What makes KDE tick?A look behind the scenes of a large Free Software project

Lydia Pintscher @Nightrose COSCUP 2013

This is KDE

and this is KDE

and for some this is KDE

But really, this is KDE.

And this!

Some numbers

nearly 17 years old

over 200 individual projects

more than 5000 people contributed code + countless contributions in other areas

Some KDE programs

Why are these people doing this?

skills fame

freedom friends

job opportuities

sharing ...

What do people work on?

code

translation

artwork

quality assurance

community management

marketing

documentation

accessibility

...

Why is KDE important?

Innovation

Education

Freedom

2 Central Documents

Code of Conduct

Manifesto

kde.org/code-of-conduct

Be considerate

Be respectful

Be collaborative

Be pragmatic

Support each other

manifesto.kde.org

Open Governance to ensure engagement in our leadership and decision processes

Free Software to ensure the result of our work is available to all people

Inclusivity to ensure that people of all origins are welcome to join us and participate

Innovation to ensure that new ideas constantly emerge to better serve people

Common Ownership to ensure that we stay united

End-User Focus to ensure our work is useful to all people

Benefits (shortened):

1. Technical and social support by the community

2. Support and representation by KDE e.V.3. Increased visibility

Principles (shortened):

1. Support of KDE's Code of Conduct2. No mandatory contributor license

agreement3. Staying true to established practices

common in KDE unless forced to deviate4. Direct write access to all software for all

contributors5. Trademark continuity

How KDE is set up

Where does the good stuff happen?

mailinglists

PlanetKDEmeetings

IRC

wikis

Where is KDE heading?

Frameworks for Qt developers

Umbrella organisation

Your first steps

1. Find something you are interested in

2. Hang around a bit and get to know the people

3. Try to find a small task you can do (or ask for one)

4. Success!

Email me if you have questions:

lydia@kde.org