Weekly Edition
Return to the Press pageSponsored link
Vyatta –
Linux & Open Source
Alternative to Cisco –
Advanced Routing,
Firewall, VPN, QoS..
Free Download ->
| |||||||||||
The Linux killer app: KDE's Konqueror (DesktopLinux)
DesktopLinux takes a
look at Konqueror. "One of Konqueror's curious and powerful
traits is that it is at once both a file manager and a web browser. You
could think of it as a computer navigation device. It will quickly take you
to any folder and file on your hard drive, or to anywhere on the
Internet. It does either one, or both of those, so seamlessly that I marvel
at how the KDE people did it."
(Log in to post comments)
The Linux killer app: KDE's Konqueror (DesktopLinux) Posted Sep 11, 2006 19:40 UTC (Mon) by s_cargo (guest, #10473) [Link] One of Konqueror's curious and powerful traits is that it is at once both a file manager and a web browser. ... I marvel at how the KDE people did it.Might not want to emphasize that too much in the marketing literature. MS Explorer has been doing that for years.
The Linux killer app: KDE's Konqueror (DesktopLinux) Posted Sep 11, 2006 20:04 UTC (Mon) by nix (subscriber, #2304) [Link] Of course, Explorer's ability to embed applications is very limited, andyou certainly can't customize whether to embed or not on a MIME-type-by-MIME-type basis (in fact Konqi has many more options than that).
The Linux killer app: KDE's Konqueror (DesktopLinux) Posted Sep 11, 2006 21:00 UTC (Mon) by rvfh (subscriber, #31018) [Link] Internet explorer does not support all the protocols Konqueror does. If I had to cite only one, I would choose fish:// that uses ssh to deal with remote files as if they were local. No NFS, no Samba, just plain SSH.
The Linux killer app: KDE's Konqueror (DesktopLinux) Posted Sep 12, 2006 5:08 UTC (Tue) by drag (subscriber, #31333) [Link] Ya, but it can only deal with KDE apps that support KIO-slave stuff.
I like Fuse-based sshfs since that works with everything. (provided your running a newer version of Openssh on the server for best stability)
Pretty much the same concept though.
The Linux killer app: KDE's Konqueror (DesktopLinux) Posted Sep 13, 2006 12:45 UTC (Wed) by kobserver (guest, #30087) [Link] "(...) but it can only deal with KDE apps that support KIO-slave stuff" That's what KIO Fuse is about. It enables any application, KDE-based or not, to work with all these goodies...
The Linux killer app: KDE's Konqueror (DesktopLinux) Posted Sep 12, 2006 10:54 UTC (Tue) by johill (subscriber, #25196) [Link] fish is just plain stupid. tunneling arbitrary files over a text ssh connection and even abusing the login shell for it. I'll take sftp over it any day
The Linux killer app: KDE's Konqueror (DesktopLinux) Posted Sep 12, 2006 11:09 UTC (Tue) by bakterie (subscriber, #37541) [Link] Then you should be happy to know that Konqueror can do sftp as well. Justtype sftp:// in the location bar instead.
The Linux killer app: KDE's Konqueror (DesktopLinux) Posted Sep 13, 2006 12:51 UTC (Wed) by kobserver (guest, #30087) [Link] "fish is just plain stupid. tunneling arbitrary files over a text ssh connection and even abusing the login shell for it. I'll take sftp over it any day" You may be surprised. But fish:// KIO Slave internally does not just use "a text ssh connection". In fact, it uses sftp where appropriate. So while sftp is good for commandline gurus (like yourself), Joe Doe can easily be taught to use fish:// when accessing his GMX (or other webmail) "Media Center" webdrive disk space to access his photos and other stuff in a secure way.
The Linux killer app: KDE's Konqueror (DesktopLinux) Posted Sep 11, 2006 21:36 UTC (Mon) by emkey (guest, #144) [Link] Ironically hasn't Microsoft been slapped around for claiming that the browser HAD to be and in fact was part of the OS?
The Linux killer app: KDE's Konqueror (DesktopLinux) Posted Sep 11, 2006 23:32 UTC (Mon) by proski (subscriber, #104) [Link] Let's not confuse integration of the browser in the OS and integration of the browser and the file manager. In case of Microsoft, it happened at once. As for Konqueror, it's not integrated in any OS (story title notwithstanding).Actually, Microsoft was "slapped" for leveraging its monopoly on the OS market.
