<sect1 id="about">
<title>About &kapp;</title>

<para>
&kapp; is a source-editing environment for KDE. Primarily, it is a front-end to the veteran <ulink url="http://cscope.sourceforge.net">Cscope</ulink>, a source-code browser originally developed at Bell Labs. <application>Cscope</application> works by parsing a set of source files, creating a cross-reference database, and allowing the user to query this database. &kapp; extends the feature-set of <application>Cscope</application> with a contemporary user interface, editor integration, project management capabilities, multiple query result windows, call trees and graphs, and more.
</para>
<para>
&kapp; is not an IDE: It is not intended for building or debugging projects. Its primary objective is to simplify the development of large C projects, such as the Linux kernel, by providing developers with efficient tools for source browsing, analysis and coding.
</para> 
<para>
Unlike most modern IDEs, it does not have a window that displays a hierarchical tree of all project symbols. This is because such a display, adequate for C++ or Java projects, is meaningless in the functional world of C. Instead, &kapp;'s function-oriented queries allow the user to effectively browse the source code of the entire project. Query results are displayed in either a query window, a function call-tree or a call graph, giving the user a better understanding of the code's structure.
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<para>
&kapp; implements (almost) all of <application>Cscope</application>'s query types. Among these are:
<itemizedlist>
<listitem><para>Browse for all references to a symbol;</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>Get the global definition of a symbol;</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>Find all functions calling to or called by a function;</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>Find a text string or an EGrep pattern;</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>and more.</para></listitem>
</itemizedlist>
</para>
<para>
&kapp; is a part of an ongoing effort to expand the range of open source solutions. It could not have been created without the previous work of many devoted developers. &kapp; is therefore freely distributed, along with its source code, for the benefit of the open source community. I hope it can be of use to others, and I would appreciate any help in the form of bug reports or improvement suggestions.
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</sect1>