COMMUNITY REPORT 1 ST QUARTER, 2011 | ISSUE 17
WELCOME MESSAGE
Dear Members, blood, sweat and tears from supports, thanks to the generous Contributors, Users Pradeepto and his team in India, it support of its donors, both private of KDE software, and happened—in March 2011, and corporate. After all, these Friends, conf.kde.in kicked off in Bengaluru, donations make it possible for India. The conference was a huge people like Pradeepto to organize Many moons ago, I first success, it brought KDE events like conf.kde.in. They also met Pradeepto, an Indian contributors closer together all help fund the many developer KDE hacker who would over the world, and attracted more sprints that happen on a regular amaze me with his sense brilliant minds into KDE. As a result, basis, and that have become of community and his the Indian KDE community is central to making leaps in the ability to mobilize people. growing like it never grew before, development of KDE software and Last year, Pradeepto sent providing new people, energy and tying the community closer an email to the KDE e.V. perspective to our community. together. board with the subject "A Pradeepto's dream came true. Dream". In this email, he Enjoy reading our report of the outlined that he had To me, Pradeepto really stands for first three months in 2011. wanted for years to core values in KDE—dreaming a organize a KDE dream, deciding together to make Sebastian Kügler conference in India. it come true, and putting your (on behalf of the KDE e.V. Board) shoulders under it to make it a We talked a bit about success. We are Pradeepto. how to make this possible. After solving In this quarterly report, you will administrative details left find an account of what happened KDE and right, collecting at conf.kde.in, and about many funds, and lots of other activities the KDE e.V.
CONTENTS Welcome Message 1 The KDE Free Qt Foundation 2 – 3 What is the KDE Free Qt Foundation and why does it matter to the future of KDE? KDE Activities 4 – 9 Recaps from KDE sprints, trade shows, and other activities (including an in-depth report from conf.kde.in, KDE's first conference in India). New Members 10 Financial Report and KDE e.V. Board 11
KDE draws its developers, designers, and users from all over the world: Africa, Europe, North America, South America, and Asia. In March of this year, KDE e.V. helped to sponsor conf.kde.in, the first KDE conference in India. In this edition of the Community Report, our spotlight is on India. THE KDE FREE QT FOUNDATION
Olaf Schmidt-Wischhöfer
Most of KDE’s software uses a library named Qt. This Free Software toolkit can be considered the foundation for the KDE means that even if other companies contribute to the Development Platform, and therefore also for the KDE X11 version of Qt, Nokia is still obligated to release Plasma Workspaces and for KDE Applications. In other these contributions as Free Software and to grant a words, Qt is vitally important for KDE. So how do we full license to the KDE Free Qt Foundation. ensure that the Qt library stays available for KDE? HISTORY OF THE KDE FREE QT FOUNDATION There are two strong reasons why Qt is guaranteed to be always available to KDE. The Norwegian foundation was founded in 1998 by KDE e.V. and Trolltech, the company that used to The first guarantee is the license. Qt is available both develop Qt. under the LGPL 2.1 and under the GPL 3.0. These licenses contain wide-ranging distribution and In May 2004, a first update to the agreement was modification rights. The licenses were written by the made. This agreement addressed the purpose in a Free Software Foundation and are well-known for their more precise and complete way. The intention and legal quality. In the future, KDE will also be able to basic content, however, were not changed. In July shape new Qt versions by taking part in the 2009, the agreement was updated again to respond development process itself. Nokia, the company both to the relicensing of Qt to the LGPL license and to developing Qt, is moving Qt development to an “open the merger of Trolltech into Nokia. In November 2009, governance” model, which means that other interested the statutes of the Foundation were further updated to parties such as KDE can better participate in Qt better fit the new situation. development. The open governance model has the potential to bring together a large number of projects Additional changes to the agreements are planned, and companies that use Qt. such as extending the agreement to cover other platforms in addition to X11.
