As a very happy KDE user, I've often wanted to show off different aspects of KDE to people using Windows (using KDE on Linux myself), but it's mostly been too difficult for them to install on Windows. I could install a specific program for them myself and it could work, but updating and discovering more interesting KDE things would not be possible. I've also noticed that the installer's version is generally quite a bit behind the latest releases, which is understable but unfortunate.

The problem I have with the installer is that, while it's pretty reasonable for people who are used to how things are done in Linux, it's still a bit too technical for Windows users. And as I mentioned earlier, it's generally also behind the latest release. The other option would be to use the emerge system, which seems to be working off of more recent (possibly the latest) source code. I've never tried this myself and while it seems like it's more up-to-date than the installer, it would be even more difficult to use (also understandable as it's geared towards developers, not end-users). So I started to think about what might be a desirable way of installing and using KDE software on Windows for end-users. It might just be a pipe dream, but I wanted to share it anway in case it might be useful to people more knowledgeable than I.

I think that the best way for end-users on Windows to install KDE software would be through the use of an app store. Most people are familiar with this concept these days and it should fit well with the existing way of installing from repositories. In fact, the main reason for using an app store would be so we could use an existing solution like Muon Discover for this. This package manager would need to be ported to Windows so it could be run natively. It would also need to be connected to the emerge system on the backend, perhaps this is possible through something like PackageKit (it seems like Muon Discover is also starting to support this). This would perform the actual installation of packages and handle dependencies. If possible, it could have an additional backend system that installs pre-compiled software available from kde-apps.org (e.g. Kajongg). These might allow for more stable software than having emerge compile everything.

If implemented, the end-user would download and install Muon Discover on Windows as a normal windows program (along with all necessary additional software, like Python/Git/Emerge/MSVC). They could then start up Muon Discover and install KDE software in a way they are familiar with from other app stores. The selection of available software would be based on which repository is used (pre-configured to use latest stable releases). It would then install all selected software (automatically including their dependencies) and make it available through the normal Windows methods (e.g. Start menu or desktop shortcuts).

I think that this has more benefits than just being able to easily install the latest KDE software in Windows. The increased amount of KDE users on Windows could improve stability through more varied bug reports (Some problems might be easier to spot or reproduce on Windows but still have a negative effect on Linux). It could also provide motivation to make more KDE software capable of running on Windows, which could have positive effects on future changes or maintenance. An example of these benefits was briefly mentioned in a blog post about KWin's port to Wayland (The section called KDE Applications on Wayland). But of course the best part would be that many more people would be able to use KDE software.

I don't know if this idea is possible or even desirable to others, but I hope it may be useful.