I don’t think it offers anybody much of anything right about now.
KDE 4.0 is pretty much like Mac OS 10.0. Incomplete.
The target is clearly developers. It was then(os10) and it is now.(kde4)
But keep an eye out. As it matures, you’ll be able to get a lot of applications that you may find very useful.
Also, I’m not currently able to see what the OS cutoffs are. (operating system support)
Obviously this will work on XP. Will it work on 2k? Me? 98/95? 3.1? How far back does it go?
And the same question for mac. Obviously it’ll work with 10.5.
I think you are incorrect. KDE going cross-platform opens up a new interface for windows users, making it easier for them to see what Linux (and OSX) can do. It makes any decision about transitioning to another OS a little easier.
It shows MS users that they are not stuck with what Billy has shoved at them.
I'd imagine 2K, but not NT4, and none of the DOS-based Windows (98 and earlier).
There's enough support in the later NT branch of Windows (2K/XP/Vista) to run applications that expect a real operating system under them. But the DOS branch doesn't provide much support for that. 98 and earlier really were just single-user, single-application toys.
I say that as someone who still runs 98SE and DOS7 on old hardware sometimes. They have their place and time. But no one should expect support for them in 2008.
I think there are two objectives. Get past the learning curve hurdle to Linux adoption for users, and expand the base of developers and code that works with KDE, which helps KDE as well as lowers even further barriers to entry to Linux. Seems like a good strategic move all around except from MS’s point of view.