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Tracy,

I am a Linux enthusiast who has used the operating system from
it's early .91 kernel (around 1990) to the present. I have found
that I can do all my work from Linux, and I can easily exchange
documents with my coworkers who use Windows 95/98/NT. I am a very
technical user, though not a programmer. I can get almost any
Open-Source product to compile or install on my Linux system.
Unfortunately, not everyone sitting in front of a computer has
that skill set.

As Linux becomes more of a mainstream operating system, there will
be more and more non-technical users installing and running it.
These users will demand applications that enable them to get their
work done. Because of Microsoft's reluctance to port MS Office to
Linux, these people will turn more and more toward open-source
applications and other low cost alternatives. Currently, the
commercial offerings include Applixware for Linux, StarOffice 5.1,
and the soon to be complete WordPerfect Office 2000. 

While these are fine products, they will require licensing fees
similar to those found on the Windows platform. I personally don't
mind spending money for a quality program, but many do. Linux is
touted as the free OS. To people in the know, this means
something, but to the average computer user, it really doesn't
mean very much. When they buy a new PC, it comes preloaded with
Windows, so they never actually see the $128 charge for the
operating system. They can, however, see the price of software for
their platform when they go to the store to buy the latest version
of MS Office.

By integrating a fully functional advanced productivity suite with
the operating system, you instantly add value in the consumers
eyes. This is what KOffice promises. While it will not be the only
open-source office suite, it will be one of the first. This
coupled with the KDE window managers popularity assure it a long
productive future. Also, consider the fact that it will run on
other window managers, and you have a very large potential
audience. 

I feel that a book on KDE and KOffice would be a fruitful
endeavor. I also like the idea someone else posted on the
newsgroup: Include a CD with a fully installable Linux operating
system (based on Caldera, Redhat, SusE, or Linux-Mandrake), the
2.0 KDE window manager, and an easily installable copy of KOffice.
Having this CD alone would be ample reason to buy the book,
because it takes a very, very long time to download all the
necessary supporting libraries and applications.

A book with this coverage would be very marketable, and quite
useful. I would envision a book designed for the end user. Similar
to the books you find for Windows 95/98/NT, and MS Office. It
would focus on the interface (KDE) and the Office Suite (KOffice)
with the underlying operating system taking a back seat. After
all, the purpose of the KDE project is to make Linux more suitable
for the general public. 

I wish you the best on this project, and hope you will consider
backing a KDE/KOffice book/users guide. Please let me know if I
can assist you with anything.
-- 
______________________________
Jeffrey C. Johnson
Systems Engineer
Alphanumeric Systems, Inc.
jjohnson@esg.alphanumeric.com
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