Announcements 

Sunday, 23 November 1997

KDE 1.0-beta2 Release Announcement






           T H E   K   D E S K T O P   E N V I R O N M E N T

                          http://www.kde.org

                                Beta 2
                           November 23, 1997


    An integrated Desktop Environment for the Unix Operating System


  We  are  pleased  to announce the availability of the second public
  beta "Neheim" of the K Desktop Environment.

  KDE is a powerful graphical desktop environment for  Unix  worksta-
  tions.   The  KDE desktop aims to combine ease of use, contemporary
  functionality and outstanding graphical design with the technologi-
  cal superiority of the Unix operating system.

  KDE  is  a  completely  new desktop, incorporating a large suite of
  applications for Unix workstations. While  KDE  includes  a  window
  manager,  file manager, panel, control center and many other compo-
  nents that one would expect to be part of  a  contemporary  desktop
  environment, the true strength of this exceptional environment lies
  in the interoperability of its components.


  Key KDE features:


        o Transparent Network Access:

          Most KDE components are inherently  Internet  aware.  KDE's
          folder  windows are in fact web browsers. You can open URLs
          and view HTML pages, download files by dragging  them  from
          the  folder  windows  onto your desktop or even edit remote
          documents by simply dragging them from a remote site opened
          in a folder onto KDE's editor.


        o Session management:

          KDE  supports  elaborate  session management. You can leave
          documents and applications open when you log out  and  ses-
          sion  management  aware  applications  will  be restored to
          their previous state on your next log in. KDE offers pseudo
          session management for legacy X11 applications.


        o Configurability:

          Most,  if  not  all settings are configurable through intu-
          itive GUI dialogs rather then the traditional cryptic  con-
          figuration  files.   The  configuration files are of course
          human readable.


        o Vast pool of KDE applications:

          A great number of applications have  already  been  written
          for  the KDE project. Some are supplied with the base pack-
          ages available for download from http://www.kde.org, others
          can be found in the 'apps' directory on ftp.kde.org and its
          many mirrors.  We proudly offer applications ranging from a
          postscript  viewer  to a CD player, a calculator to a sound
          system, and even a finite element analysis application.  We
          are confident you will be pleasantly surprised by the broad
          spectrum of applications available today.


        o Internationalization:

          Most of KDE's core components and many of the KDE  applica-
          tions  are internationalized. That is, they will operate in
          many languages.  We consider this a key feature in  gaining
          acceptance  among  a wide audience. Please consider helping
          us   translate   more   of    our    applications.    Visit
          http://www.kde.org/i18n.html  for  more  information on the
          internationalization project.



  Screen Shots:

          Screen shots of a typical K desktop and some  of  its  core
          components  can  be  found  at  http://www.kde.org/kscreen-
          shots.html We are certain you will like what you see.


  Where to get KDE:

          You   can   download   the   KDE   base    packages    from
          ftp://ftp.kde.org/pub/kde  or  one  of  its  many  mirrors.
          Please visit our web site at  http://www.kde.org  for  more
          info. The precise locations of the beta 2 packages are:

       ftp://ftp.kde.org/pub/kde/stable/Beta2/distribution/tgz/binary
       ftp://ftp.kde.org/pub/kde/stable/Beta2/distribution/tgz/source
       ftp://ftp.kde.org/pub/kde/stable/Beta2/distribution/rpm/binary
       ftp://ftp.kde.org/pub/kde/stable/Beta2/distribution/rpm/source
       ftp://ftp.kde.org/pub/kde/stable/Beta2/distribution/deb/binary
       ftp://ftp.kde.org/pub/kde/stable/Beta2/distribution/deb/source


  Supported platforms:

          KDE  was primarily developed under the GNU/Linux variant of the
          Unix operating system. However it is known to compile with-
          out, or with very few, problems on most Unix variants.

