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<preface id="introduction">
<!-- =============Introduction ============================= -->
<title>Introduction</title>
<sect1 id="what">
<title>What is Evolution, and What Can It Do for Me?</title>
<para>
Information is useless unless it's organized and accessible;
it's hardly even worth the name if you can't look at it and be
<emphasis>informed</emphasis>.
<application>Evolution</application>'s goal is to make the
tasks of storing, organizing, and retrieving your personal
information easier, so you can work and communicate with
others. That is, it's a highly evolved <glossterm
linkend="groupware">groupware</glossterm> program, an integral
part of the Internet-connected desktop.
</para>
<para>
Without all the hot air, that means it's a tool to help you
get your work done.
</para>
<para>
Because it's part of the GNOME project,
<application>Evolution</application> is Free Software. The
program and its source code are released under the terms of
the GNU <ulink type="help" url="gnome-help:gpl"><citetitle>General
Public License (GPL)</citetitle></ulink>, and the
documentation falls under the <ulink type="help"
url="gnome-help:fdl"><citetitle>Free Documentation
License</citetitle></ulink> (FDL). For more information about
the GPL and the FDL, visit the Free Software Foundation's
website at <ulink
url="http://www.fsf.org">http://www.fsf.org</ulink>.
</para>
<para>
<note>
<title>This is a Beta release</title>
<para>
<application>Evolution</application> is now on the home
stretch to version 1.0. Please help prepare for the 1.0
release by reporting bugs to us at <ulink
url="http://bugzilla.ximian.com">bugzilla.ximian.com</ulink>. There
are detailed bug reporting instructions in <xref
linkend="evolution-faq">.
</para>
<para>
Please send comments on the guide to
<email>aaron@ximian.com</email>. The first person to send
some good suggestions gets a free Ximian t-shirt.
</para>
</note>
</para>
<para>
<application>Evolution</application> can help you work in a
group by handling email, address and other contact
information, and one or more calendars. It can do that on one
or several computers, connected directly or over a network,
for one person or for large groups.
</para>
<para>
The <application>Evolution</application> project has four
central goals:
<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
The application must be <emphasis>both powerful and easy
to use</emphasis>. In other words, it needs a familiar
and intuitive interface that users can customize to their
liking, and users should have access to 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 major network <glossterm
linkend="protocol">protocols</glossterm> so that it can
integrate seamlessly with existing hardware and network
environments.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
The project must support open standards and be open to
expansion, so that it can become a development platform
as well as an application. From the simplest scripting
to the most complex network and component programming,
<application>Evolution</application> must offer
developers an environment for cutting-edge application
development.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Data must be safe: <application>Evolution</application>
must not lose mail, corrupt mailbox files or other data,
execute arbitrary <glossterm
linkend="script">scripts</glossterm>, or delete files from
your hard disk.
</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">
Virtual Folders</link>, which let you save searches as though
they were ordinary mail folders.
</para>
</sect1>
<sect1 id="aboutbook">
<title>About This Book</title>
<para>
This book is divided into two parts, with several
appendices. The first part is a <link linkend="usage">guided
tour</link>— it will explain how to use
<application>Evolution</application>. If you are new to
<application>Evolution</application> or to groupware in
general, this section is for you. The second section, covering
<link linkend="config">configuration</link>, is targeted at
more advanced users, but anyone who wants to change the way
<application>Evolution</application> looks or acts can benefit
from reading it. In addition, there is a comprehensive <link
linkend="menuref">menu reference</link> which describes nearly
every capability that <application>Evolution</application> has
to offer.
</para>
<formalpara>
<title>Typographical conventions</title>
<para>
Some kinds of words are marked off with special typography:
<simplelist>
<member><application>Applications</application></member>
<member><command>Commands</command> typed at the command line</member>
<member><guilabel>Labels</guilabel> for interface items</member>
<member> Menu selections look like this:
<menuchoice>
<guimenu>Menu</guimenu>
<guisubmenu>Submenu</guisubmenu>
<guimenuitem>Menu Item</guimenuitem>
</menuchoice>
</member>
<member><guibutton>Buttons</guibutton> you can
click</member> <member><userinput>Anything you type
in</userinput></member> <member><computeroutput>Text
output from a computer</computeroutput></member>
<member><glossterm linkend="apx-gloss">Words</glossterm>
that are defined in the <xref linkend="apx-gloss">.</member>
</simplelist>
<tip id="example-tip">
<title>Example Tip</title>
<para>
Tips and bits of extra information will look like
this.
</para>
</tip>
<example>
<title>Example Example</title>
<para>
This is what an example looks like.
</para>
</example>
<warning id="example-warning">
<title>Example Warning</title>
<para>
This is what a warning looks like.
</para>
</warning>
</para>
</formalpara>
</sect1>
<sect1 id="quickref-commontasks">
<title>Quick Reference for Common Tasks</title>
<para>
You might want to copy this section and tape it to the wall
next to your computer: it's a very short summary of most of
the things you'll want to do with
<application>Evolution</application>. Read <xref linkend="menuref"> if
you would like a complete list of keyboard shortcuts for menu commands.
