Nick: pOz3r (my nickname from my old skater days)
In what ways do you make a contribution to KDE?
Window Decorations(i.e. Smooth Blend), SuperKaramba Themes, and SuperKaramba itself. I’m also working with the Plasma team for KDE 4.0, but that’s still a ways off.
How and when did you get involved in KDE?
It more or less started when I found kdelook.org. I really liked the community there and then Karamba was released. I picked up on making themes right away. Then came SuperKaramba and I hadn’t used Python before that was out. I really liked pushing the envelope of what could be done with such little time investment. I was such a fan that I contacted Adam Geitgey to become a developer so I could fix certain bugs in SuperKaramba.
What one of your SK themes are you most proud of?
iLaunch, because it really takes usability to another level. Once you use it, all other launchers, apps in panels, etc., just go away. I’ve not updated it in a while and plan to before the next SK release which should be _real soon_
“An interesting theme from the launcher category is iLaunch, which, although it displays only a single icon on the desktop, can ‘hold’ and start any number of applications by switching through them with the mouse wheel. This is a great idea to save space on the desktop and make applications accessible quickly in a common location.” - quoted from Karamba, what an attractive desktop! published by Newsforge
Are you being paid to work on KDE?
Not yet. If someone is interested in paying me, forward them my email address. ;)
How much time do you usually spend on KDE?
Running it? All day, except when eating or sleeping, and even then I might be on it. When I’m home from work, I’m normally working on something code oriented or reading the kde-artists.org forums.
What motivates/keeps you motivated to work on KDE?
The community. People are always willing to pass on some information if you ask a question. I’ve always done the same when helping people in the SuperKaramba forums, and it’s nice to see the same sentiment with the KDE folks.
What makes you develop for KDE instead of the competition?
You mean there’s competition? Every environment has a purpose, and KDE just happens to have what I need. It’s more than just a window manager(which I used to be a big supporter of minimalism), and I’ve always liked the way it interacts with the user.
Which section of KDE is underrated and could get more publicity?
kdebindings. It’s going to be a big part of any applet in KDE 4.0. In fact, it’s on my TODO list to start learning KJSEmbed. ;)
What do you think is still missing badly in KDE?
Something that makes KDE stand out from other OS’s and other environments. Although I don’t think that will be a problem once we get Plasma working!
What are your future plans for KDE?
Flesh out the last remaining bugs for Smooth Blend. Get SuperKaramba into KDE 3.5 release. Work with the rest of the Plasma team for the highly anticipated 4.0 release.
Do you have any specific goals for KDE 4?
Get more involved, maybe meet some of the kde devs in person and of course Plasma.
