KDE turns 30, and an AI-native desktop proposal could split the party
KDE turns 30 and someone's brought an AI-native desktop proposal
At KDE's 30th anniversary Akademy conference in Graz, longtime contributors Eva Brucherseifer and Jan Muehlig will present a talk proposing an AI-native KDE. Their vision: Plasma assembled per user, per device, per moment from an encrypted personal kernel called Kadai. The Register's reporter is skeptical, and AI critic David Gerard notes its resemblance to the Resonant Computing Manifesto. Trinity Desktop developers have also begun dabbling with AI-generated code.
A desktop that loves you back has to know you. Personal AI has crossed the threshold where the desktop itself can be compiled per user, per device, per moment, from a small portable model of the user – what we are sketching as Kadai: an encrypted, vendor-agnostic personal kernel from which Plasma assembles each Activity.
- dgellow
> A desktop that loves you back has to know you. Personal AI has crossed the threshold where the desktop itself can be compiled per user, per device, per moment, from a small portable model of the user – what we are sketching as Kadai: an encrypted, vendor-agnostic personal kernel from which Plasma assembles each Activity.
Sounds like a gimmick that will be annoying after a week. Users who aren’t KDE developers don’t want a desktop to love them back, in fact they don’t care or want to think about their desktop beyond launching their apps and window management.
- microtonal
Although Xfce 1.0 appeared slightly earlier, its initial releases were proprietary, making what was originally known as the Kool Desktop Environment one of the earliest entirely FOSS desktop environments for Linux. Version 1.0 was released in July 1998.
What a weird opening.
Also, both projects were started late 1996. A lot of people were already running KDE alphas/betas before the 1.0 release, because as a desktop it was vastly better than any of the window managers at the time.
I remember installing beta 1 in 1997 was a big relief for me. It felt like the last barrier was broken for Linux taking over the desktop, now that it finally had a desktop that could compete with Windows 95. Of course, I was terribly naive, but I blame it on only being 15yo.
I don't recall Xfce being used much at all. It become more popular until 5-10 years later because people were complaining that KDE/GNOME became too heavy and they were looking for more lightweight alternatives.
- mrob
A desktop is a tool, and the last thing I want from my tools is intelligence. Tools need to be predictable. My desktop should respond to my commands the exact same way every time so I can use it without conscious thought.
If you want to introduce AI to a desktop, the best way is to add an interface for automating that desktop and add a separate AI agent that can use that interface. This also benefits accessibility tools that can use the same automation interface.
- spinningslate
It’s going to happen in windows and most likely Mac too. In both cases, all your data will be shipped off to the model providers and then out into the panopticon.
The open source desktop environments don’t have the profit motivator that drives the commercial alternatives. They’re driven to deliver their interpretation of great UI. We can each debate whether we agree with the vision or execution but that’s the motive.
If they can employ AI to help remove desktop friction - and it’s local and not shipping my data off to the surveillance machine - I’d be open to it.
In fact, if it could sort out KDE wallet’s amnesia for my wifi password, I’d give it a roll now…
- drooopy
The best way that my desktop can show me love is by being a glorified application launcher and nothing more. Also, the less meta/data that it sends back to its vendor the more love I feel that I am receiving.