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Docs: first try to summarize a few reasons why one'd want to use kivy...
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Christopher Denter
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@ -4,10 +4,15 @@ Welcome to Kivy
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Welcome to Kivy's documentation. Kivy is an open source software library for rapid
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development of applications equipped with novel user interfaces, such as
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multi-touch apps.
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You are probably wondering why you'd be interested in using Kivy. There is
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a document outlining our :ref:`philosophy` we encourage you to read.
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We recommend that you get started with :ref:`installation` and then head over to
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the :ref:`quickstart` document. Besides the quickstart, there is also a more
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detailed :ref:`tutorial` that shows how to create an application with Kivy.
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.. include:: philosophy.rst
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.. include:: guide-index.rst
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.. include:: api-index.rst
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@ -0,0 +1,93 @@
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Philosophy
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==========
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In case you are wondering what Kivy is all about and sets it apart from
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different solutions, this document is for you.
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Why bother?
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-----------
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Why would you want to use Kivy? After all, there is many a great toolkit
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(or framework, or platform) available out there -- for free. Qt and Flash,
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to just name two good choices for application development, and many of
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these numerous solutions already support Multi-Touch.
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So what is it that makes Kivy special and worth using?
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* **Fresh**:
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Kivy is made for today and tomorrow. Novel input
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methods such as Multi-Touch become increasingly
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important. We created Kivy from scratch, specifically
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for this kind of interaction. That means we were able
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to rethink many things in terms of human computer
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interaction where older (not saying 'outdated'; rather
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'well-established') toolkits carry their legacy, which
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is often a burden. We're not trying to force this new
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approach to using a computer into the corset of
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existing models (say single-pointer mouse interaction).
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We want to let it flourish and let you explore the
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possibilities.
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*This* is what really sets Kivy apart.
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* **Fast**:
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Kivy is fast. This applies to both: *application
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development* and *application execution* speeds. We have
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optimized Kivy in many ways. We implement time-critical
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functionality on the *C level* to leverage the power of
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existing compilers. More importantly, we also use
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*intelligent algorithms* to minimize costly operations.
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Most importantly, we use the *GPU* wherever it makes
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sense in our context. The computational power of
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today's graphics cards surpasses that of today's CPUs by
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far for some tasks and algorithms, especially drawing.
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That's why we try to let the GPU do as much of the work
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as possible, thus increasing performance considerably.
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* **Flexible**:
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Kivy is flexible. This means it can be run on *a variety of
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different devices*, including Android powered
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smartphones and tablets. We support *all major
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operating systems* (Windows, Linux, OS X).
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This also means that Kivy's fast-paced development
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allows it to *adapt to new technologies quickly*. More
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than once have we added support for new external
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devices and software protocols; sometimes even before
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they were released.
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Lastly, Kivy is also flexible in that it is possible
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to use it in combination with a great number of different
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third-party solutions. For example, on Windows we
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support WM_TOUCH, which means that any device that has
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Windows 7 Pen & Touch drivers will *just work* with
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Kivy. On OS X you can use Apple's Multi-Touch capable
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devices, such as trackpads and mice. On Linux, you
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can use HID kernel input events.
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In addition to that, we support TUIO and a number of
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other input sources.
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* **Focused**:
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Kivy is focused. You can write a simple application
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with a few lines of code. Kivy programs are created by
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using the *Python* programming language, which is
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incredibly versatile, powerful yet easy to use.
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In addition, we created our own description language
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for creating sophisticated user interfaces. This
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language allows you to set up, connect and arrange your
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application elements quickly.
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We feel that allowing you to focus on the essence of
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your application is more important than forcing you to
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fiddle with compiler settings. We took that burden off
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your shoulders.
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* **Funded**:
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Kivy is actively developed by professionals in their field.
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Kivy is a community-influenced, professionally
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developed and commercially backed solution. Some of
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our core developers develop Kivy for a living.
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Kivy is here to stay. It's not a small, vanishing student
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project.
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* **Free**:
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Kivy is free to use. You don't have to pay for it. You
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don't even have to pay for it if you're making money out
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of selling an application that uses Kivy.
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