“We’re in the ‘week for preparing binary packages’ period,” wrote KDE developer
David Faure.” They’re talking release dates for the newest version of KDE,
an anxiously awaited improvement to the already popular graphical user interface
that comes packaged with most Linux distributions and also runs on Unix. But the
word is out: KDE 3.0 is already available for download from CVS.Binary packages haven’t been released yet, but speculation by sources close to the project is that the official announcement will come in the next couple of days. March 31st, April 1st and April 2nd have been suggested, but some of the project members were concerned about announcing the release on April 1st because it is April Fool’s Day.
KDE has a tradition of quality development
According to the Web site definition, KDE is “a network transparent contemporary
desktop environment” that is completely free and open. It is also a development
framework that makes it much easier to create software that runs with a
graphical user interface (GUI).
KDE got its start back in 1996, and the first beta was released one year later
in October 1997. KDE 1.0 appeared in July, 1998. Today, the cvs repository
contains about 1.5 million lines of code, and the project boasts hundreds of
developers working voluntarily to continually improve that code by fixing bugs
and adding new features.
KDE development tends to move at a more rapid pace than other Open Source
projects, perhaps because of adherence to the project’s stated philosophy:
- “Get it done NOW!
- Focus!
- Use available tools rather than
reinventing existing ones! - When making a
suggestion, change “we should..” to “I will..”; grandiose plans are useless
unless you are willing to put in the work. - Improve
iteratively. - Start with reasonable functionality and
configurability and then improve over time.
