The K Desktop Environment

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14. Frequently asked questions about KDE

"What are you?"
"I'm your worst nightmare..."
(Batman Animated Series)

There are some questions that are always raised on the KDE mailing lists. To keep the traffic as low as possible (making the lists more readable), we have included them in this section. So please be kind and do not ask them in the mailing lists anymore - think of the quote above!

14.1 What does "KDE" stand for?

KDE stands for the "K Desktop Environment", which itself is intended to be a collection of small tools, a window manager, a file manager and tools that bring all this together. It is created to make your life with UNIX easier.

14.2 I cannot compile package xxx

Always be sure that you have the newest version of the KDE libraries installed. The software is in Beta stage at the moment, so the dependencies can change from one day to another. You may also find the general compilation hints helpful. Another problem could be that you are using a program written for a very old ALPHA version of KDE, which depends on outdated include files. Please check the file dates. They should be more recent the dates of your current KDE version.

14.3 KDE is not stable

Until we reach the release state of the software (which may, I'm afraid, may still take some time) you must not rely on KDE. Beta software is always experimental, and therefore subject to considerable change. Later, when everything is released, it will be very difficult to change the system basics. Please be patient until a release version is out.

14.4 Other sources for help

Take a look at the KDE Web-Site for the most up-to-date information available about KDE on the web. You may also want to subscribe to our mailing lists.

Send mail to the specified address with subscribe your email address in the subject line in order to get subscribed:

KDE common mailing list, kde-request@kde.org

KDE developers' mailing list, kde-devel-request@kde.org

KDE look and feel discussions, kde-look-request@kde.org

KDE announcements, kde-announce-request@kde.org

KDE licensing questions, kde-licensing-request@kde.org

KDE users' list, kde-user-request@kde.org

KDE Documentators' list, kde-doc-request@kde.org

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