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219 lines
7.6 KiB
219 lines
7.6 KiB
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<?xml version="1.0" ?>
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<!DOCTYPE chapter PUBLIC "-//KDE//DTD DocBook XML V4.2-Based Variant V1.1//EN"
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"dtd/kdex.dtd">
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-->
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<chapter id="introduction">
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<title>Introduction</title>
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<qandaset>
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<qandaentry>
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<question>
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<para>What is &tde;?</para>
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</question>
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<answer>
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<para>&tde; is the Trinity Desktop Environment. The project was initiated
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by Matthias Ettrich in 1996 and originally called the K Desktop Environment.
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The aim of the &tde; project is to connect the power of the &UNIX; operating
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systems with the comfort of a modern user interface.</para>
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<para>For additional information about &tde;, check the Trinity web site at
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<ulink url="http://www.trinitydesktop.org/about.php">About Trinity</ulink></para>
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</answer>
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</qandaentry>
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<qandaentry>
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<question id="platform">
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<para>On which platforms can I expect &tde; to work?</para>
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</question>
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<answer>
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<para>&tde; is a Desktop Environment for all flavors of &UNIX; systems.
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While most &tde; developers use &Linux; based systems, &tde; should run
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on a wide range of systems. You might need to tweak the
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source code a bit to get &tde; to compile on different variant
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of &UNIX; systems, or when not using the &GNU; development tools, in
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particular the &gcc; compiler.</para>
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</answer>
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</qandaentry>
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<qandaentry>
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<question>
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<para>Why should I use TDE?</para>
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</question>
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<answer>
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<para>TDE provides a traditional computer desktop that is snappy and
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responsive. A project goal is to provide a highly customizable
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desktop without forcing any particular feature or effect on users.
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TDE comes with many software tools to provide a productive and enjoyable
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computer desktop system.</para>
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</answer>
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</qandaentry>
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<qandaentry>
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<question>
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<para>Is &tde; a window manager?</para>
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</question>
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<answer>
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<para>No, &tde; is not a window manager. While &tde; includes a
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sophisticated window manager (&twin;), &tde; is much more, providing
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a full integrated desktop environment. &tde; includes a web browser,
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a file manager, a window manager, a help system, a
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configuration system, many tools and utilities, and many
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applications, including but not limited to mail
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and news clients, drawing programs, a PDF and a &DVI; viewer
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and so forth.</para>
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</answer>
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</qandaentry>
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<qandaentry>
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<question>
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<para>Is &tde; a <acronym>CDE</acronym>, &Windows; or &Mac;
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<acronym>OS</acronym> clone?</para>
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</question>
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<answer>
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<para>&tde; is not a clone. Specifically &tde; is not a
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Common Desktop Environment (<acronym>CDE</acronym>) or &Windows; clone.
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While developers have and will continue to glean the best features from existing
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desktop environments, &tde; is a unique environment that has and
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will continue to go its own way.</para>
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</answer>
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</qandaentry>
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<qandaentry>
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<question>
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<para>On what platform is TDE based?</para>
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</question>
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<answer>
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<para>TDE uses C++ and the <link linkend="qt">&Qt; C++ crossplatform toolkit</link>.
