Improving our integration with KDE application teams, and supporting companies

[Valorie Zimmerman]

Hello folks, I've recently spent a week with Boud and Irina Rempt at
their invitation. I hope that this sort of generous hospitality
becomes the norm in our our KDE family. While there, we had many
conversations about the past, present and future of KDE. I was
surprised to learn that during the life of KO, Boud's previous company
with Inga Wallin and now with his small company which supports Krita,
he encountered quite a bit of opposition *in the KDE community*!

I've long been puzzled why KDE applications seem to be relegated to
the "second circle" of KDE, and companies supporting KDE software even
further out.

Not just puzzled, but somewhat discouraged, to be honest. When I
consider the future of a healthy KDE, I see many small companies
popping up, offering commercial support and specialized applications
to users. Far too often I see our great young programmers work within
KDE for a few years, but when they find a job "outside" then pair up
and perhaps have children, they are only involved tangentially. In a
healthy ecosystem, there would numerous KDE affiliated companies
competing to hire them, and they would stay involved as long as they
wanted, while supporting themselves.

Am I the only one who thinks of our future in this way? I think it's
great that we are improving ties with "outside" companies and groups,
and fully support that. But *inside* KDE we should be starting
companies and foundations who can collect donations to support KDE
programmers. I would like to know the thoughts of others and how we
can best encourage this.

Please let's talk about this during Akademy.

Valorie

-- 
http://about.me/valoriez