[kde-linux] kweather in KDE 4.2

[Rajko M.]

On Thursday 26 February 2009 02:59:52 am Rosalind Mitchell wrote:
> On Thursday 26 February 2009 07:31:47 Werner Joss wrote:
> > Am Thursday 26 February 2009 00:12:41 schrieb Rosalind Mitchell:
> > > I can download kweather for KDE 4.2.  I can google and find all sorts
> > > of information about it apart from make it work.  I can run
> > > kweatherservice and kweatherreport from a command line.  What I can't
> > > do is find out how to install it in my panel, and how to set it up in
> > > the summary screen of kontact.
> > >
> > > I've searched Google and can find no answer to this.  Clearly somebody
> > > thinks it works or it wouldn't be available and documented.  It must be
> > > me who is doing something wrong.
> > >
> > > I'm running KDE 4.2 under kubuntu intrepid.  Any ideas?
> >
> > I think you're not doing anything wrong - you are just describing the
> > current state :)

Long story, Rosie. 

> So - what's the problem?  

We (opensource) have no test labs. 
Most of (our) users are not moneybags, so we can't charge some license fee and 
finance bunch of bofins and their infrastructure (coffee machines, cleaners, 
bosses) to think-thank all day long how to make you think that you are happy 
with product. 

> Why issue a release that is known not to work? 

Both weather widgets (plasmoids?) work. (openSUSE 11.1, KDE 4.2, Qt 4.5)
Not perfect display defaults, but window or popup can be streched. 
List of places needs some work. 

In general, it is the way how opensource works. 
When developer has working program on his/her machine, it is released for 
test, and users can see is that working on their, what functionality is 
missing, what doesn't work as expected, or doesn't work at all. Next is to 
tell developer about problems (it is called feedback). He/she will 
improve/debug stuff and release again. That circle is our test lab, and that 
is the reason why the most opesource software is:
- never finished
- but it is of better quality then paid counterparts. 
The only problem is how to get more people to contribute, instead to wait 
silently for someone else to clear problem.   

> What are we waiting for?  

Contributors. It is not complicated. 
Everyone that can write, can help. 
Everyone that knows something, can help. It is not necessary to know all of 
KDE, just bit that worked for you, but someone else can't find it, is help, 
if you share it. 

The list of ways to contribute is long, and every bit helps. Literally. 

If you have a problem, learn how to use bugzilla (bug reporting system) 
http://bugs.kde.org and you can report a problem that mail lists, or forums, 
can't solve. 

Well, not any problem, reading documentation and configuration is still user 
responsibility (that no one likes, including me), but if it is software that 
doesn't let you do what you want to, or documents tell one thing while it is 
different in reality, then it is time to do something.

This way, you will help yourself and everyone else. 

> Why is it a problem? 

Mostly because too many are complaining and waiting for someone else to do 
something, I'll name them "cutomers", because they act as real customers that 
paid for product, have no influence on how problem will be solved, and can 
just wait. The other that ever did something for them and KDE, I call 
contributors. 

Waiting for solution worked in the very begin when number of customers was 
small. Now is quite different. Customers are outgrowing contributors and that 
makes both unhappy. 
Contributors know that it is not hard to be active, so they get annoyed from 
time to time with customers. 
Customers are unhappy as solution doesn't come fast enough, as it used to be. 

What do you think?

-- 
Regards, Rajko