          At the moment we explicitely support  GNU/Linux (Intel , Alpha,
          Sparc) and Solaris (Sparc) and we have success reports  for
          FreeBSD, IRIX, OSF, SunOS, HP-UX. and others.


  KDE Development:

          KDE  was  developed  by a world-wide network of programmers
          during the past 12 months. In fact the release of the first
          beta  coincided  roughly with KDE's first birthday, October
          16th 1997.

          KDE development is open to everyone. Please consider  join-
          ing  the  KDE  project.  If  you are a programmer, consider
          writing applications for the KDE  project.  If  you  are  a
          graphical  design artist consider creating icon sets, color
          schemes, sound schemes, logo's and other supporting art. If
          you  enjoy  writing, you are invited to join our documenta-
          tion project and help creating help documentation,  tutori-
          als  and other supporting documentation in the K documenta-
          tion project (KDP). Please visit our web site  for  further
          information  on  how  you  can help make KDE an even better
          environment than it already is.

          To the expert:

          KDE's development model differs deliberately from  that  of
          other  known  desktop  projects  in that it does not try to
          follow preconceived  handed-down  specifications.  We  have
          recognized the availablilty of an existing and usable desk-
          top at all stages of development as paramount to  the  suc-
          cess  of  the  project. Only in this fashion we are able to
          attract the large number of developers necessary for a pro-
          ject  of  this  enormous  scale.  KDE improves on an almost
          daily basis in an iterative cycle of design, coding,  test-
          ing,  revision,  redesign,  leading  to constant excitement
          and concrete tangible results at any  given  time.  We  are
          convinced  that  we have chosen the right development model
          prerequisite to running a successful Internet project,  and
          accommodating   the  special circumstances arising from the
          fact that all development is done on a  strictly  volunteer
          basis.  Please  give KDE a try, we believe that the results
          speak for themselves.


  Licensing:

          The KDE libraries are licensed  under  the  LGPL,  and  the
          applications  are  licensed under the GPL.  KDE is based on
          the Qt GUI library which is free for the X  Window  System,
          provided  the  applications  developed with it are released
          under a free license such as  the  GPL.   More  information
          about Qt may be found at http://www.troll.no


  What does the 'K' stand for?

          Nothing.  It is simply named the "K Desktop Environment".


  Lastly: KDE is NOT a Window Manager

          KDE  is  not  just another window manager trying to imitate
          the look of an existing desktop environment, but rather  an
          integrated environment of which the window manager provided
          with KDE is only a small part. In fact if you so desire you
          can continue to use your favorite window manger, however we
          strongly encourage you to use the KDE  window  manager  and
          enjoy the functionality afforded by the interoperability of
          the KDE components. The KDE window manger provides all  the
          functionality you need and more.

          Additionally,  KDE  is  not  a  CDE, Windows or OS/2 clone.
          While some ideas may have originated  from  these  systems,
          KDE  is unique and we have no intentions of cloning another
          system.


  Bug Reports:

          Please submit your bug reports  to  kde-bugs@kde.org.  Con-
          sider  subscribing  to  our mailing lists depending on your
          interests.


  Mailing Lists:

           kde-announce   (announcements)
           kde            (general discussion)
           kde-devel      (development issues)
           kde-look       (look and feel issues)
           kde-licensing  (licensing issues)
           kde-user       (end user discussion)
           kde-patches    (daily patches)

          To subscribe (unsubscribe), send mail to

                  [list]-request@fiwi02.wiwi.uni-tuebingen.de
          with:

                 subscribe (unsubscribe) [your-email-address]

          in the Subject: line of the message. A mailing list archive
          is provided at:

                    http://www.itm.mu-luebeck.de/~coolo/kde/

  Thanks:

          We  would  like  to thank Troll Tech AS http://www.troll.no
          for creating Qt  and  our  sponsors  for  making   KDE  ONE
          http://www.kde.org/kde-one.html in Arnsberg, Germany possi-
          ble.