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The TDE development team now maintains the Qt3 toolkit, renamed TQt3.</para>
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</answer>
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</qandaentry>
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<qandaentry>
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<question>
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<para>Is &tde; free software?</para>
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</question>
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<answer>
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<para>Yes, &tde; is free software according to the &GNU; General
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Public License. All &tde; libraries are available under the
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<acronym>LGPL</acronym> making commercial software development for the
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&tde; desktop possible, but all &tde; applications are licensed under
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the <acronym>GPL</acronym>.</para>
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<para>&tde; uses the <link linkend="qt">&Qt; C++ crossplatform
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toolkit</link>, which, since version 2.2, is released under the
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<acronym>GPL</acronym>.</para>
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<para>Both &tde; and &Qt; can be made available on
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&CD-ROM; free of charge. No runtime fees of any kind are
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incurred.</para>
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</answer>
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</qandaentry>
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<qandaentry>
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<question>
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<para>Why the rebranding and renaming efforts? Why not continue calling the software KDE?</para>
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</question>
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<answer>
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<para>The "KDE" name, various logos, and related efforts are trademarked by the KDE
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Foundation. Since the Trinity project is not affiliated with the KDE Foundation,
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legally we can't use their trademarks.</para>
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</answer>
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</qandaentry>
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<qandaentry>
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<question>
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<para>Why the change in version numbers?</para>
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</question>
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<answer>
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<para>Trinity evolved from the last KDE 3.5 release, 3.5.10. Subsequent Trinity releases
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followed that numbering scheme. Release R14.0.0 marks a turning point in Trinity history
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because a great deal of the code infrastructure was changed. While those changes do not
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effect the usability or look-and-feel of the desktop that users enjoy, Trinity developers
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believe a change in the version scheme distinguishes when those changes occurred. An
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original project goal by users was to retain the flavor of the original KDE 3.5 desktop.
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That goal remains intact. To reflect that original goal, the last number in the original
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version scheme is retained in the new version scheme but is now the primary version number.
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While the infrastructure has changed, the desktop itself remains the same as the original
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KDE 3.5. This new version scheme indicates a modest divergence from the original KDE 3.5
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series and that Trinity is now its own desktop environment. The new version scheme reminds
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users that Trinity retains the original KDE 3.5 design, but is moving forward as a separate
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desktop project.</para>
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</answer>
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</qandaentry>
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<qandaentry>
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<question id="trinity-vs-kde4">
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<para>How is Trinity different from KDE4?</para>
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</question>
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<answer>
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<para>Both desktop environments share common roots to KDE 3.5.10, which was the last
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official release of KDE in the 3.x series. Many KDE developers wanted to break
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from that code chain and tool sets to start afresh. Thus was born KDE4. In
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addition to moving to the Qt4 tool set, the KDE developers revamped the
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underlying KDE code set.</para>
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<para>KDE4 and Trinity have different philosophies about work flow preferences.
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KDE4 developers want to support certain work flow concepts and techniques.
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Trinity developers want to maintain a "traditional" desktop environment.</para>
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<para>For example, KDE4 offers the following tools:</para>
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<itemizedlist>
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<listitem>
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<para>Semantic desktop through Nepomuk</para>
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</listitem>
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<listitem>
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<para>PIM (Personal Information Management) data caching through Akonadi</para>
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</listitem>
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<listitem>
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<para>Desktop file searching through Strigi</para>
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</listitem>
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<listitem>
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<para>Activities, a computer desktop metaphor for managing tasks and activities</para>
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</listitem>
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</itemizedlist>
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<para>Whereas TDE offers the following:</para>
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<itemizedlist>
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<listitem>
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<para>Desktop search through the locate:/ tdeio-slave</para>
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</listitem>
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<listitem>
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<para>Integrated PIM suite with plugins</para>
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</listitem>
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<listitem>
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<para>Related task management using multiple desktops</para>
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</listitem>
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</itemizedlist>
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<para>The KDE developers support alternate desktop interfaces, such as those used
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with netbooks, tablets, and smart phones. TDE provides a single interface that is
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optimized for the mouse/keyboard HCI (Human-computer interaction) model.</para>
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<para>Both desktop environments provide an excellent choice for various work
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flows but differ in approach. Trinity leans toward user expectations of how
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desktop environments have functioned traditionally. There is a sense of
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familiarity with that environment many people like. Similarly other users prefer
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the work flow features offered by KDE4 because those features match their
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expectations of how they want their computer to behave. The difference between the
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two environments does not mean one is better, buggier, or slower -- mdash; only that
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they are different and appeal to different types of people. Although sharing a
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common heritage, both desktops appeal to different groups of people. As always
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with free/libre software, there is a choice.</para>
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</answer>
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</qandaentry>
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</qandaset>
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</chapter>
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