Hi guys,
I just want to thank the KDE gang, excellent stuff, best desktop in the WHOLE market, by far!!

So, I'm just talking about some things with others, and I'm remember old times kde3, kde4, kde5 etc, and especially the transitions. I loved all of them and I was a bit sceptical when the new and very changed major version came around, but I liked it all. Anyways, transitioning was not always very easy, and I'll try to say why. Furthermore KDE is working on a Wayland version as I've heard, and I'm a bit worried the focus might be a bit "off" in the way they might think about implementing that. So what I really want to discuss and chat about is "what is the core of KDE"? "thank you for making KDE 5 MORE modular" and "where should the core focus ideally be" and such things.

It might be stupid to bring this up, but I think it is important. It might seem presumptuous. But how about that future path for KDE, how can excellence be preserved, while improving?

To answer that, we must really understand what the most important things about KDE is. What is fundamentally important about KDE for the user? And what is "not", or "optional" or "nice to haves?

So moving forward, what I would like to see from KDE (kde6, wayland etc) is an even more modular KDE which focus on the most essential things first, and then adds on optional full desktop step by step, but with less dependencies and less need for a full desktop if that is not needed. A more scalable model. This was partly accomplished with Plasma and I think the thought behind it was great. And thanks for preserving the HIGHLY IMPORTANT "legacy" features. For me, KDE is all about CHOICE, that's what is MOST important. This includes being able to customise everything to your hearts desire to work as you want.

Ok, so to a bit of the negative. KDE5 transitioning was difficult because most custom options were not available and you had little choice. The KDE team seemed to have been more focused on the "full desktop" aspect than the core of KDE. In a future version I'd like to see a focus on the core first, please, pretty. With KDE6 and Wayland on the horizon, I think this is a good time to think about this.

So, what IS the core of KDE? What does KDE do better than ALL the other desktops out there?
1. Window management (WOW, absolutely WOW), KDE is a spaceship that is also a boat and a car and a flying car, while everyone else is trodding around on a horse and some have the model-t already and brag about it.
2. Desktop management (double wow), KDE is the farm with the super-car, the tractor, the helicopter and the boat, while the rest only have a tractor. The way multiple desktops (used to) work(s) coupled with activities just brings that much more efficiency and option into how you can go about doing your stuff. Bravo, but please "separate desktops on each activity && desktop" as before.
3. Customisation (hallelujah), some people like to do one thing in one way, others in another way. KDE makes it so that everyone can do it their own way that they prefer. That goes across the board from window management to file browsing to settings. We want maximum customisation.
4. Legacy options, if you don't want it the new way, then KDE also offers the old way. And thanks for that, I've used KDE3 style start menu forever. Not everyone wants an over-engineered start menu just because someone thinks it is a good idea. Some people might, others might just want something easy that actually works. Agaig, KDE = choice.
5. Easy and extensive KDE settings, not much to say about this, but don't strip it down and keep the legacy version as well.
6. Some core programs: Dolphin, Konsole, Okular, kwrite, network are the best on the market. But these are CORE.
7. It looks nice that also counts. Clean look, but not yet perfected. I was expecting a bit more from KDE5 in that regards actually. But yet I'm very happy, and looks can be adapted alot.

So, for me this is how KDE minimal should look like. More or less, a KDE focused on the most important parts of KDE and the core of KDE and add modular layers on top of this to make a full desktop environment. If you manage to get the core right, it is scalable from mobile to desktop and tv's and more. Let's say kde6 is a bit similar to kde5 and plasma-active, it can then easily be implemented on all screens by adapting the actual content rather than a desktop or an environment.

So, KDE is the best window and desktop manager on the market, it allows maximum choice and have settings for just about anything you can think about. It doesn't force you to do everything one way or another, but let's you stick with old ways, it is the desktop of choice. It has some fantastic core programs and it looks nice.

That's KDE core to me, but also something like panels and activity manager ofcourse, but this could be an option and done in different ways in the future. USB "widget" is absolutely fantastic, same with languages and setup for it and notifications, (and bluetooth for those who actually use that). But that's about it.

That's also about my scope of KDE usage. So what does KDE do poorly?
- It forces you to use a bunch of stuff you don't need and makes everything dependent on each others and disallows the use of KDE as a window manager and forces a full desktop.
- It installs a bunch of things that you don't necessarily need or want (some do, others don't)
- It initially (kde5, kde4) strays from the core of KDE and drops these things in favour of doing other things
- Ok, eventually you fixed kmixer to not be so dumb, but I still liked that alternative from KDE4 (downloadable) where you had alot more input/output control with one click, sadly I forgot the name of it, but it was how kmixer should have been.
- Has not yet maximised potential of the "modularity"
- The colour gray (I know, a PITA to get away from), not enough (smart) transparency effects and still issues with GTK looks (although greatly improved)
- Almost forgot/underestimated the value of the rarely used functions, but then remembered them (ex. move to, delete, some customisation etc)

I'm not saying that a full KDE desktop does not work for me, it does work for me, and I'm not saying KDE should make their desktop for me or only for people like me, but at least consider it as well, and I don't think it is a bad idea to make KDE more modular, I don't even think it's unprecedented to say that as KDE5 moved that way. But PLEASE remember who your core users and their needs/desires are, and implement those things FIRST, NOT LAST. Those things are part of the CORE!

CORE FIRST, please, then the rest if you need more time. And please make it so modular that it is possible to use the CORE ONLY if people WANT. A lightweight KDE. But to do this right, you must implement dependencies in a smart way. If I remove a thing now that I think is a standalone product that I don't need, it will remove kwin and everything else! No, no, no. How can that be?? And is the timing not right to talk about this just now that KDE is really putting extra thoughts into and redesigning kwin? At least that is my impression due to wayland etc. Can you consider moving non-core stuff out of kwin and only make kwin dependent on core components as well?

I know, this is a cruel thing to ask and say. But I think resolving dependency issues in kwin and core components would allow for a truly modular KDE desktop, and allow some people to use a mobile/tablet version, some people to use a window manager kde and some people to use full KDE desktop, from the same but modular and adaptable product.

It's not that I don't like the full KDE desktop, I do like it and think it is the best full desktop on the market. There are many NON-CORE programs that I've not mentioned at all, but that are also world class, and many features I don't use and many others don't use that are still awesome. I'm just asking for a slight priority review for when you release "KDE6", to implement the MOST IMPORTANT features FIRST. Those mentioned above as world class KDE stuff, the 7 points. And I'm begging for the possibility that you might make this same part modular and that you will add features, functions, software and programs on top of that in a modular but very smart way. I have that much faith in you that I know you come up with some really insanely brilliant solutions to complex or less complex needs. Maybe I have too much faith in you, because it is sky high. KDE is absolutely awesome, and when I say it is the best desktop on the market, is it not a feeling, it is an actual comparison of features and the method in which those desktops works. KDE is MILES ahead and make many other desktops look like absolute garbage. I feel privileged to use a product that can make me say that, and that's thanks to all of you guys and the KDE desktop.

I might have forgotten some things that I wanted to say and said those things I wanted to say in a less organized way than I wanted, but I hope what I want to convey can be read and interpreted to understand what I really wanted to say. And I hope perhaps someone can use these thoughts to improve KDE even further.

So thanks for reading.