This spring we’re asking you to help us set our priorities when you donate to the GNOME Foundation. You have the option of asking us to focus on building GNOME in Africa or WebKitGTK development.
WebKitGTK is not only an exciting project for GNOME, but a necessary step in preparing for our GTK4 release. We’ve been growing the project, with a new release just the other day! We have a lot more development to do, and it’s something we are hoping to prioritize. You can let us know if you think WebKitGTK should be a priority by donating today and marking your donation in support of WebKitGTK development.
WebKitGTK is a rendering engine for projects that need any kind of web integration. It can handle HTML/CSS applications and web browsers, and is useful for everything from desktop computers to mobile devices like phones and tablets. We believe the web is for everyone, and we support this belief by making accessibility one of the project’s core principles.
Right now, the main focus is cleaning up the project to make the port to GTK4 smoother. In addition to ensuring there are fast paths for efficient rendering, moving existing users, and incorporating user requirements, this will make it easier for future contributors to find new pathways to get involved.
In order to accomplish this, we could use funds in a number of ways:
paying for developer time;
hiring an intern to work on WebKitGTK;
supporting hackfests; or
purchasing equipment necessary for development.
We’re asking you to help us grow the WebKitGTK project. It’s a necessary step in the development of GTK4. WebKitGTK will help build a free web by helping more people create the tools they and others need. So please, donate today and vote for WebKitGTK.
The first half of 2020 has been full of growth for GNOME. Caroline Henriksen and Melissa Wu joined the Foundation team; we launched the Community Engagement Challenge; and we expanded our technical infrastructure to include three new servers. As a community and project, we continue to grow, including the GNOME 3.36 release and the University Outreach initiative launch.
As a Foundation, we consider ourselves stewards of the GNOME Project – we look after the community’s wants and needs, we drive forward the efforts no one else can take on, and we make the things that need to happen happen.
As stewards, we are most concerned with the needs of the community. What do the GNOMEies want us to focus on? What will make the experience of our users better?
We’re asking you to vote with your donations. When you donate to the GNOME Foundation during May, you’ll be asked whether we should give extra focus to building GNOME community in Africa or WebKitGTK for GTK4?
Your donations will help GNOME grow in the directions we need to in order to meet the needs of contributors and users everywhere.
Building GNOME Community in Africa
While we have long had GNOMEies in Africa, the communities there have recently been concentrating their efforts. There are multiple events and projects in the works, including the Pan African GNOME Summit.
GNOME is a global project with a global community and a goal to build elegant, efficient, easy to use software for users of every ability and geography. We cannot satisfy that goal without having enthusiastic voices from people of every ability and geography.
WebKitGTK for GTK4
GTK is used to create interfaces and UI elements. It is an integral part of the GNOME ecosystem, used by many both inside and outside the GNOME Project. With considerable effort by GTK core developer and Foundation employee Emmanuele Bassi, GTK4 is well underway. An important step in the development of GTK4 is WebKitGTK.
WebKitGTK creates better web experiences. With web content rendering, process separation, accessibility, audio, and video support, and 3D CSS and accelerated rendering, WebKitGTK is a robust project bringing functionality to desktop computers, laptops, televisions, and mobile devices.
GNOME is a worlwide community that creates a desktop environment, applications, and the underlying technology. GNOME has a long history of design-oriented development, and of working on all parts of the stack to create a good user experience. The GNOME documentation team has worked on both user and developer documentation for over two decades, and was one of the pioneers in creating modular, topic-oriented help.
The GNOME community is loosely organized, with different people teams working on different parts of the project. We strongly value all kinds of contributions, including design, documentation, translations, and outreach. GNOME is more than code.
GNOME has a long history of working with mentoring and outreach programs, including the GNOME Newcomers initiative, Google Summer of Code, and Outreachy (which was incubated in GNOME as the Outreach Program for Women).
Communicate with the entire community on the GNOME Discourse.
Information for technical writers
Before you begin, we encourage you to reach out to the team and introduce yourself. We strive to be a welcoming community, but we also value seeing initiative from contributors. You will work with a number of technologies and systems. Some might be familiar to you. Some might not. If you would like to start learning on your own first, that’s great, but we are prepared to teach you what you need to know. Here’s a (probably incomplete) list of what you might learn, depending on project:
Mallard, a modular, topic-oriented documentation language and framework.
