# Getting &kde;

Where do I get &kde;?

The main distribution site for &kde; is ftp.kde.org. However, this site is often under heavy load, so you might prefer to use download.kde.org which automatically redirects you to the mirror nearest to you. You can also have a look at the list of &kde; mirror sites.

Are there &Linux; distributions that include &kde;?

Yes, major &Linux; distributions already ship &kde;. As building a distribution takes some time, they might not always contain the latest version, but for a start or to avoid downloading from the Internet, they do provide a good starting point.

You can find an up-to-date list of distributions that ship with &kde; here.

What is the current version?

Currently, the latest stable version is 3.2

The &kde; 3.2 Info Page contains a lot of information specific to this release.

Where do I find &kde; snapshots?

You can get the latest snapshots from ftp://ftp.kde.org/pub/kde/unstable/snapshots. You might also want to consider setting up your own CVS client in order to maintain the latest snapshot at all times. Please refer to Anonymous CVS and &kde; for further information.

Where do I get &Qt;?

&Qt; is a product of the Norwegian company Trolltech. You can always get the latest &Qt; version from their &FTP; server.

And with most up-to-date &Linux; distributions, &Qt; is already included. Please see prerequisites for the version of &Qt; you need.

What is &Qt;, by the way?

&Qt; is a C++-based class library to build user interfaces. It also includes many utility classes like string classes and classes to handle input and output. It provides most of the widgets you will see in a &kde; application: menus, buttons, sliders, &etc;. &Qt; is a cross-platform library that allows you to write code that will compile on &UNIX; systems as well as &Windows; and embedded devices. You can learn more about &Qt; at http://www.trolltech.com.