A Short Intro

• Located in: United Kingdom
• Occupation: Student and freelance writer
• Nickname on IRC: [vmlinuz]
• Claim to Fame: Kafka maintainer, writer of many articles on KDE for magazines, the KDE metal god ;-)
• Fav. KDE applications: KDevelop, Konqueror, KMail
• Hardware: Athlon 750 / 128MB RAM / 20GB Disk

The Interview

What is your role within KDE?

I am the maintainer of Kafka (a WYSIWYG web editor for KDE). I have also written the KDE Developer Center (program for automating compiling KDE CVS code) and KCVSApplet. I also write articles for magazines on KDE, and I bug test KDE.

How and when did you get involved in KDE?

I first used KDE on the 1.0beta release. I found it the only desktop that felt usable to me. I had not come from the UNIX old boys school and therefore wanted something easy to use. As I used KDE more and more, I wanted to contribute to it.

How much time do you spend on KDE?

I usually spent about 3 - 6 hours a day on KDE depending on how much Uni work and band practice time I have to do.

What is your favorite tool? (for developers; what is your favorite editor?)

I think I might be the only developer who does not use XEmacs. I mainly develop software in KDevelop or pico if KDevelop is not available for any reason.

Is there a process you follow when you code/ translate/write documentation?

I usually have a think what I want my program to do. Once I have thought about what it will do I start to note down on paper how I can code it. Once I have a basic design I code and then test it.

What was your first computer?

A Commodore 64.

Which program would you say every KDE user should have?

Every user should have Konqueror although with so much active development going on, this choice will get harder as time goes by.

If you could add one personal feature to KDE what would that be?

I would love to see a decent graphical installation system similer to Installshield. I feel this is the area that most users find difficult. Themable animated menu's would be nice too. :-)

What application/game would you like to see ported to KDE?

I would love to see Dreamweaver and Flash ported to KDE. Cubase VST would be nice also.

Where do you see yourself and KDE 2 years from now?

I hope to see myself getting paid for doing KDE work in a few years, although I still have much to learn. If this is not the case I hope I am tour with my band (or both :-) ). As for KDE I can see it being the most popular desktop for Linux. I also see many companies porting applications to KDE, and I feel KDE will be better embedding in the desktop market. I will hopefully be using KDE on a PDA too.

Are you being paid to work for KDE and if yes by who?

No. [* employers, make mental note]

Personal Questions

Where and when were you born?

I was born in Northallerton, North Yorkshire.

Which University/School did you go to?

I am currently studying at the University Of Wolverhampton.

What's your status, are you single and up for adoption?

I have been with my girlfriend Susan for the past 5 years.

If married/girlfiend/partner(m/f), how does he/she cope living with a KDE addict?

Sooz seems pretty happy with things. She has also got used to me being away in band practices, so KDE is not the only thing which occupies my time away from her.

Do you have children?

Jees... no! I love my nephews and niece but no way do I want children at the moment!

What are the biggest turning points/events in your life?

There has been a few. Meeting Susan was definitly one, but things such as when I first discovered Linux was another. My first guitar was another.

What is the nicest thing anyone ever did for you?

Hmmm this is hard. There have never been anything that was really prominent, but the support of my friends and family for what I do has been fantastic. My parents in particular have always stuck by what I want to do, and I thank them for that.

If your house is on fire what would be the first thing you would grab to take with you?

I would take my guitar. I could then use it to busk. ;-)

What are the elements for a perfect vacation?

Sunshine, good food and drink, relaxing surroundings and plenty to do. Also a laptop, guitar and a few waster friends are pretty important too.

What are the things you want to have done before you die?

I want to get Kafka released. I would also like to record and tour.

What do you (and your s.o) like to do in your spare time?

We like to just relax at home usually watch TV. We also like to hang out with friends.

What was the last movie you have seen?

The Beach.

What was the last fiction book that your have read?

I don't read fiction.

What song brings back a favorite memory? And why?

A Stratovarius song called Hunting High and Low as it makes me remember of a fantastic gig in London when they played.

If you could be invisible for 2 hours where would you go and what would you do?

I think I would just wander about and see whats going on. It would be interesting seeing what people do and say.

You having some friends over for a party and you're allowed to invite 3 famous people who would you invite and why?

I would invite Nicko McBrain from Iron Maiden as he is pretty damn funny and he is a nice guy. I would also invite the magician Jeff McBride as I aspire to be able to work cards like he does. Finally I would invite Steve Vai and have a jam.

Did you meet your best friend (no family) virtually or in person?

In person.

Did you ever met a fellow KDE'r in person, when and where?

The only KDE person I have met is David Faure. I actually interviewed him at a Linux conference in London. He was really cool.

Name your favorite quote/saying.

"If you put your mind to it...you can do anything".