The second guarantee is a legal structure named “KDE The foundation has two board members sent by the Free Qt Foundation”. Its purpose is to obligate Nokia to KDE Free Qt Foundation, two board members sent by make all changes to the X11 version of Qt available as Nokia, and the two Trolltech founders as non-voting Free Software. The agreement with Nokia also ensures advisory board members. In the case of a tie, KDE that Nokia will continue to release new Qt versions has an extra vote. More information about the KDE containing bug fixes, performance enhancements and Free Qt Foundation is available online at: new functionality. The legal contracts of the KDE Free Qt Foundation explicitly state that the contract stays KDE.ORG/COMMUNITY/WHATISKDE/ valid in case of a merger or buy-out, and also if the Qt library is renamed or re-defined in scope. This KDEFREEQTFOUNDATION
(Left) William Desborough - Taj Mahal, Look:KDE. (Middle) Paul Rudd, Sikh pilgrim at the Golden Temple (Harmandir Sahib), Wikimedia Commons. (Right) PICQ, Kutia Kondh Woman, Wikimedia Commons. (Facing Page). (Top Left) Bobinson. Muchilottu Bhagavathy Theyyam, Wikimedia Commons. (Top Right) Bobinson, Bhadrakali Mudiyettu, Flickr. (Middle) Humayunn Peerzaada, Haji Ali Dargah in the Mahim Bay of Mahalaxmi, Wikimedia Commons. (Bottom Left) Bobinson, Bhadrakali Mudiyettu, Flickr. (Bottom Right) Ajay Kumar, Golden Budha Temple at Coord, India, (Gautama Buddha Temple, Coorg Karnataka, India) Look:KDE. KDE eV Community Report | Issue 17 | 1st Quarter, 2011 ev.kde.org/reports 3 KDE ACTIVITIES
Developer Sprints for exporting free/busy demonstrated notetaker, his new information that will support more application to manage notes, calendars like DAV and eventually events and todos easily. Ingo KDE PIM MEETING Exchange. Klöcker has completed the OSNABRÜCK migration of the PIM website February 2011 During the sprint, support was (community.kde.org/KDE_PIM) to a started for Facebook as a data wiki. Thomas McGuire source for contacts, events and more. With multiple contact The meeting was a great sources, the address book of a opportunity to see old and new user might contain the same community members face-to-face, person more than once, and which improves collaboration a lot. In February, the KDE PIM team got therefore ideas and plans for together in Osnabrück for their 9th contact merging with the help of annual meeting, which was kindly Nepomuk were discussed. KONTACT IS A LARGE hosted by Intevation GmbH. Several interesting projects were SUITE OF APPLICATIONS One of the key issues covered was presented. Kontact Touch, the the release of the first Akonadi- version of Kontact for devices with THAT MAKES IT EASIER based KDEPIM. Some blocking touch screens, was presented on bugs, for example in data several gadgets, including a TO ORGANIZE PERSONAL migration, were identified and Windows CE phone and a MeeGo INFORMATION THAT IS fixed, increasing the likelihood of a tablet. Cornelius Schumacher release in the near future. showed Polka, his innovative new DEVELOPED BY THE KDE Architectural points were also address book user interface, and addressed, such as a new design new member Christian Mollekopf PIM TEAM. THE KDE PIM SPRINT ALLOWS THE DEVELOPERS OF THESE PROGRAMS TO COME TOGETHER, COORDINATE, AND SOLVE COMMON CHALLENGES.
(Left) The KDE Games Developers. From left to right Josef, Laszlo, Felix, Shantanu, Arjen, Dan, Stefaqn, Friedrich, Julian and Jeffrey. Photo by Felix Lemke.
(Bottom) A few of the participants who took part in KDE conferences and developer sprints. Photographs taken by Kushal Das.
THE KDE GAMES TEAM HAS BEEN WORKING ON TWO TECHNOLOGIES, GGZ AND GLUON, WHICH ALLOW FOR MUCH BETTER NETWORK GAMING AND EASIER DEVELOPMENT.
