USE settings, optimization, and Gnome vs. KDE

[Skreems]

Okay, so I understand how the use settings work, I think. Basically, I believe they limit what support gets compiled into the apps you download, so that all of your programs are smaller and faster. Is that right?

If that's true, then I would assume that support for both KDE and Gnome would be one of the biggest factors in application speed. Is that true? How much of a performance difference is there if I choose only KDE or only Gnome, and reflect the choice in my USE settings?

Also, I know there are some topics like this already up, but I was wondering if anybody has advice on which to choose, if choosing one makes a performance difference. Thanks!

[pjp]

As for which environment to use, it really depends on what you are looking for. From reading posts in the
forums, KDE seems to be slower. Though many users prefer it over Gnome. I personally prefer Gnome
1.4 over KDE. Gnome 2 recently came out as well, but I have not used it. Supposedly it is faster than
Gnome 1.4. Many users like window managers instead of 'Environments' like KDE and Gnome. KDE and
Gnome use window managers, but aren't window manager's themselves. For window managers, Fluxbox
seems to be very popular among Gentoo users. Window Maker, Enlightenment and others are liked as
well. There are quite a few. Emerge some and try for yourself. Only you can decide what will work for you.
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Quis separabit? Quo animo?

[taskara]

well the thing is that having kde, gnome, fluxbox (or any dm) on your system will not slow your system down just by being on your hard drive.

so you can compile gnome and kde and fluxbox or whatever dm you want into your linux system, and try them all out for yourself.

currently there are some issues with gnome 2. many programs are not yet working, and if you emerge gnome core 1.4, it can cause problems if you want to be using gnome 2.

yes kde is slower than gnome, but it has a lot more things to play with in it and has a more windows feel to it. You can also tweak the "pretties" to make it faster. Fluxbox and similar destop managers are probably the quickest. But they have little flashy-ness about them.

Compile them and see which one works for you.

I use fluxbox.

[Skreems]

That all sounds good. I think I phrased my original question rather poorly, however. I was wondering more what the impact on individual apps would be. If I have both Gnome and KDE installed, then obviously the USE setting reflects that. Will an application like Mozilla, for example, run faster in a KDE only environment (compiled with only KDE in the USE var), than it would if it were compiled for both KDE and Gnome? Or does the support for both not make much of a difference?

Also, on a new topic, do things like KDEStudio run in Gnome, or are there system-specific things that prevent that? And, off on another side topic, what other Visual Studio clones are there besides KDEStudio? Thanks for your help, all!

Peace

[taskara]

you can run any application under any window manager, even if it was specifically written for KDE (for example).

however you have to have the specific libraries compiled in order for it to work.

if you want to run KDEStudio under fluxbox for example, it won't work unless you also compile the respective kde libraries. Then you can load the libraries under fluxbox (or gnome) and then the app.

Getting to your mozilla question, the answer is no. Mozilla will not run faster in a KDE only environment, (rather than also having gnome installed) because you are only using kde at the time. Gnome is not loaded unless you go to use it.

Mozilla is not a KDE only app, and hence it needs no specific kde libraries. It should compile the same whether under kde, gnome or fluxbox.

What will slow the app down, however, is the dm you are using.

For example:
mozilla will be fastest on fluxbox
next fastest on gnome,
and most likely the slowest on kde.

this is because of the size of the dm, not whether mozilla was compiled only for kde, or for all three desktop managers.

"Or does the support for both not make much of a difference?"
- should be no difference.

For example, mozilla is just as fast on my system when I ONLY use fluxbox, and if I use fluxbox with the full kde and gnome installed.

hope this kinda makes sense for you.. post away if it doesn't!

[fsck_ms]

I don't use kde, or any qt apps for that matter, so I have -kde -qt... as part of my use variables. I don't think anything is going to be dramatically slower if qt and gtk support, for example, are compiled into a program, unless you have limited resources. You'll get larger binaries, I'd imagine. Play around and figure out what use settings work for you.
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fortune: The best defense against logic is ignorance.