"It's an effort to unify the look and feel," said Erik Troan, Red Hat's director of product marketing. "Users shouldn't have to worry about which (interface) to choose," and programs should work the same on either Gnome or KDE. Linux is a clone of the Unix operating system, but instead of being a proprietary product it's developed collectively by a community of open-source programmers who share their work. Different people rule different domains -- for example, founder Linus Torvalds still is master of the kernel at the heart of Linux -- but there is no single master controlling the overall collection of software packages. Red Hat 8 will begin shipping on Monday, costing $39.95 (£24) for a basic version and $149.95 (£90) for a professional version with more included software and support. Free "ISO" files also may be downloaded, out of which people can construct installation CD-ROMs, but that version includes no support or printed instruction manuals. The new version also will ship on a single DVD-ROM, Red Hat said. KDE and Gnome each has had its own advocates. Both have grown steadily more polished, with Gnome reaching the 2.0 milestone and KDE the 3.0 mark in recent months. Red Hat has shipped with both but has preferred Gnome. In earlier years, some components of KDE were covered by a software license to which Red Hat and others in the open-source community objected, but that license was changed. Many in the open-source movement love the idea of multiple different options. Competition will keep software improving faster, they argue, and having choices will mean different users can choose what's best for their needs. But some believe choice is still alive and well. "The experienced power user who doesn't decide to stick with Bluecurve can still customize to their heart's content in the time-honored Linux tradition," said Dax Kelson of Linux training center Guru Labs. "I think the controversy is overblown." Duplicative projects, though, can dilute programmers' efforts and distract from the ultimate goal of taking on Microsoft, Jupiter's Gartenberg said. "The fact that the Linux community is unable to come up with a basic standard to rally around is the kind of stuff that makes (Microsoft Chief Executive) Steve Ballmer smile," Gartenberg said.
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