KDE vs. Gnome

[MHG]

KDE/Gnome..
what are they? what are the pros/cons of each? 
which one do you advise to be downloaded?
 

[DavidR]

1. Desktop GUIs for Linux used by diferent linux distros or can be downloaded after.
2. Sorry don't use Linux so can't say.
3. Totally depends on if you have Linux installed, if not won't work, no point.

[Tech]

KDE/Gnome..
what are they? what are the pros/cons of each?

Like David said, install Linux and download/install the themes after. You can choose among several ones.
Advantages? Some of them has better design, other better icons and access, some of them are more similar to Windows and then easier to use/learn... 

[darkparrot]

I am new to linux, and use gnome because it came with fedora. It works for me, and havent had any problems yet.

[inconnu]

Hi MHG,

I chose to install KDE on Debian, and I'm happy with it.  I've seen people argue somewhat passionately (and unconvincingly) about the superiority of one over the other.  Just my opinion, but I think it's a matter of personal preference, and you should take a look at both and see which one feels right to you.

You might try a couple of live cd's that come with one or the other as the default desktop to see which you like, before installing one to your hdd Linux install.  Knoppix has KDE as the default.  I recommend Knoppix version 3.8.2 -- it worked better for me than 3.8.1 or 3.9.  Ubuntu live-cd comes with Gnome, so you might want to take a look at it for comparison.  Of course, you'll have to factor in the difference between the two distros.

Good luck, and enjoy!

[xistenz]

KDE is a bit more "Windows"-like out of the two. First time users will find KDE a little bit easier to use than Gnome. I like both and each have their pros and cons.

[Fast]

I agree with the others that each have it's pro's and cons and much is a matter of taste.
But what stroke me when I started using them is that allthough KDE resembles windows the most of the two, and thereby is used by much new linux-users, it is easyer to mess it up than Gnome, which is IMO more foolproof. Of more importance is which distribution you choose (e.g. Ubuntu, SuSE, Mandriva etc). I remember myself having KDE continuously crashing on Mandrake (where Gnome was very stable) and having no problems whatsoever with KDE on SuSE. 
It depends on a lot of things (of which some uncertain) if it will work for you, especially hardware-support.
Therefore the advice of inconnu to use a live cd BEFORE you install is a very wise one.
Fast