The git version control system. git can be intimidating, but it is used by most open source projects these days, and it enables some powerful workflows.
The merge request workflow on GitLab, similar to the pull request workflow on GitHub.
In addition to your project, we would appreciate if you keep a log of things you find difficult when learning to contribute. This will help us improve the onboarding process in the future.
Project ideas
Below are three ideas for projects.
1. GTK documentation
Summary: Review and update the structure and content of the GTK API reference.
Description: The GTK API reference is made of two parts: one is the description of each function and type in the API; the other is more “narrative”, and contains a general description of each class; overview of complex, interdependent classes (e.g. GtkTreeView, GtkTreeModel, GtkCellArea; or GtkTextView and GtkTextBuffer); a short tutorial on how to write an application using GTK. This second part is the one in need of review and update. The tone and structure of the documentation should be consolidated, and made more appropriate for newcomers to the library.
Technical details: the API reference is generated via gtk-doc from the C sources and from XML files in the GTK repository; this project requires using Linux and being comfortable with building projects written in C.
Summary: Review and update the content of the GObject tutorial and overview
Description: The GLib object type system documentation contains an overview of the type system and of the base object class, with topics ranging from the lifetime of an object instance, to how to install properties; from interfaces to best practices on how to write object types; and a tutorial, which covers similar topics in a more narrative way. Ideally, we should only have a tutorial covering all topics, and have specialised, in-depth documentation for the more complex aspects of the API. The base concepts section should be merged with the tutorial section by having the former section use examples and a more narrative voice from the latter.
Review all of topics in gnome-help (part of the gnome-user-docs documentation module). Identify information that is out of date or misleading. Review recent changes to GNOME to find areas where gnome-help is missing information. After the audit and gap analysis, there should be time for significant writing, but we don’t expect the technical writer to close all issues identified.
Revisit which information is presented to readers of gnome-help, and how it is presented. Identify what information people need the most and formulate a content strategy.
Up to $65,000 in cash prizes to be awarded for projects that encourage open-source coders
The GNOME Foundation, in conjunction with Endless, is proud to announce that starting April 9th, entries will be accepted for the inaugural Community Engagement Challenge, an exciting new opportunity to submit a project that will engage beginning coders with the free and open-source software (“FOSS”) community.
The Challenge is a three-phase competition designed to generate stimulating ideas that will help connect the next generation of coders to the FOSS community and keep them active and engaged for years to come. Up to $65,000 in cash prizes are available to the individuals or teams with the best entries.
“Through the Challenge we hope to reach a diverse audience, to encourage beginning coders to get involved with the FOSS community to help ensure that free software is available long into the future,” said Neil McGovern, GNOME Foundation Executive Director. “What better way to do that than to reach out to the community itself to come up with creative ways to inspire the next generation?”
“Our mission at Endless has evolved initially from working with underserved populations in emerging markets and giving them access to important computing tools,” said Matt Dalio, Founder, Endless. “It has now become important to us to help the youth of today shape their technology, rather than be shaped by it. This initiative with The GNOME Foundation is the perfect partnership to further our mission.”
The Challenge will ask entrants to devise creative ways to promote open-source software to coders typically in high school and college. How a submission will achieve this goal has deliberately been left open-ended to encourage unique, novel approaches.
The first phase of the Challenge asks entrants to submit a written proposal for their concept no later than July 1, 2020. Twenty entries will be chosen to move to the next round and receive $1000 each. The second phase of the Challenge will require proof of concept, with four entries receiving $5000 and moving onto the final round. The final round will call for a deliverable end product, with the winner receiving $15,000 and the second place finisher receiving $10,000.
Apart from what is outlined in the Challenge Rules, there are no restrictions on the form submissions must take: they may be software projects, educational materials, videos, games, presentations, events, or anything else that promotes engagement of beginning coders with the FOSS community. Creativity is highly encouraged of all entrants!
The winner of the final round is currently scheduled to be announced in the spring of 2021.
