JaviVázquez

GNOME versus KDE…

Although GNOME and KDE collaborates in many ways to promote the use of free software desktop platforms, for example improving their interoperability with freedesktop.org, the truth is that they compete to gain market share.

This battle is not only held in PCs desktops or Linux distros. Linux is becoming an important player in handheld devices also. Sometimes these Linux based handheld devices need a richer graphical interface, so it’s time to choose between the two most popular ones: GNOME and KDE.

…Maemo versus Qtopia…

Maemo is the application development platform supported by Nokia and, so far, only used for the Nokia 770 Internet Tablet. Maemo relies on Linux (Debian) and GNOME (GTK+) technologies.

Qtopia is the application development platform supported by Trolltech, the private company that leads the development of Qt libraries, foundation of KDE project.

Regarding handheld devices using Linux, GNOME versus KDE means nowadays Maemo versus Qtopia.

…Nokia 770 versus Sony Mylo

But, at the end, the success of a development platform is severelly tied to “whatever uses it”. Their future and success is not only related with technological issues, but mostly with the adoption of the products that relies on them.

So, and I am guessing, Nokia 770 versus Sony Mylo fight could be a light that guide the way ahead, GNOME and KDE future in handheld devices.

A link to GUADEC 2006 pictures in flickr has been added to GUADEC 2006 press room.

If you guys upload pictures of GUADEC 2006 to flickr, please tag them with “guadec2006”, so journalists and interested people can find them.

If you upload pictures of GUADEC 2006 to any internet public repository, please let me know to add the link to the press room.

Once GUADEC has already started, I have met several people of the press team at the central building of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, where most of the WUW conferences are being held.

As press responsible at GUADEC, these days my main tasks are coordinating the edition, translation and uploading (to guadec.org/PressRoom) of press materials; and receiving, analyzing and forwarding any requests of interviews to our VIPs and keynotes.

Regarding to the people here, so far, Fernando Sanmartín has come up as responsible for the VIP/pressRoom, and Thomas Keup, who has translated and sent the press release to German media, has offered his car to pick Jim Gettys up in the airport.

Regarding to press materials, I have reviewed, translated and uploaded the OLPC story written by Sriram Ramkrishna to guadec.org/PressRoom.

Finally, the most important point just now, interviews with VIPs and keynotes are being arranged fast. Jim Gettys, Miguel de Icaza, Carlos Guerreiro or Jeff Waugh are the most demanded by the journalists.

In a couple of days, I will publish all the interviews that have been done during GUADEC.

The last days I have been working in GUADEC 2006 Press Room, something need to spread the existence of our great GNOME conference.

In this press media and press section, we will have basic press material such the GUADEC press kit, a link to the schedule, a couple of cool stories such as one about The Portland Project, links to pictures and, finally, another link to ads and posters.

The good points are that we have press section ready to gather all the important information for press and, for example, also a complete press kit and a couple of cool stories. However, on the other hand, the press kit is not translated to English yet, and the first press release is not ready either, beingMonday 19th June the deadline to send it .
One we have finished the material last, I hope that Vilanova and Generalitat press agencies help us to reach the mass media and get 500 people coming to GUADEC. Press agencies of our sponsors will help also to “spread the word” of GUADEC worlwide.
So far, one of our media partners, Gaceta Tecnológica, is going to publish an special edition about GUADEC in its next printed number, and it’s quite probable we could have several Spanish press’s journalists (ElPais, ElMundo…) phisically in GUADEC, living in the GNOME Village with hundreds of GNOME hackers.

Next week, I will be 50% dedicated to attend the media and help them to inform about GUADEC. In a couple of weeks, in Vilanova i la Geltrú, my mobile phone will be on 24 hours a day to ease press contacting our VIPs, knowing what’s going on and the like.

GUADEC 2006 Official Schedule is out!

GNOME conference will be held from 24th to 30th of June, including Core days, Warm Up Weekend (WUW) and After Hours Workshops (AHW).

During the WUW, we will have the Sant Joan Nit party, BoF meetings by region, GUADEC-ES (Spanish), GAUDEC-CA (Catalan) and the first FreeFA World Cup, when worlwide hackers could show their soccer abilities competing for the Championship.

Core days will be full of very interesting conferences, discussing about the future of the free desktop, with keynotes such as Kathy Sierra, Jim Gettys or Simon Phipps.

Finally, at the AHW, people from Intel, Nokia or Igalia 😉 will coordinate different BoFs about present and futurue GNOME issues.

