The new library is based on the vCard standard and has provisions for being extended by additional backends such as LDAP and database servers.

[5] K Desktop Environment 3.1 introduced new default window (Keramik) and icon (Crystal) styles as well as several feature enhancements.

[6] The update included greatly improved LDAP integration throughout Kontact, enhanced security for KMail (S/MIME, PGP/MIME and X.509v3 support) and Microsoft Exchange 2000 compatibility for KOrganizer.

Other improvements included tabbed browsing in Konqueror; a new download manager, KGet; a new multimedia player plugin, based on Xine, and a desktop sharing framework.

Performance and Freedesktop.org standards compliance were improved by lower start up times for applications and strengthened interoperability with other Linux and UNIX software.

[8] KDE Desktop Environment improved usability by reworking many applications, dialogs and control panels to focus on clarity and utility, and by reducing clutter in many menus and toolbars.

Konqueror received tab improvements, an RSS feed viewer sidebar and a searchbar compatible with all keyword searches.

KMail was given HTML composition, anti-spam and anti-virus wizards, automatic handling of mailing lists, improved support for cryptography and a quick search bar.

KPDF gained the ability to select and copy and paste text and images from PDFs, along with many other improvements.

Konqueror was given an ad-block feature and became the second web browser to pass the Acid2 CSS test, ahead of Firefox and Internet Explorer.