Reports from Brazilian Open Software Conference 2003 (long)

[Roberto Teixeira]

(Replying with complete content to kde-promo because I think this
belongs there)

Am 3566 September 1993, Helio Chissini de Castro schreibt:
> I'm just back from my journey ( closed airports, delay, no lunch, etc.. ) to 
> Open Software Conference at Rio Grande do Sul, where i did a speach about 
> Corporate Desktop and KDE approach.

Congratulations. Comments about the conference tell me that your
presentation was a success :-)

> First, a little excerpt from what this conference represents to Brazil itself.
> This conference become the major computer conference in Brazil, since the down 
> of Comdex Brazil and Fenasoft, and in last two years they earn a strong 
> political side, since Brazilian government is strong turned to Open software.
> It happen's every year in the same place, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, 
> where is a strong GNU/Linux nest, and barelly all Gnome centric. To finish 
> excerpt, just mention that the guy who leads Rio Grande government software 
> project, Marcelo Branco, is now invited to assume all Brazilian government 
> software project, antd he is a "just Gnome" guy indeed.

Ok, I think it's interesting to point that I have been exchanging
some emails with Mr. Branco. Although he is personally pro-GNOME for
it being "pure GNU software", he is also a very inteligent man and he
is very well aware of the technological advantages KDE has to
offer. He know that in Brazil KDE has a rapid growing user base and
corporate support (Conectiva has done a very good job in the last
year or so promoting KDE as the best desktop for the enterprise).

I have offered him assistance in his job of promoting free software
to the federal government. As I said, he is inteligent and he knows
that KDE will be present in any attempt to adopt a free desktop on
the federal level. He is most likely not happy with it, but he's
certainly not against it.

> So, after 4 hours delay in my flight, a arrived at Porto Alegre and barely 
> have time to eat something and goes to conference. Today, the last day, is 
> considered the "Gnome Day", since Mr. Icaza was going to do two speachs in 
> the main room ( 600 places ), and the first one was happen just an hour 
> before i arrived. To mention, no seats are empty. A comment: Icaza is kind of 
> a mytical God there. Is really a star to this people. 
> When i got my id's, i just go to V.I.P. room, closed to speach guys. After i 
> just turn on my notebook, and start read mail., Mr. Icaza comes to my 
> surprise and seat aside me to do the same. I tried, i really tried change 
> some words with him, but you know how must be hard speak to a God must be, 
> hardly when the guy REALLY act as one.. For a few moments i'm feeling a bit 
> unpleased with everything, despite the good treatment gave me by the staff.
> After harsh talk with Miguel ( KDE is not interesting, Gnome will be won in 
> the next version, Mono i seven times better than pnet, yada, yada, yada ), 
> was the time to front the real treat, Mr. Marcelo Branco ( from government ). 
> I barely talk with him, but after some talk, i figure out that to put our 
> beloved KDE in, we will need do things from a different way..
> That's what i start to did in that moment..
> I was prepared a small old notebook P2-300 Mhz, 64Mb , with new Conectiva 
> Linux, to prove to everyone that's be  possible run our distro, and most of 
> all, KDE in a simple machine.
> And to show new features, package fom CVS HEAD 4/06/2003, including Gideon and 
> Quanta.
> So, when i arrive at my speach room, how surprise i'm am about having almost 
> all seats ( 100 ) full, and after i start, just a few leave during the 
> speach. So, hard responsibility, things must work and i had to be delicately 
> about talk with many Gnome Hun Hords in the room too, showing just KDE 
> itself, and avoiding any comparison. Thanks God, evrything goes allright, and 
> no Krash appears during the 1 hour speach, despite some slowness due a little 
> mem, and surprisely, i got some of crowd to participate from the speach.
> But, what i really mention above about which steps we ( at Brazil ) will need 
> do to put KDE in our gov. i did in the early beginning and the end of my 
> speach.
> In the beginning, when i'm introducing myself, i spoke about the three only 
> Brazilian KDE developers ( me, Roberto and Thiago ), and mention that we have 
> a lot of difficult to reach developers here to help. I really touched some 
> guys in this moment, but the "piece of resistance" comes in the end Questions 
> time.
> A corporate guy that watching my speach ask me this question:
> - "In this conference government stated that 2004 will be the Open Software 
> year to Brazil. I want to know if KDE will be there at this time.."
> - This is the clue that i was waiting. My response was directly. We want, we 
> really need, but now, we are three and some translators. We will do all 
> efforts to walk with this moment, but if we didn't have more local help, will 
> be dificult...
> After, many people come to me to ask some more directly question about speach 
> talks, but i really earn the day when i walked on the conference showrooms, 
> and listening a lot of people talking well about my speach, and more, i 
> believe that i earn one or two newest possible developers.. My first move 
> will be completly done when the hears of KDE speach reach in the Gov. guys 
> ears.. And more, i reach this without using any usual Win/Gnome attacks that 
> some guys usually use.
> Just to mention, at the end of my speach, this guys ( Gov. guys ) are at main 
> room conference again with Miguel de Icaza in a really boring Mono speach, 
> for about 500 people :-P
>
> I really don't know if i'm a little emotive now, but in the plane backing home 
> i really felt that had a great day to both Conectiva and KDE project.. More 
> days like this must come :-)

heh :)

> -- 
> Helio Castro
> KDE Developer
> Development Conectiva S.A.
>

-- 
Roberto Selbach Teixeira
Conectiva Corporate Development
roberto at conectiva.com

 
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