The Linux killer app: KDE's Konqueror (DesktopLinux) Posted Sep 12, 2006 9:59 UTC (Tue) by smitty_one_each (subscriber, #28989) [Link] Yes, but we're talking about an audience that can't differentiate between a device and a filesystem, e.g. C:\.The distinction may be too fine.
The Linux killer app: KDE's Konqueror (DesktopLinux) Posted Sep 13, 2006 13:26 UTC (Wed) by kobserver (guest, #30087) [Link] "Might not want to emphasize that too much in the marketing literature. " I disagree. Please do emphasize it even more! Because it *IS* da killa! "MS Explorer has been doing that for years." Uh? What my MS WinXP Explorer does with file management is pretty lame, if I compare it to my KDE. Honest. MS Explorer limits itself to file management on my local disk, and on remote shares that are accessible via SMB (MS networking protocol). Which Konqueror can also do, using the smb:// handle. But... Can I use MS Explorer and access files on a WEBDAV server via webdav:// ? Nope. Can I use MS Explorer and access files on a WEBDAVS server via webdavs:// ? Nope. Can I use MS Explorer and access files on any SSH server via fish:// ? Nope. Can I use MS Explorer and access files on an NFS server via nfs:// ? Nope. Can I use MS Explorer and access files on a POP3 server via pop3:// ? Nope. Can I use MS Explorer and access files on a POP3S server via pop3s:// ? Nope. Can I use MS Explorer and access files on an SFTP server via sftp:// ? Nope. Can I use MS Explorer and access files on a CVS server via cvs:// ? Nope. Can I use MS Explorer and access files on a Subversion server via svn:// ? Nope. Can I use MS Explorer and access files on an LDAP(S) server via ldap(s):// ? Nope. Can I use MS Explorer and browse *.bzip, *.bzip2, *.bz2, *.zip, *.tgz and *.tar.gz files and archives by using bzip2:// etc. ? Nope. Can I use MS Explorer and use man:/, info:/ and help:/ to display help resources nicely formatted (and to print them out)? Nope. Can I use MS Explorer and access files on my iPod using ipod:/ ? Nope. Can I use MS Explorer and have file previews and image thumbnails over all remote protocols listed above with MS? Nope. Can I have all features named above in the MS FileOpen and SaveAs dialogs as well? Nope. Can I split my MS Explorer window into different panes, each one connecting to different resources with different protocols, and move/copy files between them with drag'n'drop? Nope. I'm really curious if MS Vista will close these specific gaps and make good some of the competitive edges that KDE has gained in recent years over WinXP....
The Linux killer app: KDE's Konqueror (DesktopLinux) Posted Sep 13, 2006 19:44 UTC (Wed) by micampe (guest, #4384) [Link] No, you access them with http:// and https://, the correct protocol.
The Linux killer app: KDE's Konqueror (DesktopLinux) Posted Sep 14, 2006 8:35 UTC (Thu) by kobserver (guest, #30087) [Link] "(...) you access them with http:// and https://, the correct protocol." But does that allow me to *upload* files to a WEBDAV(S) resource via drag'n'drop file management? With the "webdav://" KIO slave Konqueror can do that for me. Of course, Konqueror can also use http(s):// to access a WEBDAV(S) resource (and this way emulate the MS Explorer lameness), but then it is read-only as well. Try again.
Try out an oxymoron! Posted Sep 12, 2006 3:31 UTC (Tue) by xoddam (subscriber, #2322) [Link] > "Try out the latest version. It will be better than the last> (barring any regressions)." Barring any regressions, the latest version of *anything* is at least as good as the previous version.
Not an oxymoron Posted Sep 12, 2006 15:43 UTC (Tue) by GreyWizard (subscriber, #1026) [Link] A "deafening silence" is an oxymoron. "The latest version will be better than the last barring any regressions" is more like a tautology or truism.
Not an oxymoron, ditto :-) Posted Sep 12, 2006 16:05 UTC (Tue) by felixfix (subscriber, #242) [Link] I do not consider deafening silence an oxymoron. Sudden silence is overwhelming and can make you feel deaf.
