[KDE / QT FreeBSD users] CALL FOR HELPERS: Please contribute to the project! Thanks!

[Carpetsmoker]

This was posted at ports@, but it's worth repeating here IMO:

To: freebsd-ports@freebsd.org
Cc: kde-freebsd@kde.org
Reply-To: stickybit@
Date: Thu, 19 Jun 2008 03:35:17 +0200
User-Agent: Mail User Agent
From: Sticky Bit <stickybit@>
Subject: [KDE / QT FreeBSD users] CALL FOR HELPERS: Please contribute to the
project! Thanks!

Dear KDE / QT on FreeBSD users,

we need your help! Yes, -your- help! Why? Please read more ...

I would not write this mail if everything was fine with KDE on FreeBSD. This
is a gently but urgent request for help.

Main problem is there are not enough contributors at the moment. This is
really urgent because the whole 'KDE on FreeBSD' project is moving very
slowly right now. This situation will not change until more users start to
help us. Such a big task like porting and maintaining KDE on FreeBSD requires
a huge amount of resources. But the project does not have enough responsive
testers and contributors. We also need long term contributors and active
maintainers.

You asked yourself why there is no update of KDE 3 ports to latest stable
3.5.9 which were released months ago? You asked yourself why you are not able
to dive into the exiting new world of KDE 4 on FreeBSD because there is no
KDE 4 within FreeBSD ports tree yet? There are simply not enough
contributors! You want these tasks to be done? Fine! But then please help.

Only very few contributors are working on it at the moment. miwi@ is one of
those. He did and does a very good job - also often in the background and not
really noticed. He has already done a great work in porting KDE 4 to FreeBSD.
But there is so much much more to do and he cannot do it all alone.

If you have some free space on your disk, some time to spent and you are
familiar with the ports tree then I ask you to contribute! No special skills
required!

First create a new user account just for testing purposes so your /home/.kde
etc will not be touched when you run KDE 4. Checkout the area51 repository
(see below). Then update QT4 first. Then build the KDE 4 ports you want. Log
the builds and runtime tests of those ports. See http://wiki.freebsd.org/KDE4
for known problems. Report all (unknown) problems or bugs with full logs (e.
g. post the logs at http://nopaste.unixfreunde.de/ ) and some details at
kde-freebsd@kde.org.

It is really that easy! You can do something like this:

# cvs -d:ext:anoncvs@orm.arved.priv.at:/home/kde-freebsd co area51

# mount -t unionfs /path/to/area51 /usr/ports

Thanks to unionfs - which runs pretty well these days / RELENG7 - there is no
risk for your original ports tree. Just do

# umount /usr/ports

and you can use it like before.

Questions? Bug reports? Something else? Please subscribe to
kde-freebsd@kde.org at

https://mail.kde.org/mailman/listinfo/kde-freebsd

and mail your questions, answers, bugs, logs, etc. You can also search the
archives.
Remember: You can really help! Please contribute! You are very welcome!
Thanks! Thanks! Thanks!

--
Regards,
Sticky Bit <stickybit@>
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[TerryP]

Damn...

While I arguably update KDE once in a blue moon if ever (it's a big sucker for the full DE), so I never notice lags in release levels. And I ain't so hot on _using_ KDE4... but I'm willing to lend a hand if there's a commander on deck to provide some direction.

Contacting now FreeBSD on KDE project now... If I can be of help, I'll try but I don't have time to sit in a corner and find busy work.


Also sending this thread to PC-BSDs lead developers, I know they just created a section for Qt/KDE4 awhile back, maybe they can be helpful.. They will be _using_ it when it hits, and they have been doing a bit of Qt3/KDE3 work for awhile now, so hopefully they will lend some hands if they ain't already.

[ua549]

Is there a step by step guide of what needs to be done?
That is, something a *nix newbie can follow.
I have computer cycles, space and time, but lack the ability without a step by step test plan to follow.
I am not running any desktop environment at the present time.

This seems like an opportune way to learn FreeBSD and KDE.