<br><font size=1 face="Verdana">Helio, KDE-Developes, etc,</font>
<br><font size=1 face="Verdana">I'm a kind of KDE contributer also in Brazil. Soon CVS will receive some pieces of code I'm working on.</font>
<br>
<br><font size=1 face="Verdana">At a corporate level, here at IBM we are talking about a global desktop support offering, but it is mostly based on Ximian (read Gnome).</font>
<br><font size=1 face="Verdana">To let us say we globally "support a Linux Desktop", we need somebody to give us 3rd level support, somebody to call when a customer have a problem and a commitment that there is somebody to look and fix the bug. We (or a customer) can't depend on the kde-devel mailing list.</font>
<br><font size=1 face="Verdana">From this perspective, Ximian represents a corporate endpoint for it, with solutions like red-carpet, etc. We can also sign a support contract with them.</font>
<br>
<br><font size=1 face="Verdana">I noticed there is a KDE::Enterprise initiative, but they look to me as inexpressive from a corporate perspective. I mean people that can come and talk in a business level with business people saying "sign this contract and I'll give you support", not just developers saying "subscribe this mailling list and you'll have free support from the source".</font>
<br>
<br><font size=1 face="Verdana">Personaly, I prefer KDE, and I believe it is a much more integrated, smooth and advanced desktop for the final user. I want KDE to be the winner of the Linux desktop (or any desktop). But a corporate commitment is vital.</font>
<br>
<br><font size=1 face="Verdana">As an example, few day ago I reported a design problem (bug #59285) regarding 100% unaccessible files when their names are non-UTF-8 encoded. Many developers understood the severity but the position was "this is mainly unsupported, and will fix when we'll have time". I'm not blaming them, because I understand. But this is the kind of problem a company can't stand without help. There is many ways to workaround this particular situation, but I'm talking about the approach to the problem, and not the problem per-se.</font>
<br>
<br><font size=1 face="Verdana">Thank you,</font>
<br><font size=1 face="Verdana">Avi</font>
<br>
<br>
<br><font size=1 face="Verdana"><br>
Avi Alkalay <avi at br.ibm.com> :: SW & IT Architect<br>
LA Linux Impact Team :: IBM Brazil :: http://ibm.com/linux<br>
Tel: +55 11 2132-2327 | Mobile: 9659-9059 | Tie: 842-2327<br>
:: Think Open : Think Linux ::<br>
<br>
</font>
<br><font size=1 color=#800080 face="sans-serif">----- Forwarded by Aviram Alkalay/Brazil/IBM on 09/06/2003 16:24 -----</font>
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<td><font size=1 face="sans-serif"><b>"Avi" <avi@alkalay.net></b></font>
<p><font size=1 face="sans-serif">09/06/2003 16:17</font>
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<br><font size=1 face="sans-serif"> To: Aviram Alkalay/Brazil/IBM@IBMBR</font>
<br><font size=1 face="sans-serif"> cc: </font>
<br><font size=1 face="sans-serif"> Subject: Fwd: Reports from Brazilian Open Software Conference 2003 (long)</font>
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----- Original message -----<br>
From: "Helio Chissini de Castro" <helio@conectiva.com.br><br>
To: kde-core-devel@kde.org<br>
Date: Sat, 7 Jun 2003 21:22:03 -0300<br>
Subject: Reports from Brazilian Open Software Conference 2003 (long)<br>
<br>
Hello all..<br>
<br>
I'm just back from my journey ( closed airports, delay, no lunch, etc.. )<br>
to <br>
Open Software Conference at Rio Grande do Sul, where i did a speach about <br>
Corporate Desktop and KDE approach.<br>
<br>
First, a little excerpt from what this conference represents to Brazil<br>
itself.<br>
This conference become the major computer conference in Brazil, since the<br>
down <br>
of Comdex Brazil and Fenasoft, and in last two years they earn a strong <br>
political side, since Brazilian government is strong turned to Open<br>
software.<br>
It happen's every year in the same place, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do<br>
Sul, <br>
where is a strong GNU/Linux nest, and barelly all Gnome centric. To<br>
finish <br>
excerpt, just mention that the guy who leads Rio Grande government<br>
software <br>
project, Marcelo Branco, is now invited to assume all Brazilian<br>
government <br>
software project, antd he is a "just Gnome" guy indeed.<br>
<br>
So, after 4 hours delay in my flight, a arrived at Porto Alegre and<br>
barely <br>
have time to eat something and goes to conference. Today, the last day,<br>
