KDE.news 

theKompany.com is pleased to announce the release of its Windows/Linux GUI development environment for Python, BlackAdder. BlackAdder combines a visual design environment with debugging, syntax highlighting, ODBC interfaces and extensive HTML documentation into a comprehensive platform for developing Python applications. Update: 01/14 10:50 AM by wes: The press release has been updated with corrections from Shawn Gordon. Read More

[Ed: This article was submitted about a month ago but got lost in the queue.]
Webpath has officially chosen KDE for the desktop environment on its upcoming SRB systems. It was a simple matter of needing an easy to use integrated desktop...we were pleasantly surprised by the progress of KDE, as well as the direction of the KDE project. KDE has made great strides with its office suite, addressed many stability issues, and made it much easier for software developers to write software with its choice of using Qt. Read our full announcement here. Read More

Effective 12:00 p.m. EST January 5, 2001 the IP address of KDE Dot News is scheduled to change from 216.186.210.168 to 64.22.20.150. Although we expect the transition to be a smooth one, you may experience difficulties accessing the site by the regular hostnames (dot.kde.org, news.kde.org, www.kdenews.org, etc...) around that time; using the new IP address in lieu of the domain name may help. Update: 01/05 7:31 PM by D: The ISP experienced technical difficulties in making the change and hence the transfer has been postponed until mid next week. We'll keep you posted. Read More

Shawn Gordon wrote in with the good news that theKompany.com has contributed the source code for Kamera (previously featured on the Dot), a gPhoto2-based KIO slave for digital cameras, to the KDE CVS. He also has some updates on Kamera developments. Read below to find out more. Read More

To start this new year in a joyous mood, I kindly asked Tink to grant the first interview of the year for our popular People behind KDE section, and she graciously accepted. At this time of celebration we would like to thank and pay tribute to those that, with their patience, support and understanding shown toward their dear ones, KDE contributors, make the KDE project an enjoyable activity and even a family :-). And thank you Tink for all the great work. A Happy New Year to you all! Read More

In a recent story at Kuro5hin.org, the author considers the implications of some recent developments announced on the dot -- namely, XParts and QGtkWidget. These projects permit non-KDE programs -- particularly Gtk applications -- to be used within KDE applications. The author opines that these projects will end up hurting KDE development. In particular, the author wonders why a Linux developer would now develop for KDE when they can write for Gtk and have the application work both under KDE and GNOME. What do you think, will these projects encourage Gtk development at the expense of KDE/Qt development? Even if so, does it nevertheless make KDE stronger as a competitor against proprietary desktops? Is it important for KDE developers to create projects that would make KDE apps work inside GNOME apps (such as a KParts container that works with Bonobo) or with Gtk widgets (essentially a GtkQtWidget)? Read More

A nice Ask Slashdot article entitled Gnome/KDE Tutorials For Windows Users? was recently posted on Slashdot. The article raises the interesting question: "... where [can I] find a tutorial on Gnome, KDE, or Linux and X in general oriented towards people like myself, people with significant but not infinite computer DOS-based know-how?" In other words, tutorials for folks who, while not clueless, only have experience as Windows users and who have no interest in becoming *nix developers. The Slashdot editor notes that "If Unix (Linux/*BSD/etc) is ever to successfully woo users from Windows, something like this is a must." Are there any good resources for such a convert to switch to KDE? Read More

In the last edition for the Year 2000 of the People Behind KDE series, Tink introduces us to Stefan Taferner, co-author of KMail and a main contributor to central technologies in the KDE project. The new, festive appearance of Tink's site greets us with the photo of a happy Konqi. Read More

Bernhard Rosenkraenzer today announced the initial (experimental) release of QGtkWidget and QGtkApplication, "a class that makes it possible to embed Gtk widgets in Qt applications (in the same process space, sharing the same event loop)." Bernhard hopes that "this will be useful (primarily) in making KDE and GNOME more interoperable (think of embedding GNOME applets in KDE...)" but warns that this is not particularly efficient -- either from a memory or CPU perspective. Thanks anyway, Bernhard, we'll take it! A more full description is below. Read More

Up to now, the KPart component model was limited to embedding in-process parts. XParts is an extension written by Matthias Ettrich, Simon Hausmann and Lars Knoll to extend kparts and make it possible to embed out-of-process components. The approach chosen is toolkit independent, as can be seen by their choice to embed Mozilla. Read on for the full announcement and details. Read More