evolution/help/C/preface.sgml

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  <preface id="introduction">
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    <title>Introduction</title> 

    <section id="what"> 
      <title> What is Evolution, and What Can It Do for Me?</title>
      <para>
        The word "evolution" means "a process of improvement and
        development."  The GNOME application
        <application>Evolution</application> is meant to be a more
        evolved <glossterm>groupware</glossterm> program, and an
        integral part of the Internet-connected desktop.
      </para>
      <para>
        <application>Evolution</application> is a suite of tools to
        help you work in a group.  You can use it to send, receive,
        and organize email, manage address and other contact
        information, and maintain a calendar.  It enables you to do
        those things on one or several computers, connected directly
        or over a network, for one person or for large groups.
        <application>Evolution</application> can handle almost all
        your communications tasks with the power and flexibility of
        the GNOME desktop environment.
      </para>
      <para>
        The developers of <application>Evolution</application> had
        four major goals for their project:

        <itemizedlist>
	  <listitem>
	    <para>
              The application must be <emphasis>both powerful and easy
             to use</emphasis>. That means a familiar and intuitive
             interface that users could customize to their liking, and
             the development of shortcuts for complex tasks.
            </para>
	  </listitem>
	  <listitem>
	    <para>
              <application>Evolution</application> must meet and
              exceed the standards set by other groupware products.
              It must include support for most major network protocols
              so that it can integrate seamlessly with existing
              hardware and network environments.
            </para>
	  </listitem>
	  <listitem>
	    <para>
               The project must support open standards and protocols
               to turn <application>Evolution</application> into an
               advanced development platform.  From the simplest
               scripting to the most complex network and component
               programming, <application>Evolution</application>
               needed to offer developers an environment for
               cutting-edge application development.
            </para>
	  </listitem>
	  <listitem>
	    <para>
               Data must be safe: <application>Evolution</application>
               must not lose mail or corrupt mailbox files.
            </para>
          </listitem>
	</itemizedlist>
      </para>
      <para>
        <application>Evolution</application> is designed to make most
        daily tasks faster.  For example, it takes only one or two
        clicks to enter an appointment or an address card sent to you
        by email, or to send email to a contact or appointment.
        <application>Evolution</application> makes displays faster and
        more efficient, so searches are faster and memory usage is
        lower.  People who get lots of mail will appreciate advanced
        features like <link
        linkend="usage-mail-organize-vFolders">vFolders</link>, which
        let you save searches as though they were ordinary mail
        folders.
      </para>

    </section>

    <section id="aboutbook">
      <title>About This Book</title>
    <!-- ************** FOLLOWING PARAGRAPH FOR DRAFT ONLY ************* -->
      <para>
        This version of the <application>Evolution</application>
        User's Guide is a <emphasis>draft</emphasis>.  It is missing
        huge chunks of information, and many of the features it
        describes are unimplemented.  All the content is subject to
        change, especially if you help.  Please send comments on the
        guide to <email>aaron@helixcode.com</email>.  Items that are
        known to need action are indicated as such, often with
        notation like (INSERT CONTENT HERE).  If you would like to
        work on the guide please contact me or see the GNOME
        Documentation project <ulink
        url="http://www.gnome.org/gdp">web site</ulink>.  This
        paragraph will be removed in later versions of the manual.
      </para>
    <!-- ************* END DRAFT ONLY PARAGRAPH ************** -->

      <para>
        This book is divided into two sections. The first section is
        a <link linkend="usage">guided tour</link>&mdash; it will
        explain how to use <application>Evolution</application>.  If
        you are new to <application>Evolution</application> or to
        groupware in general, this is the section for you. The second
        section, covering <link linkend="config">configuration</link>,
        is targeted at advanced users and administrators.  If you are
        a network administrator, you may find yourself referring to
        this section frequently.
      </para>
      <formalpara>
        <title>Typographical conventions</title>
	<para>
          Some kinds of words are marked off with special typography.
          It's listed below:
          <simplelist>
	    <member><application>Applications</application></member>
	    <member><command>Commands</command> typed at the command line</member>
	    <member><guilabel>Labels</guilabel> for menu items and buttons</member>
	    <member><userinput>Anything you type in</userinput></member>
	    <member><computeroutput>Text output from a computer</computeroutput></member>
	  </simplelist>
        </para>
      </formalpara>
    </section>
  </preface>