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<H2>What is KDE?</H2>
KDE is a network transparent contemporary desktop environment for Unix
workstations. It was written by a world-wide network of software engineers
committed to free software development.

KDE seeks to fill the need for an easy to use desktop for Unix
workstations, similar to the desktop environments found under the MacOS or
Window95/NT. We believe that the Unix operating system is the best
operating system available today. In fact Unix has been the undisputed
choice of the information technology professional for many years. When it
comes to stability, scalability and openness there is no competition to
Unix.  However, the lack of an easy to use contemporary desktop
environment for Unix has prevented Unix from finding its way onto the
desktops of the typical computer user in offices and homes. Unix dominates
the server market and is the preferred computing platform for computing
professional and scientists. Without Unix the internet would not be. But
Unix did not address the needs of the average computer user. This fact is
particularly unfortunate since a number of implementations of Unix ( <A
HREF="http://www.linux.org">Linux</A>,
<A HREF="http://www.freebsd.org">FreeBSD</A>,
<A HREF="http://www.netbsd.org">NetBSD</A>, etc) are freely availabe on
the internet. All of which are of exceptional quality and stability.&nbsp;

<H3>KDE The Desktop Environment</H3>
With KDE there is now an easy to use contemporary desktop environment
available for Unix.  Together with a free implementation of Unix, KDE
constitutes a completely free and open computing platform available to
anyone free of charge including its source code for anyone to modify.  
While there will always be room for improvement we believe to have
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 Unix/KDE will finally bring the same open,
reliable, stable and monopoly free computing to the average computer user
that scientist and computing professionals world-wide have enjoyed for
years.

<H3>KDE The Application Development Framework</H3>
Authoring applications under Unix/X11 used to be an extremely tedious and
laborsome process. KDE recognizes the fact that a computing platform is
only as good as the amount of first class applications available to the
users of that&nbsp; particular platform. In view of these circumstances
the KDE Project has developed a first rate compound document application
framework, implementing the latest advances in framework technology and
thus positioning itself in direct competition to such popular development
frameworks as for example Mircrosoft's MFC/COM/ActiveX technology. KDE's
KOM/OpenParts compound document technology enables developers to quickly
create first rate applications implementing cutting edge technology. KDE's
KOM/OpenParts technology is build upon the open industry standards such
as the object request broker CORBA 2.0.&nbsp;

<H3>KDE The Office Application Suite</H3>
At this moment KDE is developing an office application suite based on
KDE's KOM/OpenParts technology consisting of a spread-sheet, a
presentation applications, an organizer, an email and news client and
more. While some of those components are still in alpha developement
others are approaching release status rapidly. KPresenter, KDE's
presentation application was successfully used at the 5th international
Linux congress in Cologne, Germany to deliver a KDE presentation.&nbsp;

<BR>&nbsp;
<BR>We would like to invite you to 
<a href="http://www.kde.org">learn more about KDE</a>.

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<A HREF="mailto:wuebben@kde.org">Bernd Johannes Wuebben</A><BR>
for the KDE Project
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