First KDE 4 Snapshot Released

Rich writes "KDE has just released the first developer snapshot of KDE 4. This release isn't for end users, but should help developers who want to begin writing applications for the KDE 4 desktop. This release already includes a new CMake based build system, a change from DCOP to DBUS and of course a port to Qt 4. If you're interested in desktop development, check it out."

CMake and KDE

[The boojum]

I'm really glad to see CMake [cmake.org] finally getting used by a high-profile project. I hated CMake at first sight -- having to install it first before I could build a project seemed strange after the autoconf ./configure; make routine. But it really is a nice system and has meant no longer having to support and keep in sync parallel make files, Visual Studio projects, XCode projects, etc. like I used to. Configure scripts failing on native Windows builds, for example, was always a pain. It's been a lot easier to build cross-platform projects now that I'm using CMake for everything.

Seeing KDE adopting it has been great news for me, since it means that I may be able to start releasing my own small projects with CMakeList.txt files without getting funny looks. I love that it's looking like KDE will blaze the trail for us little guys who prefer CMake over the autoconf tool chain.

Re:Composite Kwin. When?

[Trinn]

I don't know, but a fully open process for it is one of the goals I've been aiming for. see www.compiz.net and find out how to really make your compiz nice (note, I'm mostly a KDE user too, but for some reason, kicker is crashy with compiz, so I switched to a gnome-based session with lots of KDE apps. (I hate gnome's remove-the-options interface style, and hate that it's infected gaim...)