KDE 4 to use much less RAM

Polaris573 · Dec 14, 2007

Anyone paying the slightest attention to the Linux-on-the-desktop scene will have noticed that desktop environments are featuring more and more eye-candy with every release. While this has had the predictable effect of increasing processor usage and memory requirements (although the pretty things can always be turned off), it seems that the newest version of the K Desktop Environment graphical user interface will use nearly 40% less memory than current version 3.5 despite having a lovely composited windows manager (think Aero but free). The figure comes from a test run by German magazine Pro-Linux who ran tests comparing the performance and memory footprint of the second release candidate of KDE 4 compared to the latest version of KDE 3.5.

With further good news for those of you with older systems to support, KDE developer Will Stephenson announced in a post to his blog that he'd tried a pre-release build of KDE 4 with the 3D desktop effects enabled on a laptop running at 1GHz and with only 256MB of RAM. Rather than the single-frame-per-second slide show he was expecting, Will was pleasantly surprised to find the desktop completely usable even with all the glitz and glamour turned on.

It's also worth noting that Will had some KDE 3 libraries loaded for compatibility reasons, and that final optimisation of the code has yet to take place: in other words, there's room for still more performance gains.

The finished version of KDE 4 is due for release on the 9th of January 2008. If you can't wait that long, you can grab the source for the release candidate from the KDE website.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site

craigwhiteside · Dec 14, 2007

very interesting, would be awesome for users with low end pc's/laptops and maybe stick it on a ps3 too

suraswami · Dec 14, 2007

Wow that means I can dump XP and install this on my PIII 850 with 256MB ram laptop and have all the goodies.

Jimmy 2004 · Dec 14, 2007

How does KDE resource usage compare to GNOME anyway? Ubuntu uses GNOME, so that's what I use when I run Linux. Nice to see a a software developer cutting down on resources though.

btarunr · Dec 14, 2007

Linux has been such an underdog.

Thanks Polaris, for keeping neglect miles away.

It's high-time software developers wrote applications for Linux, I'm talking about the likes of Adobe, etc. At least for media-editing, business and scientific research, Linux is a far superior platform to the Vista+Aero bloatware. System resources are utilised with far greater efficiency. Afterall, getting the job done is what counts, not pretty transition effects or Genuine Advantage (that eats 2388 KB/month on the Microsoft Update + 11500 KB in the memory when loaded as WGAtray.exe, despite me using a legit copy.

EDIT: Oops I forgot we're talking KDE and not Linux. KDE runs on many OSes like BSD, Solaris and pretty much every *nix derivative.

I've always found KDE more appealing than the "extremely formal" Gnome. If anyone plans to flirt with Linux for the first time and is thinking about Ubuntu, I'd advice go for Kubuntu instead.

[I.R.A]_FBi · Dec 14, 2007

Jimmy 2004 said:
How does KDE resource usage compare to GNOME anyway? Ubuntu uses GNOME, so that's what I use when I run Linux. Nice to see a a software developer cutting down on resources though.

get kubuntu

hacker111 · Dec 14, 2007

Good but is it the same speed as the one without the saving electricty???

AsphyxiA · Dec 14, 2007

sweet, im going to download rc2 once i get my gentoo box up and running , AGAIN!

spud107 · Dec 14, 2007

wonder if it'll work with backtrack2, hmmm

AddSub · Dec 15, 2007

Good news. KDE has gotten really, REALLY bloated over the years.

AsphyxiA · Dec 15, 2007

AddSub said:
Good news. KDE has gotten really, REALLY bloated over the years.

yeah, but if you download the base KDE system, no bloat. plus, ive never been a fan of gnome because its harder to customize, IMHO.

Easy Rhino · Dec 15, 2007

that is good news! personally i use xfce cause i like the simple look. also, for those of you feeling adventurous try fluxbuntu out. it is a custom ubuntu build with fluxbox. you can download the image and go from there. i really like it on my 900mhz laptop!

Easy Rhino · Dec 15, 2007

AsphyxiA said:
yeah, but if you download the base KDE system, no bloat. plus, ive never been a fan of gnome because its harder to customize, IMHO.

asphyxia i like your avatar. you into freebsd???

AsphyxiA · Dec 15, 2007

yeah actually, eventually, after i get all the bugs worked out of my gentoo box, im totally setting up a freebsd distro. the installer scares me a bit though LOL

panchoman · Dec 15, 2007

very nice!

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KDE 4 to use much less RAM

Polaris573

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craigwhiteside

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[I.R.A]_FBi

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