A Short Intro

• Located in: Málaga, Spain
• Occupation: Software Designer and Developer (though I am a Mathematician)
• Nickname on IRC: antlarr

The Interview

In what ways do you make a contribution to KDE?

I joined as a developer (with KMid, KPager, some other applications and patches in lots of applications and kdelibs over cvs, including the maintenance of the icon loader classes), but since then I've tried to help in many other ways too. I basically give user and developer talks when I'm invited to give them in any conference around Spain (last time I counted them I had given over 40), I also have written some development tutorials, and long ago I wrote some small texts for (spanish) magazines. For this year, I've been honoured to be elected as the Assembler of the aKademy 2005. In the meantime, I've tried not to stop helping with development, but I'm afraid days are still 24 hours long.

When did you first hear of KDE?

Short answer: At the beginning of the summer of 1997.

Long answer: When I first installed Linux (around 1996) I used fvwm95. I've always liked to play piano and play karaoke music (no, before you ask, I _don't_ sing, I just like to read the lyrics :) ). The problem I had with Linux was that there was no karaoke player. I was astonished that I had the source code for all the system, so I took playmidi, modified it, added support for lyric events from midi files and sent the final source code to playmidi's author in a floppy disk via snail-mail since I didn't have internet access at that time.

Some months later, I got internet access and sent him an email asking about that, since I couldn't see any mention of my patch at his homepage. He said that he was already working on karaoke support when he received my mail, and that I should wait some weeks for a new release of playmidi. I waited weeks, then months, and then decided to do my own graphical midi/karaoke player, for which I would need a good windowing library. A friend of my brother recommended me to use a new project that was quite nice looking. So I tried KDE 0.11 or KDE 0.12 (I can't really remember) and immediately fell in love. I think that was around the beginning/middle of summer of 1997.

How and when did you get involved in KDE?

After I got KMid in a reasonably good shape, I submitted it to be included into kdemultimedia, and it was accepted. That was around end of summer of 1997.

Are you being paid to work on KDE?

No, I would love to, but I'm now working on closed source commercial applications. I've only been paid to work on KDE when I worked for SuSE some years ago. I have good memories of that time (even if rainy days are the status quo in Nürnberg ;) ). Currently I'm doing it on my spare time and a bit more :).

How much time do you usually spend on KDE?

Lately, I think I'm using around 4 or 5 hours a day (or better said, night), and more during weekends.

Which section of KDE is underrated and could get more publicity?

I'd say that the integration of the desktop itself is not valued as much as it should. The point being in that we're working on a desktop, not just on individual applications. The framework that is below our applications should be highly recognised, since that's what allows (for example) Kontact to show online contacts from Kopete or Konversation (or any other IM application that implements the necessary interfaces) while reading mail, or any open file dialog to connect via ssh (or nearly any other protocol) to a remote site to open a file.

Of course, the Kontact+Kolab symbiosis would need much more publicity.

What do you think is still missing badly in KDE?

I think a Windows port of some apps like Kontact and Konqueror is badly missing, but I also know that some people are working on that, so my hopes are no too unrealistic :).

What are your future plans for KDE?

After I get my clone machine or the Akademy and all post-akademy work finishes (whatever happens before), I'd like to think about using user modelling techniques to ease the application interfaces for each user, and I'd also like to work on digikam's tags management, desktop searches, rewriting kmid (which basically still has too many code untouched from 1997), etc.

Do you have any specific goals for KDE 4?

I'm not having time lately to try work branches, and for now, my main goal is making aKademy 2005 a success, after that, we can talk about some other goals.

What motivates/keeps you motivated to work on KDE?

That's a good question :), it's strange because I started motivated by a need of an application and that's what I worked on. But that's certainly not what drives most of us today.

I think the feeling of receiving mails from KDE users/developers saying "thank you" and knowing that you're part of the people who have helped to make one person happy with the way (s)he uses the computer is a very nice feeling.

Also I've made very good friends here, I've made very good friends during the talks I've given, and there's always a good atmosphere at KDE's IRC channels and mailing lists, so that's a plus.

