[kde-community] KDE Mission - let's do this! : Feedback on survey draft

[Thomas Pfeiffer]

On 16.06.2016 13:32, sabayon11 wrote:
> Very interesting survey. I found some issues very controversial.
>
> > ...reach as many users as possible, regardless of which operating systems, 
> applications or services they currently use
>
> I say no, focus on quality. Be realistic. Don't take to much on your plate.

Be aware that the Mission is not a short-term plan, it is supposed to guide our 
work for years to come.
>
> > ...convince users to switch away from proprietary software and services in 
> general
>
> How are you going to convince? Marketing? If quality and useability of KDE 
> software is fine they will switch by themeselves. No earlier I guess.

Good quality is of course a necessary requirement for convincing users, but they 
also have to be aware of it.
>
> > ...use new online services created by KDE for areas where no freedom- and 
> privacy-respecting services exist
> > ...offer our own web-based products / services
>
> Is KDE financialy capable of doing it? Has KDE other necessarry resources to 
> accomplish it? Will KDE users sponsor it or pay for it? Will you make it 
> commercial service?

WikiToLearn ( http://wikitolearn.org/ ), for example, is a very successful 
web-based KDE product. They have acquired their own sponsors for infrastructure, 
which will probably be a must for any web-based product at some point. So yes, 
it is possible, but probably not with the servers KDE has alone.
>
> > ...aim for a presence on mobile devices (e.g. smartphones and tablets)
> > ...aim for a presence on embedded devices (e.g. in-vehicle (entertainment) 
> systems, smart TVs, smart home or machine control panels)
>
> Do you really think that KDE can compete with Android or iOS? Or is it a 
> wishfull thinking only (dream on).

Nobody said that being a direct competitor for Android or iOS would be our goal.
1. KDE is _not_ the desktop, it is the community which also makes applications. 
We already have a presence on Android devices in the form of KDE Connect, 
KAlgebra and Behaim Globe, and there are several more KDE applications for 
Android in the works. Being present on smartphones does not mean beating Android 
or iOS
2. There is Plasma Mobile. Its goal is not to dominate the mobile market any 
time soon, but that does not mean there are no valid usecases for installing it 
(for example for people or organizations who need better privacy and security 
protection that Android or iOS can offer them)

Aiming for a presence on a platform is not the same as trying to replace 
dominant OSes. Plasma is installed on only a tiny fraction of desktop PCs. Does 
that mean we don't have a presence there?

>
> > ...adopt current and emerging user interface trends (e.g. mobile/desktop 
> convergence, conversation-based user interfaces, ...)
>
> Are you capable of doing it in the first place? Do you have resources?
>
We are capable of doing it. We have Plasma, which already has the capability for 
being used as a convergent desktop, and we have Kirigami, a framework which is 
made for convergent applications. We do not have much technology for 
conversion-based user interfaces, but since we're in the FOSS world, we could 
laverage technologies such as Mycroft.

> > ...treat all applications equally, regardless of whether they are for common 
> or niche tasks
>
> Quality of Plasma - quickly fixing bugs, providing new features proposed by 
> users, basic features of desktop should be a priority. Next utilities. At the 
> moment I don't use for example Korganizer because some parts of it are not 
> developed and are useless (Kjots, Tasks).
>
This is a survey, in order to find out what the community wants to focus on, and 
what our users would like us to focus on. We will see what comes out of it.

> > Business/ office users
>
>  Is KDE capable of doing it? If yes, in what areas? Be realistic. Is KDE 
> office suit capable of replacing MS Office or even LibreOffice? Does it offer 
> advanced features like group work? Be realistic.
>
1. Again: The survey is for helping us decide what to _focus_ on. If we decide 
to focus on business users, then of course we have to invest more of our energy 
into business applications.
2. Why should users not use KDE software in conjunction with LibreOffice? It's 
not like we can only be relevant if people use _exclusively_ our software.

> I have the impression that this question reflect that KDE developers have big 
> ambitions. But keep in mind that you need to have resources. KDE itself is a 
> niche desktop invironment. Focus on basics and if this is fullfilled go further.
>
See above: The Mission is not our short-term strategy.

> I am only an ordinary user. I want the basic features of desktop environment 
> to function properly without bugs. At the moment not all features of KDE 4 has 
> been implemented.
>
That is fine, of course, and understandable.
Thank you for your feedback!