You can also always grab Evolution from the primary GNOME CVS server if you like. A page on setting up the right environmental variables and some of the most common commands is available from http://developer.gnome.org. It provides clear instructions if you've never used CVS before. Building from CVS is a relatively tricky proposition. Evolution currently depends on a newer version of Bonobo than is easily available in binary form, but won't build without Bonobo residing in the same branch of the filesystem: /usr or /usr/local, for instance.

As I worked to build it, I found that I was able to use most of the Helix Code-supplied libraries with the following exceptions:

• gal
• gtkhtml
• gnome-vfs

I had to pull each of these out of CVS. Most frustrating was discovering that Evolution will build without a CVS version of gnome-vfs, but doesn't work correctly afterwards. In addition, you need to build a new pilot-link and gnome-pilot to take advantage of Evolution's PalmOS conduits.

The temptation is always there to skip the README file and just try to build away. In this case, it pays to do the reading. Evolution's a trickier build because it depends on libraries under heavy development. Its hackers have been polite enough to provide a roadmap that will get you through the build easily enough, but there are problems most hobbyists aren't going to guess their way through.

If you have the time, though, it's a good idea to try Evolution out from CVS. There are a few things present you won't get to see in the preview release in the way of filter functionality, calendar recurrence settings, and an interesting new feature called the "executive summary" that offers an overview of selected elements of your Evolution data. At this point, all it offers is a rundown of your mail folders and how many unread messages you have in each.

Next: How Evolution's Evolved »