I am the press contact for GUADEC 2006, so if you, journalists, are interested in getting press materials, knowing cool stories about people and companies involved in GUADEC, interviewing “our” VIPs or, indeed, writing about the soccer world championship… please, feel free to contact me.

I can speak Spanish and English, I have a cell phone… so I will help Quim Gil being a kind of press contact before and during GUADEC.

Trying to push and getting things done, we need help as soon as possible, so I have sent an email to guadec-list asking for volunteers. If you are able to help with some of the tasks listed, please let me know at jvazquez@igalia.com

The email with the tasks and deadlines:
Hi guys!,

in the press team, we have defined a list of tasks. We would thank a
lot your help in any of them.

The point is that GUADEC is already there, so we need to match
volunteers and tasks as soon as possible.

* Deadline to any of the tasks: Wednesday 7th

I will translate to Spanish whatever you write and send it to our media
partners, press contacts through our sponsors and press contacts here in
Spain.

If you need to get in touch with any of our VIPs, I will give you their
contact and help with the proccess. If you need more information, I will
supply it.

Thomas and Shaun, I Ccopy you this email you because you both offered
help a couple of weeks ago. If you still are able to do it, please pick
some of the tasks and let me know.

The list of tasks:

* Press contact: sending information and releases to media, link between
media and VIPs, having the cell phone on 24 hours before and during
GUADEC 🙂
--> Assigned to: javivázquez

* Press Kit (an example in
http://2005.guadec-es.org/guadec/sala_prensa/disponibles_dossier_y_nota_de_prensa [Spanish])
--> Deadline: Wednesday 14th
--> Assigned to:

* A press release to announce the event
--> Deadline: Wednesday 14th
--> Assigned to:

* 3 press releases, one for each day of the conference, talking
about the important conferences and people of each day
--> Deadline: Monday 19th
--> Assigned to:

* Cool story 1: Portland Project
--> Deadline: Wednesday 7th
--> English version assigned to: Sri
--> Spanish translation: javivázquez on Thursday 8th

* Cool story 2: Guy from Mongolia
A guy from Mongolia coming to GUADEC after organizing the first Linux
install party of that country with 800 participants
--> Deadline: Wednesday 7th
--> English version assigned to: Sri
--> Spanish translation: javivázquez on Thursday 8th

* Cool story 'n': a lot of possibilities, pick one or propose other you
like more
---> Possibilities: Google supporting the GNOME conference, Intel
sponsoring GUADEC, Nokia and Maemo, 100.000€ invested in accessibility
projects by the Catalan government...
--> Deadline: Wednesday 14th
--> English version assigned to:
--> Spanish translation if needed:

By the way, any suggestion or idea (e.g. proposing different deadlines,
new cool stories...) will be very welcome.

After a couple of months waiting for the official confirmation, Paco Huertas has phoned me to establish Junta de Extremadura as a new Silver Partner in GUADEC 2006.

The commitment of Junta de Extremadura with Free Software in general and GNOME in particular is well know all around the world, mainly because of project GNU Linex, the very first GNU/Linux distribution, which is based on Debian and GNOME, made from a public administration.

In this way, Junta de Extremadura increments its support to GNOME more indeed, being one of the first occasions when a public administration finance an event like this out of its geographic borders.

As it was said in the GUADEC list, a footbal match will be played during GUADEC 2006.

Several of our terrible footbal players, here in Igalia, whose futsal team is know as the “probably worst futsal team ever” in A Coruña company’s futsal league, are in the list.

The only advice I could give you, guys, is to try playing with me, not against. If you want to be in the other team, do not atack using my side, because I am experimented and very, very, very hard right defender. };)

Do you know Pablo Alfaro, now playing for Racing of Santander (last season for Sevilla)? I teached him everything }:P

A new version of the popular multi-platform free desktop GNOME has been released today:

GNOME 2.14 [gnome.org]

Nokia and Imendio have become the first two official sponsors of GUADEC 2006.

Both of them had been sponsors in the GUADEC hold in Germany last year, and also both have considered the deal worthy enough to repeat this year.

While Nokia will be again the “Cornerstone” sponsor, the highest category, reserved to one only corporation, Imendio has agreed to be one of the “Silver” ones.

We are just now negotiating with several others multinationals, medium sized companies and also regional governments to complete the number of sponsors required to support such a huge event as GUADEC, the most important and biggest GNOME meeting.

Once the “Cornerstone” (25k €) has been signed, to get 3 Gold (15k €) and 5/6 more Silver (5k €) seems an achievement quite reachable.