  Epilogue:

          We sincerely believe that we have initiated a new  era  for
          the  Unix  operating  system  and  hope  you will share our
          excitement. We hope that KDE will allow  you  to  get  your
          work  done  faster  and  more efficiently than ever. Please
          consider joining and supporting the project.



  The KDE Core Team



  APPENDIX:


  Mirrors:

          We expect ftp.kde.org to be  rather  busy  in  the  future.
          Please  take note of the following list of official mirrors
          of ftp.kde.org.

               ftp://ftp.net.lut.ac.uk/kde
               ftp://ftp.nvg.unit.no/pub/linux/kde
               ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/Incoming
               ftp://linux.unipv.it/pub/linux/kde
               ftp://sunsite.icm.edu.pl/pub/unix/kde
               ftp://ftp.chialpha.org/pub/kde
               ftp://ftp.blaze.net.au/pub/kde
               ftp://ftp.gwdg.de/pub/x11/kde/
               ftp://ops.linux.co.za/pub/Linux/kde
               ftp://ftp.uni-erlangen.de/pub/Linux/MIRROR.KDE
               ftp://ftp.dataplus.se/pub/linux/kde
               ftp://ftp.tvnet.hu/pub/kde
               ftp://canine.resnet.gatech.edu/pub/kde
               ftp://ftp.fh-heilbronn.de/pub/mirrors/kde
               ftp://ftp.appl-opt.physik.uni-essen.de/pub/linux/kde
               ftp://ftp.dsnet.it/pub/internet/unix/Linux/kde
               ftp://sunsite.mff.cuni.cz/X11/Desktops/KDE
               ftp://sunsite.icm.edu.pl/pub/unix/kde/
               ftp://ftp.caldera.com/pub/mirrors/kde
               ftp://ftp.fh-dortmund.de/pub/unix/kde.mirror
               ftp://kde.flash.net/pub/unix/kde/
               ftp://ftp.cs.us.es/pub/Linux/kde/
               ftp://ftp.isis.nsu.ru/mirrors/kde/
               ftp://belief.unix.cslab.tuwien.ac.at/pub/kde
               ftp://clio.unice.fr/
               ftp://ftp.iinet.net.au/pub/kde/
               ftp://ftp.lbi.ro/pub/Linux/KDE
               ftp://ftp.linux.org.au/pub/linux/kde/
               ftp://ftp.kreonet.re.kr/pub/tools/X11/kde/
               ftp://sundog.v-wave.com/pub/kde/
               ftp://sunsite.bilkent.edu.tr/pub/linux/kde
               ftp://ftp.fisica.ist.utl.pt/pub/mirrors/kde

          The packages will also be uploaded to:

               ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/Incoming/
               ftp://ftp.redhat.com/pub/Incoming

          Expect the usual delays before all packages  are  available
          at all ftp sites.
Read More
      
Monday, 20 October 1997

KDE 1.0-beta1 Release Announcement





              T H E   K   D E S K T O P   E N V I R O N M E N T

                              http://www.kde.org

                                    Beta 1
                               October 20, 1997


       An integrated Desktop Environment for the Unix Operating System


  We  are  pleased  to  announce  the  availability of the first public beta
  "Arnsberg" of the K Desktop Environment.

  KDE is a powerful graphical desktop  environment  for  Unix  workstations.
  The  KDE  desktop  aims to combine ease of use, contemporary functionality
  and outstanding graphical design with the technological superiority of the
  Unix operating system.

  KDE  is  a completely new desktop, incorporating a large suite of applica-
  tions for Unix workstations. While KDE includes  a  window  manager,  file
  manager,  panel,  control  center and many other components that one would
  expect to be part of a contemporary desktop environment, the true strength
  of this exceptional environment lies in the interoperability of its compo-
  nents.


