KDE 4.2 Oslo release party aftermath
So, the KDE 4.2 release party in Oslo is over. We capped at around 12 people, and everyone had a great time :) We discussed free software, Qt (how couldn't we?), and various KDE technology/pillars. It was neat to see some non-trolls show up, and I'm tempted to host more small events to maybe create a local community. Concretely, this means that the next KDE Sunday (hacking/krush sessions) I'm hosting will be public. In otherwords- if you're in Oslo, then keep an eye on my blog for more announcements so that you can come and join us!
And now, time for some handsome devils depicted through blurry vision (cameraphone):
Leo, Thiago, Thomas, and Alexis cheering for Kde 4.2!
Olivier and Simon
Denis, Tobias, and $kde_user (sorry - forgot your name!)
Thanks to everyone who came to celebrate, and thanks to Bugges for hosting us! :D
Comments
QString kde_user =
QString kde_user = "Sirius";-)
Seems like Tobias and I'm in a bit of discussion here.
It was great fun to meet all the Trolls!
re: QString kde_user =
Ah, sorry about that Sirius! Nice meeting you also!
I've always wondered what
I've always wondered what the point of those things are. I can sorta see it if it's similar to a commercial gig, where you print lots of posters and throw cdroms at people just to get the general public a little buzzed on your product. But this thing you have going doesn't seem particularly "sales/marketing oriented", so.
re:I've always wondered what
I can only speak on my own behalf here of course. But for myself it's more of a celebration of effort - that we, as a community, have managed to push out a complete software package which solves real world issues. For most of us, on our own free time. To meet together, see each others faces, and talk casually about various things just brings us closer together.
In short, you're absolutely right - for this Oslo party, it's not particularly "sales/marketing oriented" at all, but rather more of a get-together.
re:I've always wondered what
Well, I think two things are of importance here. First, F/OSS is only partly part of the market economy, not all rules of marketing apply (or, rather, other rules apply as well). There is a loose community of people of identify with KDE (and also Qt). They read the planet, maybe lurk on mailing lists, try svn or beat versions and report bugs. They comment on ideas developers put forth and are - even though they are not developers themselves - somewhat part of this 'imagined community.' Celebration of a great release like 4.2 is something that appeals to both these users and developers and I believe that getting them together once in a while is something wonderful that does not usually happen in a society structured by the market economy (there are, however local coops, etc.), but something that makes an open community 'live' in a more general sense (not unlike Benedict Anderson's idea of imagined communities).
Second, given that a project like KDE is developed by developers, not users, it is important to attract people to participate (which there are many ways of). If is nice that KDE has gained millions of users in Brazil, for example, and in the long run this will lead to people from there become involved with KDE development, but ultimately, what sustains any F/OSS project is continued development. There is always a 'churn' in projects, which are bound to lose developers due to various events in the course of life. Thus, frequent and good communication on blogs and mailing lists will let people know about what's going on and want to help out if a technology seems well designed and promises to become mature any time soon. Thus, the issue of releases in linked to this as well, they can attract contributors. Another thing, and this is what this long post is about, is that the kind of users I was talking about before are usually technically skilled, have some programming knowledge, and could potentially contribute much more. Thus, such meetings might allow for these users to identify even more closely with the project as well as lose their fear to approach it in person and help out.