Which application in KDE do you think definitely needs some usability work?

I'm not an usability expert, I just detect whatever gets on my way to doing things as I'd like to do them. Under such circumstances, maybe I would change a few simple things in a few applications. The only application that would need more work (IMHO) would be Kitchensync, which would need a simple wizard that asks a few questions depending on the connection the user wants to do. Another thing I would change is the Resource view in Kontact to be disabled by default. I don't change it so often as to needing to have it using a considerable space on my desktop all the time (note that it can be easily disabled manually).

What chances do you see in your country for KDE as a desktop platform?

I don't think there's any serious poll about desktop usage just in Spain, but from my experience on the talks and travels I've done, I think the percentage is more or less as in the worldwide polls that have been recently published (around 60% of real Linux users use KDE).

Curiously, there are a few distributions pushed by different local governments, and many of them are not using KDE. What is more curious is that the reason that is usually given is that "we're using what X is using" (X being another of those distributions). So basically it means that the developers of the first distribution choose what they personally were more happy with, and few of the rest really made a technical comparison of different desktops.

Anyway there are a few distributions that are using KDE and I'm sure that they'll be quite important in the future, since they add value to their distributions that way, so I think we should try to help them as much as we can.

What is your favourite widget style?

I only try different widget styles the night before I have a user talk where I plan to show them :), so I'm usually using the default (Keramik currently).

Which text editor do you use? Why?

I used to use just vim, but when I started working at my current job where mostly everybody else uses Visual Studio on Windows, I thought it would be too geeky to use vim and so I started using KDevelop. Guess what?... I'm loving it! (no pun intended ;-) )

Now that I think of it, you've asked for the text editor I use and I've answered the source code editor I use...

Which distribution do you use? Why?

SuSE (currently SuSE 9.1). I started using it after the previous distribution gave me some problems and one of my Math teachers at the university showed me the SuSE system he used there.

What is KDE's killer app? Why?

I think the Kontact and Kolab pack is something that all serious enterprises, university departments, etc. should be using. Kolab 2 is a wonderful groupware solution and the Kontact integration is just superb. Having in mind that Kontact can also connect to nearly any other groupware server, its features and the integration with the rest of the desktop, I think everyone should at least try Kontact for a few days.

What makes you develop for KDE instead of the competition?

Without any doubt because of the base technology, the clean design of the libraries' API, the speed of development, the fast response time when having any problem, etc. Anyway, I suppose everyone who hasn't tried it won't believe it's so damn good, so I'll give some other reasons.

I've been developing in C++ since I was 12 or 13, and since some years ago I also do python, so going back to C or any other not-object oriented language that doesn't allow me to develop the way I think (*) would be like a torture for me
^{(*) as opposed to thinking the way the language wants me to develop.}

What does your desktop look like?

I usually have (both at home and at work) 6 virtual desktops with Kontact maximised on desktop 5, a Konsole window in full screen mode on desktop 1, and then several Konsole and Konqueror windows scattered over the other desktops together with any other application. This is a screenshot of my desktop

What type is your laptop/desktop? What is it named?

My desktop is an Athlon XP/2600+ called tazend, and my laptop is an HP nx5000 called anacreon. My brother's laptop is called trantor, and my previous computer was terminus. If you get the pattern I'm sure you've had a good time reading a wonderful book series.

If you were a KDE app, which one would you be? Why?

I think in the last weeks I would be like the dcopserver, because I'm mainly organising and talking to everyone but I'm not really doing any "real work" by myself (as in developing something). Anyway, I wouldn't mind to be any app as long as it's paged out to swap, maybe that way I can get some sleep :).

If you were shipwrecked and had to share an island with a KDE contributor who would it be?

This question is tricky, I wouldn't know who to say, since most of them are good persons, have a good sense of humour and are quite intelligent. But in any case, it would be scary to be left in an island only with Zack, so if it was him I would probably have to swim a lot ;-)

What users do you have in mind when you're developing for KDE?