The classic joke is military intelligence, but there are true oxymorons out there for the asking (via google).
You've got it backwards Posted Sep 12, 2006 16:45 UTC (Tue) by GreyWizard (subscriber, #1026) [Link] Actually, "deafening silence" is a true oxymoron while "military intelligence" is not. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxymoron
I see ... Posted Sep 12, 2006 18:06 UTC (Tue) by felixfix (subscriber, #242) [Link] Apparently the strict definition of oxymoron depends on the intended effect, one of those words whose meaning changes over time.
Whoops on my part!
You've got it backwards Posted Sep 13, 2006 15:13 UTC (Wed) by tjc (subscriber, #137) [Link] My favorite example: Microsoft Works :-)
You've got it backwards Posted Sep 13, 2006 19:27 UTC (Wed) by AJWM (subscriber, #15888) [Link] Yep, right up there with "reality TV".
Not an oxymoron Posted Sep 13, 2006 1:05 UTC (Wed) by xoddam (subscriber, #2322) [Link] Conceded; tautology is the more accurate term.I *almost* wrote 'pleonism', but backed off for fear of being corrected :-)
Not an oxymoron Posted Sep 13, 2006 11:42 UTC (Wed) by arcticwolf (guest, #8341) [Link] Correction: it's "pleonasm".
SCNR. ;)
The Linux killer app: KDE's Konqueror (DesktopLinux) Posted Sep 12, 2006 9:13 UTC (Tue) by micampe (guest, #4384) [Link]
And this is precisely what I hate more about it. My filesystem is hierarchical, the web by definition isn't (or we'd call it the World Wide Tree), for example. Those tasks (browsing the web, copying files, reading PDFs) require different interaction and thus different interfaces, every time I try KDE I go mad because my home folder opens in a new tab in the same window as lwn.net. WTF? And, with, three to four slightly different setup/configure/preferences items in the settings menu I can't even find how to say "open thos damn folders in a window by themselves", so I have to look at a toolbar with a gazillion buttons to accomodate every possible use of that window. That's just crazy, in my opinion.
The Linux killer app: KDE's Konqueror (DesktopLinux) Posted Sep 13, 2006 1:19 UTC (Wed) by dkite (guest, #4577) [Link] Oddly enough I've been using this particular feature recently. I've got adevelopment project where I have a konqueror window open with various tabs pointing to documentation on the web and file folders where the library source code resides.
I can even grep the files in the folder if I want.
Believe me, I am not a fan of graphical file managers, and previously
Derek
The Linux killer app: KDE's Konqueror (DesktopLinux) Posted Sep 13, 2006 15:02 UTC (Wed) by tjc (subscriber, #137) [Link] I think browser mode for file managers makes a lot of sense to casual users who don't understand hierarchical file system structure. They know how to surf the internet, so it's familiar to them. All the world is a web page...I have to admit to being confused myself on the rare occasions that I use Microsoft Windows. The file manager application reflects the hierarchical structure of the underlying filesystem, but there seem to be abstract objects (represented as icons) that do not map directly to actual file system entities. It's disorienting, and I haven't spent enough time with it to sort it out.
The Linux killer app: KDE's Konqueror (DesktopLinux) Posted Sep 13, 2006 19:31 UTC (Wed) by AJWM (subscriber, #15888) [Link] > My filesystem is hierarchical,
What, it doesn't allow (direct or symbolic) links? Why are you running Linux on a FAT filesystem?
The Linux killer app: KDE's Konqueror (DesktopLinux) Posted Sep 14, 2006 21:57 UTC (Thu) by h2 (guest, #27965) [Link] You aren't using konqueror correctly, when it's setup right, files open in konqueror file browser, and websites open in konqueror web browser.
There are some configurations to make this happen, but I think that's standard.
You can set konqueror file browser to have any configuration and default size/file system startup paths you want. Then you save that as the default.
Same goes for the web browser.
Konquerer really is an amazing product, as the article said, it's a true killer application, take some time to poke around and learn how to run it and you'll start appreciating it more and more.
