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diff --git a/doc/khelpcenter/whatiskde.docbook b/doc/khelpcenter/whatiskde.docbook deleted file mode 100644 index d63213eee..000000000 --- a/doc/khelpcenter/whatiskde.docbook +++ /dev/null @@ -1,129 +0,0 @@ -<chapter id="what-is-kde"> -<chapterinfo> -<date>2002-01-18</date> -<releaseinfo>3.00.00</releaseinfo> -</chapterinfo> -<title>What is &kde;?</title> -<anchor id="whatiskde"/> - -<sect1 id="what-is-kde-introduction"> -<title>What is &kde;?</title> - -<para>&kde; is a desktop environment. In other words, &kde; is a -collection of programs, technologies and documentation that attempt to -make life easier for computer users. &kde; is targeted at &UNIX; -workstations. It features network transparency and a contemporary work -philosophy. </para> - -<para>The creators of the K Desktop Environment are a world-wide group of -software engineers. This group's major goal in free software development is to -provide high quality software that empowers the user with easy control of his -computer's resources.</para> - -<para>&kde; seeks to fill the need for an easy to use desktop for -&UNIX; workstations, similar to the desktop environments found under -&MacOS; or &Windows; 95/NT. &kde; meets the requirement -of users for an easy to use work environment. Tools used to reach -this end are: enhanced inter-application communication, component -reuse, generalized drag and drop, uniform look and feel and many -more. Thus, &kde; offers much more than the traditional &UNIX; window -managers.</para> - -<para>Stability, scaleability and openness are qualities which have -made &UNIX; the undisputed choice for the information technology -professional for many years. &kde; builds on top of this excellent -base framework and brings new, much needed qualities: usability, user -friendliness and beauty! &kde; was the first, and stays the forefront -player in bringing these qualities to &UNIX;, which constituted for -years, the premier platform for server computers and scientific -institutions, but wasn't very attractive for desktop users.</para> - -<para>Without &UNIX; the Internet would not exist, or at least would -have a vastly different form. &UNIX; has not, until now, addressed the -needs of the average computer user. This fact is particularly -unfortunate, since a number of implementations of &UNIX; (<ulink -url="http://www.linux.org">&Linux;</ulink>, <ulink -url="http://www.freebsd.org">FreeBSD</ulink>, <ulink -url="http://www.netbsd.org">NetBSD</ulink>, &etc;) are freely -available on the Internet, all of which are of exceptional quality and -stability. </para> - -</sect1> - -<sect1 id="what-is-kde-the-desktop"> -<title>&kde; The Desktop Environment</title> - -<para>In combination with a free implementation of &UNIX;, &kde; -provides to the world an open and completely free desktop computing -platform either at home or at work.</para> - -<para> This platform is available to anyone free of charge including -its source code for anyone to modify.</para> - -<para>While there will always be room for improvement we believe we -have now delivered a viable alternative to some of the more commonly -found and commercial operating systems/desktops combinations available -today. It is our hope that the combination of &UNIX; and &kde; will -finally bring the same open, reliable, stable, and monopoly free -computing to the average computer user that scientists and computing -professionals world-wide have enjoyed for years. </para> - -</sect1> - -<sect1 id="what-is-kde-the-development-framework"> -<title>&kde; The Application Development Framework</title> - -<para>&kde; focuses on the user's needs, but it's obvious that this -focus is more easily achieved by also giving developers the best -tools. &kde; code contains, and comes with, some of the best -development technologies of the modern computing age.</para> - -<para>Authoring applications under &UNIX;/X11 used to be an extremely -tedious and labor intensive process. &kde; recognizes the fact that a -computing platform is only as good as the number of first class -applications available to the users of that particular -platform.</para> - -<para>&kde; defines new technologies in &DCOP; and KParts, created to -offer a component document model and technology. Together with the -complete &kde; libraries programming interface, &DCOP;/KParts are set -in direct competition with other similar technologies like &Microsoft; -<abbrev>MFC</abbrev>/<abbrev>COM</abbrev>/ActiveX technologies. The -excellent quality and the high level of refinement of &kde;'s -application programming interface (<acronym>API</acronym>) enables -developers to focus on original and interesting issues and avoid -reinventing the wheel.</para> - -</sect1> - -<sect1 id="what-is-kde-the-office-suite"> -<title>&kde; The Office Application Suite</title> - -<para>In its current form, &kde; provides, apart from the essential desktop -component applications, a suite of powerful office programs known to the -world by the name &koffice;.</para> - -<para>&koffice; is based on the &kde; &DCOP;/KParts -technologies. It currently contains: a word processor with desktop -publishing capabilities (&kword;), a spreadsheet application (&kspread;) -and accompanying charting program (&kchart;), a presentation program -(&kpresenter;) and a vector drawing program (&kontour;). Tying things -together is the <application>KOffice Workspace</application>, an -integrated shell to ease the use of the &koffice; components in -conjunction with each other. Additional components include an email -client, a news reader, and a powerful <abbrev>PIM</abbrev> (Personal -Information Manager - an organizer).</para> - -<para>While some of those components are still in alpha development, -others are already extremely powerful. For example, &kpresenter;, -&kde;'s presentation application, was successfully used at the 5th -International &Linux; Congress in Cologne, Germany to deliver a &kde; -presentation. </para> - -<para>We would like to invite you to <ulink -url="http://www.kde.org">learn more about &kde;</ulink> and <ulink -url="http://koffice.kde.org">&koffice;</ulink>.</para> - -</sect1> -</chapter> - |