I don't really have any specific user in mind when developing, but I try to think on the most logical/intuitive way to do things for someone without any prejudice or experience in computers.

What is your most brilliant KDE hack?

I don't think any hack I've done up to this moment is really brilliant.

Personally, I'm very happy with the design of Kalamaris if that can be considered a KDE hack.

What is your most embarrassing KDE moment?

Fortunately I have very bad memory, so I cannot remember any embarrassing moment :)

If we were to start a TV campaign could you think of a nice slogan for KDE?

KDE: Whatever you want it to do. Whatever you want it to be. Your desktop.

Are you coming to Akademy 2005 this year?

I live at around 20 minutes walking or 5 minutes by car from the university of Málaga, so I "think" I'll be there :)

Personal Questions

First things first. Are you married/do you have a partner? Or are you up for adoption?

I'm up for adoption (interested women can send me their curriculum vitae ;-) )

Do you have pets? Names? URL to photo's?

I had a bird, but he died a year ago (he was around 16 years old which is VERY old for such a small bird).

If someone visits your country, which spot is a must-be?

Spain has many places that are a must-see, but since I'm from Andalucía, I would probably say the Alhambra, in Granada.

Which book is on your bedside table?

Something like a year ago I started reading Cryptonomicon (by Neal Stephenson) after a good friend recommended it to me. In Spain they divided the book in three volumes, and even if I liked it, during the second half of the second volume I got less and less time to read, so it's been some months since I've been stuck there. I also have a couple of books from the Discworld series that I'd like to read after I finished "Small Gods" (recommended by Simon Hausmann) and loved it."

Who or what in your life would you say influenced you most?

Probably Open Source (and KDE in particular) has been what has mostly influenced my life. If I had not joined KDE, my life would have probably been much different.

Richard Stallman or Linus Torvalds?

Linus Torvalds

How would you describe yourself?

With few words.

What do you get passionate about?

Usually I'm not very expressive, but that doesn't mean I'm not passionate about some things. Whoever has been in any of my talks knows well that I love to talk about KDE development, and I can convert a 1 hour talk in a 3 hours talk easily :). What is more interesting is that (most) people don't go away, but stay there asking questions, so I think that proves it's an interesting subject ;-).

You're stuck on a train for 6 hours and are bored out of your skull. What do you do to amuse yourself?

I guess the "6 hours" part is not just a random number, but a long time so that you know my laptop batteries will not last so much. In that case, if the waiting is expected, I bring a book with me and read.

If the wait is not expected, and I can't buy a book (as I did a couple of weeks ago when I had to wait three hours in a train station), then I just try to organise my thoughts, and whatever I'll do when I get where I am going to. Sometimes I also play with numbers and try to decompose a plate number in its prime factors or things like that.

Which T.V. show world would you fit right into?

The Fraggle Rock, but I wouldn't know if I'd be a Fraggle or a Doozer.

What is your favourite t-shirt?

Right now, it's the KDE t-shirt I bought at one of the last aKademies. But that's until I put my hands in one of the Kolab t-shirts that I heard that will exist soon ;-)

Among your friends, what are you best known for?

I'm known for not making good estimations of times, and also for loving the music from the 80's (and hating Reggaeton and most commercial current music). Aah, I nearly forgot, I'm also known for my really bad memory :)

What is your favourite place in the world?

I suppose the first place is the best one if you're running a race.

About locations, the view at the beach of Málaga in the afternoon (when the sun is setting) is very nice.

What's your favourite web site at the moment?

Since I read the Dot, Planet KDE and all the classics via akregator in Kontact, some comic strips in the web via dailystrips and a script I made long ago, and then I also read song lyrics via amarok's lyrics viewer, all my web needs are covered. But if I couldn't use any of those applications, and just not to say any of the typical web sites, I would say http://www.comics.com/comics/pearls/, which is a really funny daily comic strip.

What's your signature at the moment?

It's the same than it has been over the last 4 years or so: The output of a bash script that prints a fixed lines and then a small quote chosen randomly from a file where I add each now and then some quotes I find nice, funny or interesting.