Sometimes dreams come true. And this is exactly that moment.

With great joy, I would like to announce that on September 7, 2024, in Würzburg, I will have the pleasure of delivering a Keynote on the graceful title: “Only hackers will survive”

You can find the promotional video under this link. I also strongly encourage you to follow the KDE Academy project on Mastodon.

The KDE project holds a special place in my heart, mainly due to its engaged community and very strong emphasis on activities related to minimizing the environmental footprint of software.

A few introductory words about KDE for those who are completely unfamiliar with this project.

KDE stands for “K Desktop Environment”, which is a graphical environment for Linux-based operating systems and other Unix-like systems.

KDE is an open-source project, which means its source code is publicly available, so anyone can modify and distribute it. This allows a community of developers from around the world to collaborate on its development, introducing new features and fixes.

Acordially The history of KDE dates back to 1996 when Matthias Ettrich initiated the project, aiming to create a modern and user-friendly graphical environment on Linux. Since then, KDE has become one of the most popular graphical environments, offering a wide range of applications such as web browsers, text editors, and file management tools.

Okular – the world’s first software with Blue Angel certification

The Okular project developed by KDE, deserves special attention here. It is the first software in the world (let me repeat) IN THE WORLD, to obtain the Blue Angel license.

Blue Angel is the world’s oldest eco-label, introduced in 1978 by the German government, which recognizes environmentally friendly products.

Okular earned this certification in 2022 for meeting criteria related to energy efficiency, potential extension of hardware life, and user autonomy. This software allows for longer and more efficient use of hardware, which is important in the context of sustainable digital development.

And if that wasn’t enough, Okular, as open-source software, also promotes user freedom, modularity, and control over technology, which directly impacts a more sustainable digital society.

Social justice

Thanks to KDE, every person, like you and me, has access to high-quality software without the need to incur licensing costs, which is particularly important for education and technological development in less affluent regions of the world.

Now tell me, how can you not love this project?

And how did my adventure with KDE begin?

In India!

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For a long time, I had been observing the activities of KDE Eco, which aim to reduce the environmental footprint generated by software.

When I was leaving for India, starting my project e-waste feasibility study, I had one friend at my destination who hosted me for the first week. Thanks to this, I could calmly familiarize myself with the new environment, buy a SIM card and a metro pass, and start acting.

It was also the first time in my life when I decided to allow myself to be guided by fate, instead of clinging rigidly to a plan. I knew what my goal was, but everything that was to happen along the way was one big unknown.

In these circumstances, I learned by chance from KDE eco newsletter, that in a few days, a KDE conference was being organized in Pune. Without hesitation, I packed my backpack and set off on a journey. On-site, I met a group of incredibly open and friendly people. I still keep in touch with some of them to this day.

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It was a time when I was fresh from the Chaos Computer Club congress, and what I saw in India perfectly fit into the stream of information I had gained there. It was beautiful to observe how universal ideas flourish on different cultural grounds.

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As part of my contribution, I prepared a short presentation in which I shared an overview of trends in the area of Green IT and useful frameworks.

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There, another chapter of my adventure in India opened up, where I formed a relationship with a group of activists in Delhi who are involved in supporting the working class through organizing strikes and establishing trade unions. But I’ll tell you about that in the next episode!

Meanwhile, once again, I invite you on September 7, 2024, to Würzburg!

Detailed information about the event can be found on the Academy’s website.

See you there!