KDE Team releases fourth major version of the Desktop

USA: The K Desktop Environment has announced the immediate availability of the fourth major release of the Desktop Environment software. This significant release marks both the end of the long and intensive development cycle leading up to KDE 4.0 and the beginning of the KDE 4 era.

KDE 4.0 is a complete set of desktop software and applications, focusing on Open Source desktop systems. KDE provides a desktop workspace, applications such as a filemanager, document viewers and a lot of applications for educational purposes, communications integrating well with the rest of the system. A Visual Guide introducing the KDE 4.0 desktop is available on KDE's Web site.

Compared to earlier versions, the KDE 4 Libraries have seen major improvements in almost all areas. The Phonon framework provides platform independent multimedia support to all KDE applications, while the Solid framework allows applications to easily interact with portable devices and other hardware, such as networking and power management services.

The KDE 4 Desktop has gained some major new capabilities. The Plasma desktop shell offers a new desktop interface, including panel, menu and widgets on the desktop as well as a dashboard function. KWin, the KDE Window manager now supports advanced graphical effects to ease interaction with your Windows.

Several KDE Applications have seen improvements as well. Visual updates through using vector-based artwork, changes in the underlying libraries, user interface enhancements, new features, even new applications -- KDE 4.0 has it all!

Okular, the new document viewer and Dolphin, the new filemanager are two of the dozens of included applications that leverage KDE 4.0's new technologies. Ports of these applications to Windows and Mac OS X are currently at technology preview status and expected to surface in the first half of 2008.

The Oxygen Artwork team provides a breath of fresh air on the desktop. Nearly all user-visible parts of the KDE desktop and applications have been given a facelift. Oxygen includes a new set of icons, wallpapers, widget style, sound theme and many more elements in the user interface. Beauty and consistency are two of the basic concepts behind Oxygen.

The KDE 4.0 releases provides the foundation for further development of these components. KDE's goal is to provide an Open Source alternative to systems such as Microsoft's Windows Vista and Apple's Mac OS X.