The discussion around KDE4 vs. KDE3 is old and lengthy, however acute. But is it really?

In the end, the user has got the choice which desktop environment or window manager to use. As this is all open source, the developers of KDE4 had the right to stop developing KDE3 and to shift focus to what they believe to be the right approach. I, as many others, believe they took the wrong approach, but in the end, all this does not matter.
Why?
Because it is open source, meaning, the user can also choose not to put up with KDE4. The open source community has created many alternative products that can easily compete with KDE4. For many users it is senseless to put effort and time into understanding KDE4 until they realize it does not do the job for them. So what are the most common alternatives and their pros and cons?

Read the rest of this entry »