summaryrefslogtreecommitdiffstats
path: root/doc/faq/intro.docbook
diff options
context:
space:
mode:
Diffstat (limited to 'doc/faq/intro.docbook')
-rw-r--r--doc/faq/intro.docbook218
1 files changed, 218 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/doc/faq/intro.docbook b/doc/faq/intro.docbook
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4e7cc2a20
--- /dev/null
+++ b/doc/faq/intro.docbook
@@ -0,0 +1,218 @@
+<!--
+<?xml version="1.0" ?>
+<!DOCTYPE chapter PUBLIC "-//KDE//DTD DocBook XML V4.2-Based Variant V1.1//EN"
+ "dtd/kdex.dtd">
+-->
+
+<chapter id="introduction">
+<title>Introduction</title>
+
+<qandaset>
+<qandaentry>
+<question>
+<para>What is &tde;?</para>
+</question>
+<answer>
+<para>&tde; is the Trinity Desktop Environment. The project was initiated
+by Matthias Ettrich in 1996 and originally called the K Desktop Environment.
+The aim of the &tde; project is to connect the power of the &UNIX; operating
+systems with the comfort of a modern user interface.</para>
+<para>For additional information about &tde;, check the Trinity web site at
+<ulink url="http://www.trinitydesktop.org/about.php">About Trinity</ulink></para>
+</answer>
+</qandaentry>
+
+<qandaentry>
+<question id="platform">
+<para>On which platforms can I expect &tde; to work?</para>
+</question>
+<answer>
+<para>&tde; is a Desktop Environment for all flavors of &UNIX; systems.
+While most &tde; developers use &Linux; based systems, &tde; should run
+on a wide range of systems. You might need to tweak the
+source code a bit to get &tde; to compile on different variant
+of &UNIX; systems, or when not using the &GNU; development tools, in
+particular the &gcc; compiler.</para>
+</answer>
+</qandaentry>
+
+<qandaentry>
+<question>
+<para>Why should I use TDE?</para>
+</question>
+<answer>
+<para>TDE provides a traditional computer desktop that is snappy and
+responsive. A project goal is to provide a highly customizable
+desktop without forcing any particular feature or effect on users.
+TDE comes with many software tools to provide a productive and enjoyable
+computer desktop system.</para>
+</answer>
+</qandaentry>
+
+<qandaentry>
+<question>
+<para>Is &tde; a window manager?</para>
+</question>
+<answer>
+<para>No, &tde; is not a window manager. While &tde; includes a
+sophisticated window manager (&twin;), &tde; is much more, providing
+a full integrated desktop environment. &tde; includes a web browser,
+a file manager, a window manager, a help system, a
+configuration system, many tools and utilities, and many
+applications, including but not limited to mail
+and news clients, drawing programs, a PDF and a &DVI; viewer
+and so forth.</para>
+</answer>
+</qandaentry>
+
+<qandaentry>
+<question>
+<para>Is &tde; a <acronym>CDE</acronym>, &Windows; or &Mac;
+<acronym>OS</acronym> clone?</para>
+</question>
+<answer>
+<para>&tde; is not a clone. Specifically &tde; is not a
+Common Desktop Environment (<acronym>CDE</acronym>) or &Windows; clone.
+While developers have and will continue to glean the best features from existing
+desktop environments, &tde; is a unique environment that has and
+will continue to go its own way.</para>
+</answer>
+</qandaentry>
+
+<qandaentry>
+<question>
+<para>On what platform is TDE based?</para>
+</question>
+<answer>
+<para>TDE uses C++ and the <link linkend="qt">&Qt; C++ crossplatform toolkit</link>.
