[kde-community] KDE Mission - let's do this!

[Aleix Pol]

On Thu, Apr 28, 2016 at 12:21 PM, Thomas Pfeiffer
<thomas.pfeiffer at kde.org> wrote:
> Hi everyone,
> as we've found during the vision creation process that having a concrete draft
> to work from can streamline the discussion, I tried to come up with one.
> It goes quite into detail, but I think this is necessary in order to be useful
> as practical guidance.
>
> To fulfill our vision, KDE has taken on the mission to create products which
>  - give users control, freedom and privacy
>  - convince them - through excellent user experience - to switch away from
> products which don't give them that
>  - reach them where they are

The convincing part is implicit in the reaching out (i.e. point 2 is in 3).
As second point, I would mention that we want to offer quality user experience.
Or maybe I didn't understand you.

> To provide control, freedom and privacy, KDE's products
> - allow users to "tinker" with them.
This tinkering can be tricky. We allow tinkering as soon as we provide
the source code, in fact. And so does any other FOSS project.

> - apply open standards to prevent "lock-in"
Apply reads weird. Leverage? Use?

> - integrate well with existing online services sharing the same values, or
> create their own where those do not exist
> - never collect or transmit information about users without their explicit
> consent ("opt-in")
That's really hard to do and could be cumbersome. For example, is
akregator sending information about users data?
Is Discover (through apt?).
Everything we use is data and using data generates data.

> - strive to provide usable security and privacy features to protect against
> surveillance and data theft
>
> To create a convincing user experience, KDE's products aim to
> - have consistent, easy to use human interfaces
> - provide users with _at least_ the features and quality they expect coming
> from non-free products
This suggests non-free products are better. Needs rewording.

> - be at the forefront of emerging trends like mobile/desktop convergence
This text will probably need to be reviewed soon, I guess :D.

> - integrate well with other Free products to complete the experience
>
> To reach users where they are, KDE
> - strives to make our products available on major Free but also proprietary
> operating systems and platforms, mostly by applying Qt as a technology that
> allows easy portability
Interesting, again needs careful wording.

> - aims for a presence on all relevant device classes (desktop, mobile,
> embedded)
We've never been on embedded as KDE (maybe KDE Frameworks have been
there though).
I'd find a better word to say "end-user devices". If we ever do
embedded, we can update it.

> - continues to offer a "classic desktop" product which makes the switch from
> proprietary operating easy
> - offers products that also inter-operate with proprietary software, formats
> and services in order to ease the transition to Free alternatives.

Is offering integration of proprietary services needed to be
mentioned? It's a strategy we might adopt (to reach out) but it's not
our mission. The mission is to have the "good services" adopted (by a
definition of good services). Or not. Up for discussion.

HTH,
Aleix