KDE eV Community Report | Issue 17 | 1st Quarter, 2011 ev.kde.org/reports 4 KDE GAMES MEETING create a libkdegames "2.0" that Trade Shows and makes the existing codebase DRESDEN competitive and easier to maintain Community Events March 2011 for the next few years. The other Stefan Majewsky host, Josef Spillner, presented his FOSDEM 2011 work on the GGZ project which BRUSSELS, BELGIUM enables gaming over the network 5-6 February and creates client and server tools Just before the end of the first for managing social networks of Jonathan Riddell quarter of 2011, ten developers gamers. GGZ technology is gathered in Dresden to discuss and already available in a handful of implement the future of KDE KDE Games, but the existing KGGZ Games. The local KDE community libraries need an update. Delivery KDE were, as always, present at was well represented by four by Tagaro is expected in the near FOSDEM in 2011, the largest free developers, plus two from the future. software developer meeting in nearby German capital, Berlin. Europe. In the expo, we Gluon, the other ongoing library demonstrated the 4.6 releases, While the local students Felix effort in the KDE Games Kontact Touch, Plasma Netbook, Lemke and Jeffrey Kelling used the community, was represented by KDE on Windows and KDE on Mac. opportunity to continue work on four developers from other parts Many of the people who stopped their own game ideas and present of the world. Gluon delivers a by were impressed to see KDE in them to their fellows, newcomer comprehensive set of libraries for unexpected places and uses. We Julian Helfferich committed the first game development and an IDE gave away over 1000 Kubuntu, bits of his work towards a level that allows for games to be openSUSE and Pardus CDs and editor for KBreakOut. created with as little code as DVDs. We also sold a lot of t-shirts possible. The associated and other merchandise. Friedrich Kossebau, motivated by GamingFreedom.org website will his packaging work in the MeeGo allow game creators to share their We had a strong showing at the community, assessed the products, and gamers to interact Cross Desktop developers room playability of KDE Games on with the creators. which was organized along with devices with small screens and Gnome. There were talks on touch-input, and started on a patch Gluon uses the Open Collaboration developer topics such as Qt Quick to add fullscreen capability to all Services protocol (OCS) for its and Phonon. Lydia spoke on games. social networking features, while mentoring in her talk "Let me GGZ has implemented similar teach you how to fish". Different Apart from these individual features for years with a custom projects in KDE were introduced projects, the hottest topic (and protocol. However, Josef Spillner such as KDE Edu and KDE on initial motivation for the sprint) was committed initial support for an Windows. There were also talks to strengthen the bonds and to OCS export in GGZ to allow for on projects releated to KDE and define the relationship between the integration with OCS-enabled potentially useful to other desktops different subprojects in the KDE applications like those from the such as the games platform Gluon Games community. Gluon project. Everyone agreed to and the application distribution collaborate on interoperable project Bretzen. Dresden-based developer Stefan protocols in those areas where Majewsky spoke about his work in OCS cannot be used. There were other talks on subjects Project Tagaro which strives to of interest to KDE outside the
KDE eV Community Report | Issue 17 | 1st Quarter, 2011 ev.kde.org/reports 5 FOSDEM IS THE SCALE 2011 "Wow, really? I'm going to try that when I get home!" LARGEST OPEN LOS ANGELES, USA 26th and 27th February 2011 We demoed KDE 4.2 and 4.4 on SOURCE MEETING IN Wayne Speir laptops, a desktop and a netbook in many one-on-one and one-on- EUROPE. THIS YEAR, few sessions. There were frank KDE HAD A STRONG discussions about the strengths The ninth annual Southern and weaknesses of KDE 4.x. SHOWING WITH A CAlifornia Linux Expo (SCALE) had Overall the impressions were around 1800 attendees and 75 positive. BOOTH AND talks (unfortunately, none on KDE).The KDE booth was staffed Around one hundred fifty discs of MULTIPLE by three volunteers with a surprise various distributions with KDE were guest appearance Saturday handed out. PRESENTATIONS. morning by Jos Poortvliet. KDE also received exposure at the We expect that many hours spent interacting with attendees sparked developer room. "Qt Tales from openSUSE and PC-BSD booths. an interest in our community as the Embedded Trenches" covered well as our technology. some tips for working on handheld The power of people was evident devices while Boud gave a at the KDE booth this year. We technical introduction on using didn't have the prettiest booth or THE KDE Calligra to make an application the biggest screens, but we had understand OpenDocument. people like Aaron Johnson who VOLUNTEERS AT can connect with anyone and All the above was washed down share KDE. He even used American SCALE GAVE OUT with suitable amounts of Belgium Sign Language once! More than beer while KDE developers met one person started a conversation MORE THAN 150 with each other and developers with "Well, I'm not really all that DEMO DISCS. from many other projects to interested", or "I use GNOME", or "I discuss problems and solutions to loved KDE 3.5 but 4.x not so world domination. much", and ended up saying
