. You did NOT decide to kill Firefox, but instead provide a browser ‘to look up to’ and get ideas from, only to become better.