What is KDE/da

Du har altså installeret Linux og valgt en KDE-arbejdsflade for første gang. Eller måske er du vendt tilbage efter et længere fravær. Eller måske overvejer du at bruge en arbejdsflade og applikationer fra KDE, men vil først vide noget mere om dem. Hvad er denne funklende ting, som stirrer på dig fra din computer?

Et Internationalt Fællesskab

KDE is ours, courtesy of Wade Olson

KDE er mere end blot software. Det er et fællesskab af programmører, oversættere, bidragsydere, kunstnere, skribenter, distributører og brugere fra hele verden. Vores internationale teknologiteam er optaget af at skabe den bedste frie software til skrivebordet. Over hele jorden finder man KDE's bidragsydere, og også brugere og fans, som hjælper hinanden, udbreder kendskabet til KDE eller blot nyder at bruge KDE.

(Billede skabt af Wade Olson)

A New, Shiny Workspace

KDE started life as a desktop environment. As activities have grown, KDE is now an international team that creates Free and Open Source Software.

What this means in practice is that the many programs from the KDE community work together to give you the best possible computing experience. Does that mean you can't use a KDE application if you don't use the KDE desktop? Not at all. With the help of one or two extra libraries the applications can be used on almost any desktop. What's more, some of that software no longer runs only on Linux - some of the new tiny devices, smartphones and internet tablets, have KDE applications!

There are a variety of programs to suit any user's needs, from simple yet powerful text editors, to rocking audio and video players, to the most sophisticated integrated development environment. Plus, KDE applications follow a consistent look and feel across the desktop, giving you a comfortable and familiar experience when using any KDE program. Every six months a new, updated version of a huge number of applications is released - and that's known as the Software Compilation (SC). Some other applications don't update at the same time, but release new versions independently.

KDE software has several other features that makes it a top-class working environment, such as:

• A beautiful and modern desktop
• A flexible and configurable system, letting you customize applications without too much editing of text files
• Network transparency allows you to easily access files on other networks and computers as if they were on your own computer
• A software ecosystem of hundreds, even thousands, of programs
• Availability in over 60 languages

Free Software

KDE software isn't just any software. It is Free Software. As a user, this is an important fact, even without getting deep into technical or legal considerations. Why? Because as free software, you are free to use KDE wherever you want and in whatever manner you want, no activation keys and no installation limits. And you're free to share it with others as well! So not only do you have in your hands great and powerful software, but you can also give your family and friends the opportunity to enjoy it, too.

Information

Curious about Free Software? Read more about it on the Free Software Foundation's website.

Components

A diagram of the various aspects of the KDE community

KDE is a huge community of people who create software. As such, there are many aspects to the KDE Platform. Some of the more fundamental pieces of the platform are:

• the Plasma workspace - the user interface element, customized for different devices such as PCs, notebooks, or mobile devices
• elements of the KDE Platform - exposes common functionality to applications
• KDE Applications - software programs that are written to utilize the platform

There's more!

And it doesn't stop there! The KDE community has lots more to offer!

• Other Platforms - Some KDE applications are available for Windows, Mac OS X, and portable devices such as Nokia N810.
• Office and Productivity Suite - KDE is not only fun, it can help you get productive and organized as well.
• Application Development Framework - Dreaming of writing the next killer app? KDE software and community support can help you with that.

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