[ Thanks to John
Gowin for this link. ]
“For those not familiar with KDE (K Desktop Environment, the K
stands for Kool ), it has been on Unix and GNU/Linux desktops for
many years. With only a few exceptions, such as Red Hat and
Turbolinux, most GNU/Linux distributions use KDE as their default
desktop environment. Although GNOME and KDE compete for the desktop
on GNU/Linux systems, for the most part, they also cooperate. This
competition has been escalated to outrageous proportions by the
popular media, while Linux users calmly use GNOME and KDE
applications side by side. Some analysts point to KDE’s familiar,
almost Windows-like interface as the reason for it’s popularity.
Detractors also complain about these similarities, but for those
converting from Windows to GNU/Linux systems, KDE can be a boon in
easing the transition.”
“With the release of KDE 2.0 on October 23, 2000, the KDE
development team upped the ante in the bid for the hearts and minds
of GNU/Linux desktop users. With major improvements in features and
stability, KDE users couldn’t wait for the next version. When KDE
2.1 arrived on February 26, 2001, few were disappointed.”
“Reviewing something as comprehensive and large as KDE 2.1
is a daunting task. Rather than skim over everything, we’ll try to
focus on changes in this latest version and some of the basic
features of the KDE 2.1 desktop. To begin, let’s take a look at
installing KDE 2.1.“