A Short Intro

• Age: 34
• Located in: Bamberg, Germany
• Occupation: Artist
• Nickname on IRC: kwwii
• Blog: http://kwwii.blogspot.com/

The Interview

In what ways do you make a contribution to KDE?

I try to do the "art" thing, as best I can.

When did you first hear of KDE?

When I still had hair.

How and when did you get involved in KDE?

At first, Torsten helped me along the path. After that, I shaved my head and started the long walk down the way of true light.

Are you being paid to work on KDE?

From time to time.

How much time do you usually spend on KDE?

Too much, ask my wife!

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

Human Computer Interaction: artwork, usability, accessibility, and internationalisation.

What do you think is still badly missing in KDE?

Better communication between the HCI groups and the development team.

What are your future plans for KDE?

Pretty pictures.

Do you have any specific goals for KDE 4?

Pretty Orange Pictures.

What motivates/keeps you motivated to work on KDE?

The promise of eternal enlightenment. Actually, it is the chance to work on something that can take the next step in human computer interaction, given enough hard work.

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

Konqueror, since I use it so much. There are things I love about it beyond any other file browser on any OS and yet, it is way to complicated (menu structure, toolbars, etc).

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

I happen to live in Germany, although I am American - I hope to make KDE popular in America in addition to where I live.

What is your favourite widget style?

At the moment, Plastik.

Which text editor do you use? Why?

vi, because I am used to it.

Which distribution do you use? Why?

Kubuntu, because it is, in many ways, a straight, clean KDE.

What is KDE's killer app? Why?

Amarok.
Innovation.

What makes you develop for KDE instead of the competition?

The people and the motivation and reasoning behind them. I truly believe that KDE will cleary show that it is years ahead of the competition.

What does your desktop look like?

It changes from day to day...panel in the middle (about 70% or so), Plastik as widget, some test version of an icon set, etc.

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

My laptop is a 15" powerbook with 2GB RAM and all the options. All of my computers hostnames are those of science fiction authors...the laptop is Isaac.

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

Krita. Because it rocks.

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

Cornelius Schumacher - he seems to always know his way around.

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

The desktop market.

What is your most brilliant KDE hack?

Getting tackat to check in "kenwimer.png" to the Konqueror backgrounds (I think he thought I would start contributing to KDE if I saw my name in it).

What is your most embarrassing KDE moment?

Saying stupid stuff in the heat of the moment on a mailing list.

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

KDE - Welcome to your desktop.

Personal Questions

First things first. Married, partner or up for adoption?

Married, one child (son, currently 8).

If you have a partner or children, how do they copes with a KDE addict?

She comes in my office every night and tells me to go to bed.

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

The town I live in :-)

Which book is on your bedside table?

As soon as the next amazon shipment comes, I will let you know - most likely Sci-Fi, I read a *lot*.

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

Making toxic waste land-fills for a living.

Richard Stallman or Linus Torvals?

Linus, he laughed at my porn joke when I met him at the SUSE office. Richard never bothered to come around.

What do you get passionate about?

Simply everything.

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

Read a book.

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

McGyver.

What is your favourite t-shirt?

A plain black one.

Among your friends, what are you are best known for?

Being the loud, funny American.

What is your favourite place in the world?

Home, where ever that may be.

What's your favourite web site at the moment?

cruel.com

What's your signature at the moment?

A statement in German explaining that all spelling errors are part of my personal spelling reform.