Translations by ZhengPeng Hou

About Kubuntu

Credits and License

The following Ubuntu Documentation Team author maintains this document:

Jonathan Jesse

The following people have contributed to this document:

Matthew East

Jerome Gotangco

Jonathan Riddell

You are free to modify, extend, and improve the Ubuntu documentation under the terms of these licenses. All derivative works must be released under either or both of these licenses.

You are free to modify, extend, and improve the Ubuntu documentation source code under the terms of these licenses. All derivative works must be released under either or both of these licenses.

This documentation is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AS DESCRIBED IN THE DISCLAIMER.

Copies of these licenses are available in the appendices section of this book. Online versions can be found at the following URLs:

GNU Free Documentation License

Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0

2004, 2005, 2006

Canonical Ltd. and members of the Ubuntu Documentation Project

<ubuntu-doc@lists.ubuntu.com>

Ubuntu Documentation Project <placeholder-1/>

Disclaimer

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information compiled in this publication is accurate and correct. However, this does not guarantee complete accuracy. Neither Canonical Ltd., the authors, nor translators shall be held liable for possible errors or the consequences thereof.

THIS DOCUMENTATION IS PROVIDED BY THE AUTHORS "AS IS" AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

The Ubuntu Documentation Project

Kubuntu is a user friendly operating system based on KDE, the K Desktop Environment. With a predictable 6 month release cycle as part of the Ubuntu project, Kubuntu is the GNU/Linux distribution for everyone.

The team behind Kubuntu makes the following commitment to its users:

Kubuntu uses the solid base of Ubuntu plus the latest KDE. We are part of the Ubuntu community and use their infrastructure and support. Our mission is to be the best KDE distribution available.

Kubuntu will always be free of charge, and there is no extra fee for an <quote>enterprise edition</quote>, we make our very best work available to everyone on the same free terms.

Kubuntu includes the very best translations and accessibility infrastructure that the Free Software community has to offer, to make Kubuntu usable by as many people as possible.

Kubuntu is entirely committed to the principles of free software and open source development; we encourage people to use free and open source software, improve it, and pass it on.

Kubuntu includes more than 1,000 pieces of software, starting with Linux version 2.6.15 and KDE 3.5.2, and covering every standard desktop application from word processing and spreadsheet to Internet access applications, web server software, email software, programming languages and tools, and of course, several games.

The Wonderful World of Linux

Kubuntu uses the <quote>Linux</quote> kernel, the software which has come to define the worldwide movement to embrace open source software. Find out about Linux at <ulink url="http://www.linux.org/">Linux.org</ulink>

The Difference

There are many GNU/Linux distributions (e.g., Redhat, SuSE, Debian, Mandriva) but Kubuntu distinguishes itself as a different kind of distribution.

By focusing on quality, Kubuntu provides a robust and feature rich computing environment that is flexible for use in home and commercial environments. The project has more time to spend on the finer details and is able to release a version featuring the latest and greatest of today's software, every 6 months. Kubuntu ships with versions for PCs (Intel Pentium / AMD Athlon), 64-bit PCs (AMD64) and Mac (PowerPC) architectures.

KDE for Ubuntu Users

The default desktop environment for Kubuntu is KDE, a powerful Free Software graphical desktop environment for GNU/Linux and Unix workstations. It combines ease of use, contemporary functionality, and outstanding graphical design with the technological superiority of the Unix operating system. KDE is one of the two leading graphical desktop environments for GNU/Linux users. KDE sports an impressive array of easy to use, but powerful, graphical interface applications for users of all ages in both home and work environments. For developers, KDE provides a robust application development framework that enables rapid creation of first rate applications implementing cutting-edge technology.

KDE is in many ways similar to GNOME, but there are a few distinct differences which distinguish KDE as a desktop environment. KDE uses C++ at its base, with Qt (the Q-toolkit), whereas GNOME, using GTK, is written in C. KDE is the older and most widely used desktop environment, and is known to stress more the importance of features, and more recently, usability. GNOME more notoriously attempts to pride itself on simplicity and ease of use. Popular criticisms of GNOME are that it's lacking in features and applications, while it's often commented that KDE has too many features which may themselves be hard to locate.

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