+The TDE development team now maintains the Qt3 toolkit, renamed TQt3.</para>
+</answer>
+</qandaentry>
+
+<qandaentry>
+<question>
+<para>Is &tde; free software?</para>
+</question>
+<answer>
+<para>Yes, &tde; is free software according to the &GNU; General
+Public License. All &tde; libraries are available under the
+<acronym>LGPL</acronym> making commercial software development for the
+&tde; desktop possible, but all &tde; applications are licensed under
+the <acronym>GPL</acronym>.</para>
+<para>&tde; uses the <link linkend="qt">&Qt; C++ crossplatform
+toolkit</link>, which, since version 2.2, is released under the
+<acronym>GPL</acronym>.</para>
+<para>Both &tde; and &Qt; can be made available on
+&CD-ROM; free of charge. No runtime fees of any kind are
+incurred.</para>
+</answer>
+</qandaentry>
+
+<qandaentry>
+<question>
+<para>Why the rebranding and renaming efforts? Why not continue calling the software KDE?</para>
+</question>
+<answer>
+<para>The "KDE" name, various logos, and related efforts are trademarked by the KDE
+Foundation. Since the Trinity project is not affiliated with the KDE Foundation,
+legally we can't use their trademarks.</para>
+</answer>
+</qandaentry>
+
+<qandaentry>
+<question>
+<para>Why the change in version numbers?</para>
+</question>
+<answer>
+<para>Trinity evolved from the last KDE 3.5 release, 3.5.10. Subsequent Trinity releases
+followed that numbering scheme. Release R14.0.0 marks a turning point in Trinity history
+because a great deal of the code infrastructure was changed. While those changes do not
+effect the usability or look-and-feel of the desktop that users enjoy, Trinity developers
+believe a change in the version scheme distinguishes when those changes occurred. An
+original project goal by users was to retain the flavor of the original KDE 3.5 desktop.
+That goal remains intact. To reflect that original goal, the last number in the original
+version scheme is retained in the new version scheme but is now the primary version number.
+While the infrastructure has changed, the desktop itself remains the same as the original
+KDE 3.5. This new version scheme indicates a modest divergence from the original KDE 3.5
+series and that Trinity is now its own desktop environment. The new version scheme reminds
+users that Trinity retains the original KDE 3.5 design, but is moving forward as a separate
+desktop project.</para>
+</answer>
+</qandaentry>
+
+<qandaentry>
+<question id="trinity-vs-kde4">
+<para>How is Trinity different from KDE4?</para>
+</question>
+<answer>
+<para>Both desktop environments share common roots to KDE 3.5.10, which was the last
+official release of KDE in the 3.x series. Many KDE developers wanted to break
+from that code chain and tool sets to start afresh. Thus was born KDE4. In
+addition to moving to the Qt4 tool set, the KDE developers revamped the
+underlying KDE code set.</para>
+
+<para>KDE4 and Trinity have different philosophies about work flow preferences.
+KDE4 developers want to support certain work flow concepts and techniques.
+Trinity developers want to maintain a "traditional" desktop environment.</para>
+
+<para>For example, KDE4 offers the following tools:</para>
+
+<itemizedlist>
+
+<listitem>
+<para>Semantic desktop through Nepomuk</para>
+</listitem>
+
+<listitem>
+<para>PIM (Personal Information Management) data caching through Akonadi</para>
+</listitem>
+
+<listitem>
+<para>Desktop file searching through Strigi</para>
+</listitem>
+
+<listitem>
+<para>Activities, a computer desktop metaphor for managing tasks and activities</para>
+</listitem>
+
+</itemizedlist>
+
+<para>Whereas TDE offers the following:</para>
+
+<itemizedlist>
+
+<listitem>
+<para>Desktop search through the locate:/ tdeio-slave and Beagle</para>
+</listitem>
+
+<listitem>
+<para>Integrated PIM suite with plugins</para>
+</listitem>
+
+<listitem>
+<para>Related task management using multiple desktops</para>
+</listitem>
+
+</itemizedlist>
+
+<para>The KDE developers support alternate desktop interfaces, such as those used
+with netbooks, tablets, and smart phones. TDE provides a single interface that is
+optimized for the mouse/keyboard HCI (Human-computer interaction) model.</para>
+
+<para>Both desktop environments provide an excellent choice for various work
+flows but differ in approach. Trinity leans toward user expectations of how
+desktop environments have functioned traditionally. There is a sense of
+familiarity with that environment many people like. Similarly other users prefer
+the work flow features offered by KDE4 because those features match their
+expectations of how they want their computer to behave. The difference between the
+two environments does not mean one is better, buggier, or slower -- mdash; only that
+they are different and appeal to different types of people. Although sharing a
+common heritage, both desktops appeal to different groups of people. As always
+with free/libre software, there is a choice.</para>
+</answer>
+</qandaentry>
+
+
+</qandaset>
+</chapter>
+