K Desktop Environment 1
K Desktop Environment is the name of previous versions of a working environment for the KDE project for unix -like operating systems up to version 3.5.10. Since version 4.4 it is called KDE Plasma workspaces and is part of the KDE Software Compilation.
Start of development
The project was launched by Ettrich under the name Kool Desktop Environment on 14 October 1996. The programmers were based first prepared at the time already available but proprietary Unix CDE desktop, both from a functional as well as by name. But you put from the beginning on an object-oriented programming language ( C ) and an extensive, existing wrapper library called Qt, which had been developed by Trolltech.
The name Kool was abandoned early on that K remained so without further significance in the name.
The individual KDE components were initially developed relatively uncoordinated, so there was no uniform alpha versions. Development versions were published separately from the components, which were announced on mailing lists other developers.
Just over a year after the creation of the project, on 20 October 1997, then appeared the first beta version. This was followed by three more beta versions: Beta 2 on 23 November 1997 Beta 3 on 1 February 1998 and finally Beta 4 on 19 April 1998.
K Desktop Environment 1.x
On 12 July 1998, the final version 1.0 of the K Desktop Environment has been published. This early version was recorded by the Unix community with mixed feelings: Many criticized the use of non-free software package Qt to create a free desktops; instead of Qt you have on Motif - to set or its free clone LessTif - then standard for graphical user interfaces under Unix-like operating systems. The critics despite KDE was well received by many end users and found his way into first Linux distributions.
One of the consequences of the discussion about the license of Qt was that the long years of existing only as an idea Gnome project has now been launched in order to create a completely free desktop. Another approach was within the Harmony project to develop a free, but fully compatible replacement for Qt. Due to pressure exerted on Trolltech and by the persuasion of the KDE developers Trolltech decided in April 1999 for asking Qt in a special, more liberal version available that met the needs of the community as far as possible. For this reason, the project Harmony was set while Gnome however - will be developed further - until now. This was also the way for the inclusion of KDE in those Linux distributions that had been denied with the reference to the license problem.
On February 6, 1999 Stephan Kulow has released version 1.1 of the KDE project. Visible changes were a remanufactured artwork with new icons, wallpapers, and a new logo by Torsten Rahn of the letter "K" in front of a gear, which is used in a modified form to this day.
Extensive changes were made, inter alia, also on Konqueror predecessor kfm, the program launcher kpanel and the KWin precursor kwm. Newly introduced were, for example, kab, a program library for address management, and a new development of KMail, called kmail2 that was installed as an alpha - version in parallel on an updated version of the old KMail. The alpha stage but never left kmail2 and development was halted briefly after that.
At the same time preparing the Trolltech Qt 2.0 release before using a beta version on January 28, 1999. 's Why there were no major version jumps of based on Qt 1 1 KDE versions. Instead, only the error correction versions 1.1.1, 1.1.2, respectively, were published on 3 May 1999 and 13 September 1999.
K Desktop Environment 1.1 garnering positive reviews.
K Desktop Environment 2.x
June 25, 1999, Trolltech released the stable version 2.0 of Qt. Since she was not binary compatible with the 1er versions of Qt that is meant for the KDE project that a change to Qt 2 is not possible within the first KDE generation. The resulting anyway upcoming major version jump was then used to revise the infrastructure of the KDE system all around. The first alpha was released on 15 December 1999 and it took until the first stable version was released almost a year.
Apart from key emerging technologies that have been introduced with KDE 2, was a prominent feature of KDE 2.0 is that it was based on Qt 2.2. Qt 2.2 was provided by Trolltech now under the license GPL 2.0. From then on no longer existed the licensing conflict between the GPL used by KDE and the QPL Qt.
Among the new key technologies was about DCOP ( Desktop COmmunication Protocol) for inter-process communication, which has now been replaced by D-Bus. KIO (KDE Input / Output) embed as a uniform interface to file systems and KParts, a Component Object Model that allows one application to another.
The KDE version 2.0 was released on 23 October 2000 and was the breakthrough for KDE as a permanent institution under the X11 surfaces. Caused a stir especially Konqueror, the KDE file manager and new web browser. This was because Unix at this time suffered from a deficit of useful web browsers - Netscape Navigator was outdated and unstable, while Mozilla was not yet completed.
