KDE e.V. supported developer meetings

For 2007 we plan to intensify our support of focused developer meetings. Small gatherings of developers have proven to be a very efficient tool to get important work done and strengthen the community. Thanks to the increasing number of supporting members the e.V. has the resources to support developer meetings financially and in organizational matters. We aim at having something like ten KDE e.V. supported developer meetings in 2007 and hope this will be particularly useful in this important year where the release of KDE 4 is going to happen.

The meetings should be two to three days meetings of around ten developers in an environment where they can focus on getting work done. The meetings should include core people, but also new people to get fresh developers into the community and help them to find their way around. At least one or two new people should be invited to every meeting.

As the KDE community relies on the continuous growth of generations of developers, we also want to encourage our newcomers to take part in the developer gatherings in order to learn and enjoy the culture of KDE in creating innovative technology.

The e.V. can cover travel and accommodation costs for those who have no other means to cover the costs. Participating in developer meeting should be no personal financial burden to any of the participants. If it simplifies logistics and helps developers to concentrate on their work the e.V. can also cover food costs. For all expenses the motivation should be to provide a productive environment, not to give any special benefits.

The e.V. board can help for example with finding locations or getting flights booked. It will also provide help and advice where needed and appropriate.

As you know we plan to hire an administrative person for the KDE e.V. One important task of this person will be to help to organize the developer meetings. This will give us a central point of contact to cope with the recurring administrative tasks related to the meetings.

All meetings need to have a person who acts as responsible organizer and contact person. If possible this person should be supported by one or two co-organizers. The responsibility of the organizer is to coordinate the meeting, take care of invitee lists and agenda and interaction with the e.V. board.

It is recommended to partner with other organizations or companies to conduct the meetings. Additional sponsorship is welcome. This can for example happen through providing rooms, sending people, taking over costs or similar means.

After the meetings a report has to be written and published on the dot. If appropriate it might be accompanied by a private report to the e.V. membership. Documentation of the meeting by web or Wiki pages, mails to the relevant mailing lists or blogs is highly encouraged.

Some possible topics for developer meetings:

  • KDE Core Libs
  • KDE Multimedia
  • Groupware (Akonadi, KDE PIM)
  • Oxygen, the KDE4 Look
  • Single Sign On
  • Development Environment
  • Office Document Creation
  • Accessibility

A first KDE e.V. supported meeting with the topic KDE PIM/Akonadi has already happened in January, an ODF meeting is being planned for May.

If you want to help organize a KDE e.V. supported developer meeting please get in contact with the KDE e.V. board. We will then sort out what needs to be done, what information is required and how to make the meeting happen.