If you want to successfully install KNode, you need a KDE 2.x.
If, in addition, you want to use KNode as an offline newsreader, you need a local news server, e.g. leafnode.
If you want to compile and install KNode, you must make sure that the following programs are present:
g++2.8/egcs 1.0.3 (or compatible)
GNU make
autoconf 2.1
automake 1.4
QT 2.2
KDE 2.x