From the second generation KDE, there were a total of three larger versions. Besides 2.0 released on 26 February 2001 and the version 2.1 and version 2.2 on August 15. For 2.0 was released a bug-fix release for 2.1 and 2.2, two each.
K Desktop Environment 3.x
In version 3.0 of 3 April 2002 in the first place was a port of the K Desktop Environment to the new major version 3 of the underlying Qt framework, which was released on 15 October 2001. In addition, KDE got a new printer framework and the Konqueror web browser DHTML could interpret.
With Version 3.1 of 28 January 2003 K Desktop Environment received a so-called desktop sharing framework. With its help, a KDE desktop can be operated from a remote computer, which can be used eg for remote administration through a customer service. Since version 3.1, Konqueror dominated tabbed browsing.
From version 3.2 on 3 February 2004, KDE includes the integrated Personal Information Manager with the name Kontact. This software suite combines e- mail, address book, calendar, scheduler, newsreaders, weather indicator, birthday reminder, memo pad and task list ( to- do list ) in an application.
In version 3.3 of 19 August 2004, especially the integration of the various programs was with Kontact improved to uniform access to different aspects of the same data.
Published on 16 March 2005 Version 3.4 brought next to the fundamentally revised program KPDF to view PDF files also provide an interface for outputting text as language itself. Since this version, various programs, such as the web browser, the PDF indicator or the Kate editor, leave their displayed text directly as speech.
In Version 3.5 of 29 November 2005, the Konqueror web browser has been greatly improved. He is now the Acid2 test of the Web Standards Project and is also able to hide advertising on Web pages using a configurable advertising filter. The instant messenger Kopete has been added webcam support for MSN and Yahoo Messenger protocols. KDE 3.5 also includes three new tutorials ( KGeography, Kanagram and blinKen ) and the tool SuperKaramba, which is used to display desktop widgets.
The most recent version of KDE 3.5er series was released on 26 August 2008 with the version number 3.5.10. Development of error corrections continues to take place in the Subversion administration.
Successor
KDE Plasma workspaces and Software Compilation 4
"KDE 4" - - On January 11, 2008, the fourth major version was released. The formulation "K Desktop Environment " was no longer used and the technically independent and completely newly developed working environment was called "Plasma desktop shell". On November 24, 2009, shortly before the release of version 4.3.4, a repositioning of the brand "KDE " was announced, which was implemented with version 4.4. Since KDE is no longer used as an acronym, but as a fixed term for the underlying community. The package of various components ( applications, frameworks and work environments ), formerly K Desktop Environment has identified was divided into three products, which since the same time as KDE Software Compilation ( KDE application collection dt ) to be published.
Trinity Desktop Environment
Trinity Desktop Environment is a semi - official continuation of the 3.5 series. The development was originally held in the SVN version management of KDE, while website, mailing lists and other web services on the project initiator Pearson Computing are located. Meanwhile, Trinity, however, is completely independent of KDE and operates its own git server.
In October 2012, the Trinity project consisted of three people and there are Debian GNU / Linux, Fedora, Mageia, Mandriva, openSUSE, Red Hat, Slackware and Ubuntu support.
History
The project was born after Kubuntu surrendered its Linux distribution only with KDE's new Plasma Desktop in the fall of 2008. Originally offered Timothy Pearson only packages of KDE 3.5.10 for newer versions of Kubuntu.
At the beginning of 2010, the original Kubuntu KDE3 project developed to Trinity after Pearson had made modifications to the source code that were not pure bug fixes and therefore not allowed to be included in the KDE 3.5 branch of the KDE Subversion administration. The release of KDE team and Pearson agreed to set up a separate branch, and not to declare publications as KDE, as these regardless of KDE's release team be published.
In April, Trinity was published 3.5.11. Changes compared to K Desktop Environment 3.5.10 are, inter alia, to support the new Network Manager 0.8, and support for smart cards.
Version 3.5.12 was released in October 2010. This version mainly includes patches that distributors had already written previously for the K Desktop Environment 3.5, but as it did previously could not be officially included in KDE in Kubuntu KDE3 patches, such as an alternative Start menu or the Kolab Enterprise version of Kontact.
On 1 November 2011, the new stable version 3.5.13 has been released. The Trinity Project takes over the source code of Qt 3 and sees itself as a focal point for the care of the no longer supported by Nokia C class libraries. Some of the libraries now uses CMake to build.