The Linux desktop has come a long way. I know. I've been using Linux as my default desktop work environment for so long I feel like I've experienced almost the entire evolution of the Linux desktop firsthand. I'm guessing it was sometime shortly after 1995 when I started using Linux on the desktop for more than 90% of my work. Linux not only outperformed Windows 95 on my Everex 486 DX2-66, but it also spared me the three R s that plagued every version of Windows: Reboot, Reformat, and Reinstall. I never had to reboot or reinstall anything to solve a Linux problem. That was enough to solidify my determination to use Linux in spite of its aesthetic flaws.

On the down side, I had to tolerate very spotty hardware support, especially for display and sound cards. Once I had a graphical desktop running, the fonts were hideous. To its credit, Linux let me choose from dozens of window managers. Unfortunately, only a few of them ran reliably, and the user interface on most of them made little sense to someone like me, who was used to OS/2 and Windows. On the other hand, I was immediately spoiled by the fact that almost all Linux window managers let you switch between virtual desktops instantaneously (virtual desktops are separate, distinct desktop workspaces). Windows-based attempts at mimicking this feature were pitiful by comparison. Only a small number of productivity applications were available back then, and few of them were GUI-based. But even then, Linux came with more than enough software to meet my needs. Eventually, I learned it was possible to improve the early Linux desktop experience to make it border on pleasant, but I couldn't do it without becoming proficient at editing an endless list of obscure, text-based configuration files.

As Linux matured, it inspired a hack of the window manager FVWM that emulated the Windows 95 desktop. That, and a few other improved desktops, made Linux more usable, but it still didn't offer mass appeal.

Then along came KDE, a free desktop environment based on the Trolltech Qt C++ library of widgets and functions. Even in its most primitive stages, it was obvious that KDE would eventually challenge the best desktop environments on any operating system. The KDE developers didn't disappoint those who saw the potential. The most recent versions of KDE will knock your socks off and make them dance around the room. You can accomplish virtually anything from the KDE desktop in ways more elegant than I had ever anticipated back in 1995. Hopefully, by the time you've picked up some of the tips in this book, you'll be able to use KDE to amaze your Windows-using friends with the flexibility of Linux.