  Key KDE features:


        o Transparent Network Access:

          Most KDE components are inherently Internet  aware.  KDE's  folder
          windows  are in fact web browsers. You can open URLs and view HTML
          pages, download files by dragging them  from  the  folder  windows
          onto your desktop or even edit remote documents by simply dragging
          them from a remote site opened in a folder onto KDE's editor.


        o Session management:

          KDE supports elaborate session management. You can leave documents
          and  applications  open  when  you  log out and session management
          aware applications will be restored to  their  previous  state  on
          your  next log in. KDE offers pseudo session management for legacy
          X11 applications.


        o Configurability:

          Most, if not all settings are configurable through  intuitive  GUI
          dialogs  rather  then the traditional cryptic configuration files.
          The configuration files are of course human readable.


        o Vast pool of KDE applications:

          A great number of applications have already been written  for  the
          KDE  project.  Some  are supplied with the base packages available
          for download from http://www.kde.org, others can be found  in  the
          'apps'  directory on ftp.kde.org and its many mirrors.  We proudly
          offer applications ranging  from  a  postscript  viewer  to  a  CD
          player,  a calculator to a sound system, and even a finite element
          analysis application. We are confident you will be pleasantly sur-
          prised by the broad spectrum of applications available today.


        o Internationalization:

          Most of KDE's core components and many of the KDE applications are
          internationalized. That is, they will operate in  many  languages.
          We  consider this a key feature in gaining acceptance among a wide
          audience. Please consider helping us translate more of our  appli-
          cations.  Visit  http://www.kde.org/i18n.html for more information
          on the internationalization project.



  Screen Shots:

          Screen shots of a typical K desktop and some of  its  core  compo-
          nents can be found at  http://www.kde.org/kscreenshots.html We are
          certain you will like what you see.


  Where to get KDE:

          You    can    download    the    KDE    base     packages     from
          ftp://ftp.kde.org/pub/kde or one of its many mirrors. Please visit
          our web site at http://www.kde.org  for  more  info.  The  precise
          locations of the beta 1 packages are:

            ftp://ftp.kde.org/pub/kde/stable/Beta1/distribution/tgz/binary
            ftp://ftp.kde.org/pub/kde/stable/Beta1/distribution/tgz/source
            ftp://ftp.kde.org/pub/kde/stable/Beta1/distribution/rpm/binary
            ftp://ftp.kde.org/pub/kde/stable/Beta1/distribution/rpm/source



  Supported platforms:

          KDE  was  primarily  developed under the GNU/Linux variant of the Unix
          operating system. However it is known to compile without, or  with
          very few, problems on most Unix variants.

          At the moment we explicitely support  GNU/Linux (Intel , Alpha, Sparc)
          and Solaris (Sparc) and we  have  success  reports  for   FreeBSD,
          IRIX, OSF, SunOS, HP-UX. and others.


  KDE Development:

          KDE  was  developed  by a world-wide network of programmers during
          the past 12 months. In fact the release of the  first  beta  coin-
          cides roughly with KDE's first birthday, October 16th 1997.

          KDE  development  is open to everyone. Please consider joining the
          KDE project. If you are a programmer,  consider  writing  applica-
          tions  for  the  KDE project. If you are a graphical design artist
          consider creating icon sets, color schemes, sound schemes,  logo's
          and other supporting art. If you enjoy writing, you are invited to
          join our documentation project and help creating  help  documenta-
          tion,  tutorials and other supporting documentation in the K docu-
          mentation project (KDP). Please visit our  web  site  for  further
          information  on  how you can help make KDE an even better environ-
          ment than it already is.

          To the expert:

          KDE's development model differs deliberately from  that  of  other
          known  desktop  projects in that it does not try to follow precon-
          ceived handed-down specifications. We have recognized  the  avail-
          ablilty  of an existing and usable desktop at all stages of devel-
          opment as paramount to the success of the project.  Only  in  this
          fashion we are able to attract the large number of developers nec-
          essary for a project of this enormous scale. KDE  improves  on  an
          almost  daily basis in an iterative cycle of design, coding, test-
          ing, revision, redesign, leading  to constant excitement and  con-
          crete tangible results at any given time. We are convinced that we
          have chosen the right development model prerequisite to running  a
          successful  Internet  project, and accommodating  the special cir-
          cumstances arising from the fact that all development is done on a
          strictly  volunteer  basis. Please give KDE a try, we believe that
          the results speak for themselves.