is <br>
considered the "Gnome Day", since Mr. Icaza was going to do two speachs<br>
in <br>
the main room ( 600 places ), and the first one was happen just an hour <br>
before i arrived. To mention, no seats are empty. A comment: Icaza is<br>
kind of <br>
a mytical God there. Is really a star to this people. <br>
When i got my id's, i just go to V.I.P. room, closed to speach guys.<br>
After i <br>
just turn on my notebook, and start read mail., Mr. Icaza comes to my <br>
surprise and seat aside me to do the same. I tried, i really tried change <br>
some words with him, but you know how must be hard speak to a God must<br>
be, <br>
hardly when the guy REALLY act as one.. For a few moments i'm feeling a<br>
bit <br>
unpleased with everything, despite the good treatment gave me by the<br>
staff.<br>
After harsh talk with Miguel ( KDE is not interesting, Gnome will be won<br>
in <br>
the next version, Mono i seven times better than pnet, yada, yada, yada<br>
), <br>
was the time to front the real treat, Mr. Marcelo Branco ( from<br>
government ). <br>
I barely talk with him, but after some talk, i figure out that to put our <br>
beloved KDE in, we will need do things from a different way..<br>
That's what i start to did in that moment..<br>
I was prepared a small old notebook P2-300 Mhz, 64Mb , with new Conectiva <br>
Linux, to prove to everyone that's be possible run our distro, and most<br>
of <br>
all, KDE in a simple machine.<br>
And to show new features, package fom CVS HEAD 4/06/2003, including<br>
Gideon and <br>
Quanta.<br>
So, when i arrive at my speach room, how surprise i'm am about having<br>
almost <br>
all seats ( 100 ) full, and after i start, just a few leave during the <br>
speach. So, hard responsibility, things must work and i had to be<br>
delicately <br>
about talk with many Gnome Hun Hords in the room too, showing just KDE <br>
itself, and avoiding any comparison. Thanks God, evrything goes allright,<br>
and <br>
no Krash appears during the 1 hour speach, despite some slowness due a<br>
little <br>
mem, and surprisely, i got some of crowd to participate from the speach.<br>
But, what i really mention above about which steps we ( at Brazil ) will<br>
need <br>
do to put KDE in our gov. i did in the early beginning and the end of my <br>
speach.<br>
In the beginning, when i'm introducing myself, i spoke about the three<br>
only <br>
Brazilian KDE developers ( me, Roberto and Thiago ), and mention that we<br>
have <br>
a lot of difficult to reach developers here to help. I really touched<br>
some <br>
guys in this moment, but the "piece of resistance" comes in the end<br>
Questions <br>
time.<br>
A corporate guy that watching my speach ask me this question:<br>
- "In this conference government stated that 2004 will be the Open<br>
Software <br>
year to Brazil. I want to know if KDE will be there at this time.."<br>
- This is the clue that i was waiting. My response was directly. We want,<br>
we <br>
really need, but now, we are three and some translators. We will do all <br>
efforts to walk with this moment, but if we didn't have more local help,<br>
will <br>
be dificult...<br>
After, many people come to me to ask some more directly question about<br>
speach <br>
talks, but i really earn the day when i walked on the conference<br>
showrooms, <br>
and listening a lot of people talking well about my speach, and more, i <br>
believe that i earn one or two newest possible developers.. My first move <br>
will be completly done when the hears of KDE speach reach in the Gov.<br>
guys <br>
ears.. And more, i reach this without using any usual Win/Gnome attacks<br>
that <br>
some guys usually use.<br>
Just to mention, at the end of my speach, this guys ( Gov. guys ) are at<br>
main <br>
room conference again with Miguel de Icaza in a really boring Mono<br>
speach, <br>
for about 500 people :-P<br>
<br>
I really don't know if i'm a little emotive now, but in the plane backing<br>
home <br>
i really felt that had a great day to both Conectiva and KDE project..<br>
More <br>
days like this must come :-)<br>
<br>
-- <br>
Helio Castro<br>
KDE Developer<br>
Development Conectiva S.A.<br>
<br>
>> Visit http://mail.kde.org/mailman/listinfo/kde-devel#unsub to unsubscribe <<<br>
<br>
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .<br>
Avi Alkalay <avi at alkalay.net><br>
+55 11 3673-4209 | 9659-9059<br>
Think Open :: Think Linux<br>
<br>
-- <br>
http://www.fastmail.fm - Does exactly what it says on the tin<br>
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