For immediate release.

Internet - Dec 15,  1999

The KDE Team is happy to announce KRASH, an unstable developers 
release of the upcoming KDE 2.0 Desktop Environment. 

KRASH is intended to provide a stable API for KDE developers 
who are outside the main KDE project  to begin porting their applications 
to. While many of the core KDE 2.0  applications are incomplete or buggy 
at this point due to a focus on base library functionality, this snapshot 
does provide an API consistent with what will be released in the final 
version.  Where changes occur, they will be fully documented.

This is not a snapshot intended to be usable by end users. We strongly 
recommend users remain with the latest stable version, KDE 1.1.2,
until KDE 2.0 will be released. Even people developing for the new KDE 2.0 
might wish to remain with KDE 1.1.2 as their primary desktop system.

KDE 2.0 is scheduled to be released in the spring of 2000. This date is subject 
to change without further notice.

WHERE TO DOWNLOAD
=====================
 
KRASH can be downloaded from:

ftp://ftp.kde.org/pub/kde/unstable/distribution/tar/generic

Or one of its mirror sites.
 
KRASH requires a recent snapshot of the Qt 2.1 toolkit. The 15 Dec 1999 
version of such a snapshot is provided at the above location for your 
convenience.  Please note that this version of Qt has not been released yet 
by TrollTech and that this version is not officially supported by either KDE 
or TrollTech. KRASH does NOT work with Qt 1.x or Qt 2.0.
 
INCLUDED IN THIS RELEASE
========================
 
kdesupport	- General support libraries
kdelibs		- KDE libraries
kdebase		- KDE desktop environment
koffice		- KDE office suite

GOAL OF THE KRASH (1.89) RELEASE
================================

* Stabilize development. 
* Offer third party developers a convenient way to become familiar with
Qt2.x / KDE 2.x

REMARKS
=========

KRASH will be alpha quality software. It is not recommended to use
KRASH for daily work. Although the API of KRASH should be relatively
stable, CHANGES will be made to it before the final KDE 2.0 release.
It is not recommended to publically release applications based on this
snapshot.
Distributors should NOT SHIP this release without providing a stable
and complete version of KDE as well.

PLANNED CHANGES
==================

In the following areas major library changes are foreseen between now 
and KDE 2.0:

* Interface and launch method of the IO-Slaves (kio / kioslaves) 
* File selection dialog (kfile rewrite)
* Parts embedding (kparts redesign)
* Advanced features of HTML widget (khtml)
* Embedding within kicker (kapplet)
* Sound system
-------------------------------------------------------