  Licensing:

          The KDE libraries are licensed under the LGPL,  and  the  applica-
          tions  are  licensed  under  the  GPL.  KDE is based on the Qt GUI
          library which is free for the X Window System, provided the appli-
          cations  developed  with it are released under a free license such
          as  the  GPL.   More  information  about  Qt  may  be   found   at
          http://www.troll.no


  What does the 'K' stand for?

          Nothing.  It is simply named the "K Desktop Environment".


  Lastly: KDE is NOT a Window Manager

          KDE  is not just another window manager trying to imitate the look
          of an existing desktop environment, but rather an integrated envi-
          ronment  of  which  the window manager provided with KDE is only a
          small part. In fact if you so desire you can continue to use  your
          favorite  window  manger, however we strongly encourage you to use
          the KDE window manager and enjoy the functionality afforded by the
          interoperability of the KDE components. The KDE window manger pro-
          vides all the functionality you need and more.

          Additionally, KDE is not a CDE, Windows or OS/2 clone.  While some
          ideas may have originated from these systems, KDE is unique and we
          have no intentions of cloning another system.


  Bug Reports:

          Please submit your bug reports to kde-bugs@kde.org. Consider  sub-
          scribing to our mailing lists depending on your interests.


  Mailing Lists:

           kde-announce   (announcements)
           kde            (general discussion)
           kde-devel      (development issues)
           kde-look       (look and feel issues)
           kde-licensing  (licensing issues)
           kde-user       (end user discussion)
           kde-patches    (daily patches)

          To subscribe (unsubscribe), send mail to

                     [list]-request@fiwi02.wiwi.uni-tuebingen.de
          with:

                     subscribe (unsubscribe) [your-email-address]

          in  the  Subject:  line  of the message. A mailing list archive is
          provided at:

                        http://www.itm.mu-luebeck.de/~coolo/kde/

  Thanks:

          We would like to thank Troll Tech AS http://www.troll.no for  cre-
          ating    Qt    and    our    sponsors    for   making    KDE   ONE
          http://www.kde.org/kde-one.html in Arnsberg, Germany possible.

  Epilogue:

          We sincerely believe that we have initiated a new era for the Unix
          operating  system  and hope you will share our excitement. We hope
          that KDE will allow you to get your  work  done  faster  and  more
          efficiently  than ever. Please consider joining and supporting the
          project.



  The KDE Core Team



  APPENDIX:


  Mirrors:

          We expect ftp.kde.org to be rather busy in the future. Please take
          note of the following list of official mirrors of ftp.kde.org.

               ftp://ftp.net.lut.ac.uk/kde
               ftp://ftp.nvg.unit.no/pub/linux/kde
               ftp://linux.unipv.it/pub/linux/kde
               ftp://ftp.chialpha.org/pub/kde
               ftp://ftp.blaze.net.au/pub/kde
               ftp://belief.cslab.tuwien.ac.at/pub/kde
               ftp://ftp.gwdg.de/pub/x11/kde/
               ftp://ops.linux.co.za/pub/Linux/kde
               ftp://ftp.uni-erlangen.de/pub/Linux/MIRROR.KDE
               ftp://ftp.dataplus.se/pub/linux/kde
               ftp://ftp.klammeraffe.org/pub/mirror/kde
               ftp://ftp.tvnet.hu/pub/kde

          The packages will also be uploaded to:

               ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/Incoming/
               ftp://ftp.redhat.com/pub/Incoming

          Expect  the  usual delays before all packages are available at all
          ftp sites.
Read More