To me, once you get used to the Konqueror way, all other file system graphical browsers are completely primitive, especially once you learn to take advantage of the > 2 pane file system views, 3 is excellent, as pointed out above in one of the comments. Or you can make it more simple, whatever you want.
That's what makes konqueror so good, you are not limited out of the box like you are with windows explorer or nautilus. But the greater choices mean there are more options to learn, and some people don't like that. Krusader is also very good, for very much the same reasons, but the newer version of konqueror are just getting too good, so I stopped using krusader, but it's also a very good choice.
I'm hoping one day the gnome project will actually learn what makes this kind of configuration range a positive, if they do, I'll probably give gnome a more serious look. Currently though I'd rather use xfce4 or something if I want a less feature filled desktop.
The Linux killer app: KDE's Konqueror (DesktopLinux) Posted Sep 12, 2006 11:19 UTC (Tue) by copsewood (subscriber, #199) [Link] Just tried the trick with fish:// and it works excellently. I like Konqueror for what it does. One neat thing it does for me is put my photos into indexed albums complete with thumbnails. This tool will also help many 'doze users to use Linux in a manner closer to what they are used to but better.
It won't stop me using shell commands for file management where this is more efficient. Alas one of the downsides of having better file management GUI based tool is that those who use these exclusively plateau much lower on the learning curve and never really get the hang of how easily shell command syntax leads with file wildcards, shell scripting and simple automation of file and system management.
Jack of All Trades, Master of None. Posted Sep 12, 2006 12:15 UTC (Tue) by 3vi1 (guest, #39830) [Link] I sometimes use Konqueror instead of an FTP client when I just need to quickly transfer one file. But, other than that, it's not typically my first choice for anything.
It's definitely not a bad program. I like it; I just can't think of anything that it does that I can't easily do with another program. Integration of features doesn't make for a killer app, unless that integration allows you to do something you couldn't before. Good (maybe great) app, yes. Killer app, no.
Killer applications should give you something unique that you can't readily get from other platforms; Users should desire the functionality so bad it draws them to the OS/device/whatever. You know, like Animal Crossing or Mario games on a Nintendo. :) Why are a large number of users leaving Mac, Windows, Gnome, etc. to use Konqueror? What functionality is it giving all of them that they couldn't have accomplished with Windows Explorer or a dozen other applications? Saying Konqueror is the Linux "Killer" app trivializes the term... and makes Linux sound a little lame.
I use Linux exclusively, but I'm not even sure it *has* a killer app. OSS doesn't seem to be killer-app conducive, since the really great stuff ends up ported to every other system anyway. If Carmack were to release the next big ID game exclusively for Linux, it would instantly be the most universally recognized "killer app" of the platform. Of course, he'd have to really hate money to do that.
Jack of All Trades, Master of None. Posted Sep 12, 2006 15:26 UTC (Tue) by horen (subscriber, #2514) [Link] The title says it all. One of the essential differences -- perhaps the essential difference -- between Unix and Micro$oft Windows, was that Windows was always looking for that "killer app"... the one which "dices, slices, and juliennes fries"; whereas the Unix paradigm was providing users with a variety of programs for each need: multiple email clients, multiple news readers, etc., etc., (not to mention that some were curses-based, while others were graphical). Most of all, each of these Unix-based programs tried (forgive the anthropomorphism) to be the "Best in Class". I don't like "Swiss Army Knife" programs any more than I like charter tours or voting the straight party-ticket.
Jack of All Trades, Master of None. Posted Sep 14, 2006 14:43 UTC (Thu) by superstoned (subscriber, #33164) [Link] no, i don't like all-in-one apps either. it's not efficient, simple.that's why i prefer kontact over evolution (kontact is just a thin shell for 8 separate Kparts) and konqueror over other both filemanagers and webbrowsers (konqi is just a thin shell for KIOslaves and Kparts).
Jack of All Trades, Master of None. Posted Sep 12, 2006 21:44 UTC (Tue) by beoba (guest, #16942) [Link] irssi is my killer app.
ssh comes in a close second.
However, neither of these would be particularly good at bringing in new people, since you need to use them a fair amount before you can 'get' how cool they are in the first place.
If VLC was *n*x only, I bet that'd bring over a few people I know..
|
|||||||||||