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diff --git a/doc/khelpcenter/whatistde.docbook b/doc/khelpcenter/whatistde.docbook new file mode 100644 index 000000000..964edc9ee --- /dev/null +++ b/doc/khelpcenter/whatistde.docbook @@ -0,0 +1,125 @@ +<chapter id="what-is-tde"> +<chapterinfo> +<date>2002-01-18</date> +<releaseinfo>3.00.00</releaseinfo> +</chapterinfo> +<title>What is &tde;?</title> +<anchor id="whatistde"/> + +<sect1 id="what-is-tde-introduction"> +<title>What is &tde;?</title> + +<para>&tde; is a desktop environment. In other words, &tde; is a +collection of programs, technologies and documentation that attempt to +make life easier for computer users. &tde; is targeted at &UNIX; +workstations. &tde; features network transparency and a contemporary work +philosophy.</para> + +<para>The Trinity Desktop Environment is a fork of the K Desktop Environment +version 3.5, originally written by the KDE Team, a world-wide network of +software engineers committed to Free Software development.</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>The &tde; developers continue the tradition of KDE 3.5.</para> + +<para>&tde; 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. &tde; 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, &tde; 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. &tde; builds on top of this excellent +base framework and brings new, much needed qualities: usability, user +friendliness and beauty! &tde; 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-tde-the-desktop"> +<title>&tde; The Desktop Environment</title> + +<para>In combination with a free implementation of &UNIX;, &tde; +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 &tde; 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-tde-the-development-framework"> +<title>&tde; The Application Development Framework</title> + +<para>&tde; focuses on the user's needs, but it's obvious that this +focus is more easily achieved by also giving developers the best +tools. &tde; 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. &tde; 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>&tde; defines new technologies in &DCOP; and KParts, created to +offer a component document model and technology. Together with the +complete &tde; 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 &tde;'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-tde-the-office-suite"> +<title>&tde; The Office Application Suite</title> + +<para>In its current form, &tde; 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 &tde; &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> + +</sect1> +</chapter> + |