(Left) The KDE booth in a rare quiet moment with demo machines for KDE on OSX, KDE on Windows, KDE on Linux Netbook Edition, and KDE on Linux Desktop Edition running a KOLAB server. (Right Top and Bottom) Conference participants at FOSDEM 2011 from KDE. (Photos by John Layt.) CONF.KDE.IN attendees from 14 different states Eugene Trounev, Knut Yrvin and of India were part of the 5 day Sirtaj Singh Kang, one of the first BENGALURU, INDIA event which included talks and KDE hackers from KDE 1.0 days. 9-13 March 2011 tutorial sessions by KDE Pradeepto Bhattacharya contributors including long timers, The sessions ranged from Google Summer of Code / Season beginner level talks and practical of KDE participants and new sessions to advanced topics on contributors. This was the first and KDE and Qt development. conf.kde.in, India’s first KDE and Qt biggest ever KDE-related gathering Morever, there were many talks on conference was co-organized in in India and probably also in all of non-coding topics such as Bengaluru by KDE India and R.V. Asia. community, marketing, College of Engineering between 9- documentation, localization, 13th March 2011. KDE developers There were 6 keynotes during the artwork, and packaging. Delegates from India and abroad joined to main conference. 2 on each of the had the chance to interact with, share their knowledge with the main conference days. They were exchange ideas and learn from conference delegates, mostly given by long time KDE core KDE developers and also students from various colleges and contributors - Lydia Pintscher, Runa from other FOSS projects like universities in India. A total of 300 Bhattacharjee, Adriaan de Groot, OpenSuse, Fedora, Kubuntu and
KDE eV Community Report | Issue 17 | 1st Quarter, 2011 ev.kde.org/reports 7 CONF.KDE.IN, THE FIRST KDE CONFERENCE IN INDIA, BROUGHT TOGETHER 300 CONTRIBUTORS FOR 3 DAYS OF HACKING, PRESENTATIONS, AND FUN.
Debian. Representatives of how to market KDE-Edu in schools The event was helped by Chamba Open Cinema Project in India was organized by Supreeth wonderful sponsors from India were present at conf.kde.in. They Vattam, Inge Wallin, Anne-Marie and abroad. KDE e.V. handled gave a talk at the event and Mahfouf and others. Corridor travel and accommodation costs showcased their work to the discussions between delegates and for most of the speakers. In delegates. speakers about KDE, pet projects, addition, Forum Nokia India, Qt GSoC and more happened during Development Frameworks, One of the most important each conference day. Knut Yrvin VCreateLogic Pvt. Ltd, Alokin elements of the event was performed his awesome boogie Software Pvt. Ltd., and Spoken recruiting new contributors into dance twice at the event, and his Tutorial helped to make the KDE. Tutorial and hands-on performance was loved by all. conference happen. Janastu, a practical sessions on “Your First After dinner, hacking and brain non-profit organization helped the KDE Application” and “Bug fixing storming sessions happened in conference organizers with all sessions” were organized for various hotel rooms. banking/financial infrastructure beginners by KDE experts. BoFs on and help.
conf.kde.in photographs taken by Kushal Das.
NEW MEMBERS
KDE e.V. is happy to welcome the following new members:
Ingo Malchow
Luigi Toscano
Torgny Nyblom
Thomas Baumgart FINANCES KDE E.V. BOARD INCOME (€): Cornelius Schumacher Supporting membership fees: 27,425 President Camp KDE 2011 sponsoring: 2,500
AT THE END OF QUARTER 1, KDE E.V. HAD A POSITIVE BALANCE OF €262,025. CONTACT Note: The financial numbers provded here are approximations and are provided for informational purposes only. For a complete Website: ev.kde.org accounting record, please contact the KDE e.V. directly. Email: [email protected]
Report Prepared By Carl Symons Claudia Rauch Jonathan Riddell Olaf Schmidt-Wischhöfer Pradeepto Bhattacharya Rob Oakes Stefan Majewsky Stuart Jarvis Thomas McGuire Wayne Speir Thanks to the many other members of KDE who contributed to this report.
IF YOUR COMPANY WISHES TO SUPPORT KDE, PLEASE VISIT THE SUPPORTING MEMBERS PAGE AT EV.KDE.ORG/GETINVOLVED/SUPPORTING-MEMBERS.PHP.
KDE is a registered trademark of KDE eV in the United States and other countries. Visit ev.kde.org for more information. Visual design by Eugene Trounev and Rob Oakes. Typeset using the ADF Universalis Font (arkandis.tuxfamily.org/adffonts.html).