Next time someone bashes Linux for a inconsistent interface....

[leech]

Just ask them what they think about MSN Messenger 6.0 and Windows Media Player 9. Also make sure to ask them why any of the software to change the look/feel of Windows XP costs money, where as something as basic as that should pretty much come with the OS.

Leech

P.S. Yeah, I realize that if you want to be specific, of course Linux has a consistent interface, it's all text based . I'm referring of course to the so called problem of QT vs. GTK vs. Motif vs. (name your widget). I think Windows is just as inconsistent as any linux DE could ever be. Pretty sad that the above apps are both programmed by none other than Microsoft themselves. At least in linux they can use the excuse of many many different programmers working on them.

[Jessterw]

Good point, although it's one that's been touched one many times before. Microsoft has always preached to it's legion of third-party developers about following the user interface "standards" they created when developing for Windows, yet routinely don't do so themselves. Each version of Office is evidence of this, not to mention the WMP and Messenger applications now. Granted these applications still follow the UI standards to a degree and don't necessarily "need" to follow them as strictly as other applications do. For that matter, there are a number of third-party applications that strive to ignore these standards (McAfee, Nortons, etc).

I'd actually tend to lean towards saying the Linux is gaining an ever more consistent user interface. The biggest problem seems to be the size of certain UI elements and the use of icons/glyphs/etc. in certain places.

[leech]

Agreed, but then again, not all programmers can create decent icons for their projects. I know I can't draw worth a crap. And the interfaces are getting much better. At least Gnome has a Human Interface Guidebook. Not so sure about KDE. I don't use it that often.

Leech