Concept
Konqueror is a free and open-source web browser and that provides web access and functionality for file systems (such as local files, files on a remote FTP server and files in a disk image). It forms a core part of the KDE Software Compilation. Developed by volunteers, Konqueror can run on most Unix-like operating systems. The KDE community licenses and distributes Konqueror under GNU GPL-2.0-or-later. The name "Konqueror" echoes a colonization paradigm to reference the two primary competitors at the time of the browser's first release: "first comes the Navigator, then Explorer, and then the Konqueror". It also follows the KDE naming convention: the names of most KDE programs begin with the letter K. Konqueror first appeared with version 2 of KDE on October 23, 2000. It replaces its predecessor, KFM (KDE file manager). With the release of KDE 4, replaced Konqueror as the default KDE file manager, but the KDE community continues to maintain Konqueror as the default KDE web browser. Konqueror can utilize all KIOslaves installed on the user's system. Some examples include: FTP and SFTP/SSH browser Samba (Microsoft file-sharing) browser HTTP browser IMAP mail client ISO (CD image) viewer VNC viewer A complete list is available in the KDE Info Center's Protocols section. Konqueror supports tabbed document interface and Split views, wherein a window can contain multiple documents in tabs. Multiple document interfaces are not supported, however it is possible to recursively divide a window to view multiple documents simultaneously, or simply open another window. Konqueror's user interface is somewhat reminiscent of Microsoft's Internet Explorer, though it is more customizable. It works extensively with "panels", which can be rearranged or added. For example, one could have an Internet bookmarks panel on the left side of the browser window, and by clicking a bookmark, the respective web page would be viewed in the larger panel to the right. Alternatively, one could display a hierarchical list of folders in one panel and the content of the selected folder in another.
