<preface id="introduction">
<!-- =============Introduction ============================= -->
<title>Introduction</title>
<section id="what">
<title> What is Evolution, and What Can It Do for Me?</title>
<para>
The idea of evolution as a process of improvement and
development is a strong influence on the developers at Helix
Code. We named our <glossterm>groupware</glossterm> suite
"Evolution" because we knew that it would be able to survive
in the wilderness of the software marketplace for one reason:
it's better.
</para>
<para>
<application>Evolution</application> is a suite of groupware
applications within the GNOME desktop environment that you can
use 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>
We built <application>Evolution</application> with three groups of
people in mind: everyday users, system administrators, and
developers.
<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
For <emphasis>everyday users</emphasis>, we made
<application>Evolution</application> easy to use without
sacrificing power. We made the interface familiar and
intuitive, but also allowed users to customize it to
their liking. We made the setup and configuration as
easy as possible. For any confusion, we wrote a
comprehensive manual and help system.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
For <emphasis>administrators</emphasis>, we made sure
<application>Evolution</application> met and and
exceeded the standards set by currently available
groupware products, and we developed support for most
major network protocols so that it can integrate
seamlessly with existing hardware and network
environments. All of our efforts have made
<application>Evolution</application> both easy to use
and easy to support.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
For <emphasis>developers</emphasis>, we built in
support for 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> offers developers
the ideal environment for cutting-edge application
development.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
For all three groups, we did our best to ensure the
safety of data.
</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
</para>
<para>
In action, <application>Evolution</application> makes most
daily tasks faster, because we built it to work with you
instead of against you. 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 three sections. The first section 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 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. The third section is a quick <link
linkend="devel">developer's guide</link>, for power users and
hackers. If you want to add advanced scripting to
<application>Evolution</application>, write your own
embeddable components, or simply want to find out just how
powerful <application>Evolution</application> can be, this is
the section for you.
</para>
<para>
Throughout the book, you'll find examples, tips and warnings
to help you along. Most of them are decent, hardworking
pieces of information, and genuinely try to be helpful. Some
of the tips, entitled <emphasis>Bad Ideas</emphasis>,
are, in fact, out to trick you. Please don't follow their
advice, no matter how appealing it may sound.
</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>Other text treatments</member>
<member>Other text treatments</member>
</simplelist>
</para>
</formalpara>
</section>
</preface>
