| Interview: Colin Walters of the Debian Desktop subproject |
by Jill Ratkevic
DesktopLinux.com caught up with Colin Walters of the Debian Desktop subproject. Launched in late October, the project aims to simplify Desktop Linux. Walters' discusses the project goal to offer "Software which Just Works" for home and office, new user and expert . . .
Q What is the genesis of the Debian Desktop Subproject?
CW:Basically, it started out of the realization that Debian previously had no focus on the end-user; little thought was put into user interface. Debian's audience has historically been the technical user, but I'd like to change that. So the Debian Desktop subproject aims to make Debian easy to set up and use for the nontechnical user, while keeping Debian's powerful features aimed at the experienced technical user.
Q: Recently, we have seen much more interest in Desktop Linux from many different directions. Specifically we have seen more attention to the desktop from Debian, more Debian-based distributions, and DesktopLinux.com's own readers' poll has Debian and Mandrake neck in neck for top distribution.
CW: I think the general interest in the desktop is not surprising; after all, we have seen great success in the server market, and it's pretty obvious that the next big step will be the desktop. Why is Debian interested in it? Well, Debian has always claimed to be the "Universal Operating System", and that's something I seriously believe in. Right now, it isn't especially easy to install and use by my mom, for example. But that will change.
Q:The Debian Desktop Subproject supports both GNOME and KDE. The project also will support both novice and expert Linux users. What are the plans to achieve this vast undertaking? What about other windows managers?
CW:Well, with regards to other window managers (and other desktop environments like XFCE), we are happy to have them available. But I think that right now, GNOME and KDE appear to be the most promising path for the future. So most attention will be focused on those.
Making Debian available to both novice and expert users isn't actually a task that is conceptually difficult, if done correctly. One example of this is fixing Debconf prompts. Debconf is a Debian-specific package configuration wizard. A lot of the prompts however assume a lot of technical knowledge, using words like "DHCP". If we are able to reword these to reduce the technical jargon, so the novices can understand, while still giving the expert user enough information, I think everyone will benefit.
Q: A recent article discussed that Linux distros are lacking PIM suites and this feature is holding back the Linux desktop in businesses. Do you agree with this assessment?
CW: I personally use Evolution. I think that what we will do is ensure that for people who log into GNOME, Evolution will be prominently displayed. If the KDE people have an equivalent, then they will use that. If not, perhaps the KDE people will include Evolution in their menu.
Q: Installation is yet another issue that Linux distros are asked about and there has been significant improvements in the area. How will your project address this? Knoppix?
CW: The debian-installer project is our next-generation installer, which Tollef Fog Heen and others have been working very hard on. It will incorporate important features like hardware to detection, which Knoppix does quite nicely. There is also some work complete on a graphical (X/GTK+ based) installer frontend.
Q: Microsoft's new Office 11 is to use XML (though we understand that this is not 'pure' XML from OASIS). Does Debian have any plans to use XML? What about cross platform compatibility?
CW: Debian is actually a member of OASIS. I do personally think parts of the Debian infrastructure should move towards XML. One great thing about XML is its support for internationalization, which Debian currently lacks. But in such an enormous project, change can be slow sometimes. I think it will happen eventually though.
As for cross-platform compatibility, I think Debian will rely on the relevant projects to understand the Microsoft file formats (e.g. Gnumeric for Excel files).
Q: Where can you go to download the latest stable version?
You can find links to Debian CD images and FTP sites here.
The Debian Desktop project is not yet released, and in fact, if all goes well, its work will be folded into Debian proper, so we will never have a separate release.
Currently there is a lot of general work still to be done before the next Debian release, so predicting releases is difficult.
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