</para>
<sect2 id="quickref-newthings">
<title>Opening or Creating Anything</title>
<para>
<variablelist>
<varlistentry>
<term>Create a new folder</term>
<listitem>
<para>
<menuchoice><guimenu>File</guimenu><guisubmenu>New</guisubmenu>
<guimenuitem>Folder</guimenuitem></menuchoice> or
<keycombo action="simul">
<keycap>Ctrl</keycap>
<keycap>Shift </keycap>
<keycap>F</keycap>
</keycombo>
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term>Create a new Shortcut in the Evolution Bar</term>
<listitem>
<para>
<menuchoice><guimenu>File</guimenu>
<guisubmenu>New</guisubmenu>
<guimenuitem>Evolution Bar Shortcut</guimenuitem> </menuchoice> or
<keycombo action="simul">
<keycap>Ctrl</keycap>
<keycap>Shift</keycap>
<keycap>S</keycap>
</keycombo>
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term>Create a new email message:</term>
<listitem>
<para>
Use
<menuchoice><guimenu>File</guimenu><guisubmenu>New</guisubmenu><guimenuitem>Mail
Message</guimenuitem> </menuchoice> or
<keycombo action="simul">
<keycap>Ctrl</keycap>
<keycap>Shift </keycap>
<keycap>M</keycap>
</keycombo>
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term>Create a new Appointment</term>
<listitem>
<para>
<menuchoice><guimenu>File</guimenu>
<guisubmenu>New</guisubmenu>
<guimenuitem>Appointment</guimenuitem> </menuchoice> or
<keycombo action="simul">
<keycap>Ctrl</keycap>
<keycap>Shift</keycap>
<keycap>A</keycap>
</keycombo>
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term>Enter a new Contact</term>
<listitem>
<para>
<menuchoice><guimenu>File</guimenu>
<guisubmenu>New</guisubmenu>
<guimenuitem>Contact</guimenuitem> </menuchoice> or
<keycombo action="simul">
<keycap>Ctrl</keycap>
<keycap>Shift</keycap>
<keycap>C</keycap>
</keycombo>
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term>Create a new Task</term>
<listitem>
<para>
<menuchoice><guimenu>File</guimenu>
<guisubmenu>New</guisubmenu>
<guimenuitem>Task</guimenuitem> </menuchoice> or
<keycombo action="simul">
<keycap>Ctrl</keycap>
<keycap>Shift</keycap>
<keycap>T</keycap>
</keycombo>
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
</variablelist>
</para>
</sect2>
<sect2 id="quickref-mail">
<title>Mail Tasks</title>
<para>
Here are the most frequent email tasks, and shortcuts for
navigating your mailbox with the keyboard instead of the
mouse:
<variablelist>
<varlistentry>
<term>Navigating the Message List with the Keyboard</term>
<listitem>
<para>
Press <keycap>N</keycap> to jump to the next unread
message. <keycap>P</keycap> goes to the previous
unread message. Use the arrow keys to move up
and down along the list of all message.
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term>Display the next page of a message in the preview pane</term>
<listitem>
<para>
Press the space bar.
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term>Reply to a Message</term>
<listitem>
<para>
To reply to the sender of the message only:
click <guibutton>Reply</guibutton> in the
toolbar, or press
<keycombo action="simul">
<keycap>Ctrl</keycap>
<keycap>R</keycap>
</keycombo>
</para>
<para>
To reply to the sender and all the other visible
recipients of the message, click <guibutton>Reply to
All</guibutton> or select the message and press
<keycombo action="simul">
<keycap>Shift</keycap>
<keycap>Ctrl</keycap>
<keycap>R</keycap>
</keycombo>
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term>Forward a Message</term>
<listitem>
<para>
Select the message or messages you want to forward,
and click <guibutton>Forward</guibutton> in the
toolbar, or press
<keycombo action="simul">
<keycap>Ctrl</keycap>
<keycap>F</keycap>
</keycombo>
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term>Open a Message in a New Window</term>
<listitem>
<para>
Double-click the message you want to view, or select
it and press
<keycombo action="simul">
<keycap>Ctrl</keycap>
<keycap>O</keycap>
</keycombo>
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term>Create Filters and Virtual Folders</term>
<listitem>
<para>
Right-click on a message and select "Create Rule..."
menu items. You can also create filters and virtual
folders in the <guimenu>Tools</guimenu> menu.
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
</variablelist>
</para>
</sect2>
<sect2 id="quickref-cal">
<title>Address Book</title>
<para>
<variablelist>
<varlistentry>
<term></term>
<listitem>
<para>
<tip id="new-appt">
<title>New Appointments Fast</title>
<para>
Double-click in a blank space to create a new contact.
</para>
</tip>
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
</variablelist>
</para>
</sect2>
<sect2 id="quickref-contact">
<title>Contact Manager</title>
<para>
Here are the most frequent tasks that are done in the Contact Manager,
with the shortcuts so that you can use these tasks without having to use
your mouse:
<variablelist>
<varlistentry>
<term>Edit a Contact</term>
<listitem>
<para>
You can edit a contact two ways:
<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
Click once on the person's address card and you can
edit the person's properties all in the same window.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Double-click on the contact's card and alter their details.
</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
</variablelist>
<variablelist>
<varlistentry>
<term>Deleting a Contact</term>
<listitem>
<para>
Right click on a contact and click <guilabel>Delete</guilabel>
or select a contact and press the <guibutton>Delete</guibutton>
on the <guilabel>toolbar</guilabel>.
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
</variablelist>
<variablelist>
<varlistentry>
<term>Email a Contact</term>
<listitem>
<para>
Right click on a contact and select
<guilabel>Send message to contact</guilabel>.
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
</variablelist>
<variablelist>
<varlistentry>
<term></term>
<listitem>
<para>
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
</variablelist>
</para>
</sect2>
</sect1>
</preface>
