<?xml version='1.0' encoding='iso-8859-1' ?>
<!DOCTYPE book PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook XML V4.2//EN"
                      "docbook/dtd/xml/4.2/docbookx.dtd" [
  <!ENTITY % fnc SYSTEM "fnc.ent">
  <!ENTITY % var SYSTEM "var.ent">

  %fnc;   <!-- LysKOM functions -->
  %var;   <!-- LysKOM variables -->
]>

<book lang="en">
  <chapter>
    <title>Introduction to LysKOM</title>

    <para>
      LysKOM is an electronic conferencing system, similar in
      function, but different in execution, to the many message
      message boards that have come into existence on the Internet.
    </para>

    <para>
      The concepts behind LysKOM date back to the 1970s, when
      researchers in Stockholm developed QZ-KOM, the first bulletin
      board system in Sweden. In many ways, LysKOM is a direct
      descendent of QZ-KOM, designed to be familiar to users of QZ-KOM
      and its derivatives.
    </para>

    <para>
      Unlike QZ-KOM and most of its derivatives, LysKOM is a
      client-server system and there are a number of clients to choose
      from, of which the Emacs Lisp client (commonly known as the
      elisp client) is the best, most feature-rich, most portable and
      most popular. Other popular clients include a web-based client
      (WebKOM) and a Windows-based client (WinKOM). There are several
      other clients in varying states of completeness.
    </para>

  </chapter>
</book>
