| Novell VP discusses Linux desktop, KDE |
Oct. 07, 2004
A KDE.news in-depth interview with Novell R&D VP Chris Schlaeger discusses the Novell Linux desktop and KDE development. Having watched KDE grow from a few dozen programmers to over 700 today, Schlaeger discusses the technology roadmap and details features, accessibility advances, and integration issues, as well as Novell's support of both GNOME and KDE efforts.
Schlaeger examines differences between Novell's business offerings and the software made available for consumers. Based on the SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 code base, he notes that the soon-to-be released Novell Linux Desktop brings together technology from the company's acquisitions -- the Ximian Desktop and SuSE Linux -- and extends support for business customers to five years.
On the direction of KDE development, Schlaeger talks about the needs of end users that drive development efforts -- pointing to US section 508 that requires accessibility, as an example of how mandated policies impact the ability of KDE-based Linux desktops to be used in government agencies. Accessibility for the visually impaired, he says, came out of the efforts of a blind SuSE developer who provided the first support for braille displays. SuSE Linux, he claims, was the first distribution to make the technology not "only usable, but also installable from scratch by a blind person using YaST in text mode."
Kiosk mode too, Schlaeger notes in the interview, helps systems administrators limit certain functions to groups of users, according to business needs.
Read the full interview at KDE.news
(Click here for further information)
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