Perhaps GNU/Linux should decide what it wants to be, besides yet another UNIX kernel clone.

That is how Android and ChromeOS happen, or FOSS developers end up buying a BSD based proprietary desktop OS, or even Windows based systems, to develop software for GNU/Linux based cloud environments.

> Perhaps GNU/Linux should decide

GNU/Linux is an abstract idea, not a person, organization, or even community. GNU/Linux cannot 'decide' anything.

If you want something else, you should use something else. As you mention, popular alternatives exist.

That's not a GNU/Linux issue, BSD's have KDE too.

Also, back in the day you could compile and run KDE perfectly on Solaris and Irix.

>or even Windows based systems, to develop software for GNU/Linux based cloud environments.

I/O is still crappy and limited.

Heck, KDE is even available on Windows (now just the applications, but at one point you could run Plasma to a certain degree IIRC).

https://community.kde.org/Windows

Ideas like /proc and ToolTalk come from Solaris, no need for KDE to get inspired.

Irix had similar ideas as well.

That is the thing, these UNIX workstations had a whole stack experience, not what Linux or BSD ever were or are.

>That is the thing, these UNIX workstations had a whole stack experience, not what Linux or BSD ever were or are.

Uh, Irix with 4DWM and limited DE's were not as powerful as a FreeBSD workstation with KDE3. Not even close.

People compiled JWM, IceWM and KDE on Irix and Sparc machines because 4DWM and CDE were horrendously limited and slow.

Also, Urxvt ran circles on dterm on cpu/memory usage. Much, much snapppier and faster.

Yeah using Inventor on FreeBSD was blazingly fast.

/proc came from Version 8 UNIX.

I stand corrected, thanks.