I definitely don't want to see this, http://registry.sourceforge.net/ for Linux unless it's just an alternate way to view config files which should live w/ the applications dn disappear when it is gone. An uninstall script for an app should ask if you wish to keep any customized config files, but beyond that the app should go away. I think that many developers will see that Gnome is still too much of a moving target and go with KDE. Hopefully, KDE will continue to use the best desktop ideas and cull the rest. Gnome, they keep bloating to the point that it won't run on my hardware. I run KDE and load GTK libs so I can run "g" apps and life is good. On older hardware I run Fluxbox, Icewm or XFCE and life is good. I don't' have any problems running various desktops, but the useablility study stuff is mainly for the beginner, after you learn about a desktop you can configure it so that it works the way you want it. I find this is even true with the windows desktops. I show people simply little tricks/features all the time that they didn't know existed. Brian Kelsay >>> Rex Deaver 07/27/04 05:28PM >>> Go ahead and break out the hot pokers...the article is 100% correct. The standards he cites are mandatory for success: these standards will come in the form of a single distro (which will then be sorely tempted to become an M$ clone), or the standards will become generic to GNU/Linux so that most/all distros are functionally interchangeable, or GNU/Linux will forever be a good idea that never quite made it. There is no fourth option. Rex Deaver > Brian Kelsay <> wrote: > Rant, discuss, enjoy. There are a few points in there I agree with, but I won't say > which unless you stick hot pokers in my eyes.