The Challenge is supported by Endless, an organization comprised of companies, initiatives, and philanthropic endeavors with the singular mission to help children take control of their digital worlds, not be controlled by them.
After a lot of careful consideration and consultation with the local organizing team, the GNOME Foundation has decided that GUADEC 2020 will take place entirely online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The event will feature the expected high quality content, streamed over the internet for anyone to participate. Mexico will now host GUADEC 2021, and we are planning for GUADEC 2022 to be in Latvia.
“Although over three months away, there is no way we could ensure that the event could continue in a way that would keep our community safe.” said Neil McGovern, Executive Director of the GNOME Foundation. “It is with a heavy heart that, after consultation with the local organizing team, we won’t be visiting Mexico with GUADEC this year.”
We at the GNOME Foundation love GUADEC, it’s a once-a-year event that brings us together to collaborate, celebrate, and learn; meet our colleagues and friends; and strengthen the most special part of the GNOME project — the community. While we will miss meeting in-person, we are excited for the new opportunities that meeting online will bring to the event. People who weren’t able to participate previously will be able to. We’ll have a much wider pool of potential speakers and session facilitators, as visas and travel fees will no longer be an issue. We’re looking into creative and innovative ways to bring new types of socializing, sponsor representation, and community time to GUADEC 2020.
Due to the new format, we are re-opening the Call for Papers.
We are pleased to announce the official release of GNOME 3.36: “Gresik”. Version 3.36 contains six months of work by the GNOME community and includes many improvements, performance enhancements, and new features.
Highlights from this release include visual refreshes for a number of applications and interfaces, particularly noteworthy being the login and unlock interfaces.
The complete list of features and improvements are in the release notes.
GNOME 3.36 is code-named “Gresik” in recognition of the team behind GNOME.Asia 2019, held this past year in Gresik, Indonesia.
The GNOME Project is supported by the GNOME Foundation. We rely on donations to continue to drive the project forward. If you appreciate the work we do, please consider joining as a Friend of GNOME.
Press
This article can be freely reproduced with no attribution required. Press queries should be directed to gnome-press-contact@gnome.org. A screenshot pack is available for download.
The GNOME Foundation is excited to announce that the call for participation or CfP for GUADEC 2020 is now open. Proposals can be submitted on the event page: https://events.gnome.org/e/guadec2020
GUADEC, the GNOME community’s largest conference, is taking place between the 22nd – 28th of July and will be held in Zacatecas, Mexico. The GNOME Foundation is looking for talks on a wide range of topics including but not limited to:
Application development
Privacy and security
Community and team building
Design of user and developer experience
Use of GNOME technologies outside the desktop
Newcomers initiatives
Project planning and governance
The first day, the 22nd of July, will be called “GNOME Open Day”. The GNOME Foundation is looking for proposals for this day, in particular, that will focus on local outreach, governance, and getting more people involved in the Zacatecas region. These talks should be meant for new GNOME users. We also welcome talks on this day to be given in both Spanish and English to make them more accessible for locals.
Additional updates about GUADEC 2020 can be found on the event website and social media channels. Press inquiries and questions regarding the event can be sent to: guadec@gnome.org
GNOME will be present at FOSDEM 2020 which takes place this weekend in Brussels, Belgium, from February 1 – 2. FOSDEM is one of the largest gatherings for Free Software enthusiasts and contributors.
GNOME will be hosting a booth in the K-building where attendees can meet contributors, test the latest version of GNOME, and pick up some of the latest GNOME merch designs.
On Saturday, GNOME will be hosting our famous social evening – GNOME Beers! Gathering at Bonnefooi starting at 7:30pm, we’d love you to come along and socialize, meet staff, and chat with core contributors. Additional details about GNOME’s presence at FOSDEM including more info about the social event is available on GNOME’s FOSDEM wiki page.
I am frequently asked if there’s any point in the desktop anymore. With the rise of cloud services, it’s easy to wonder whether there is a need. I believe that a free software desktop system is more important than ever.
GNOME creates an entire desktop environment that is beautifully designed and simple to use. We do this to ensure user freedoms. It is this empowerment of end users – acknowledging their right to control their own computing – that drives me forward.
The intention behind making free software is important, but irrelevant if the reality is that users cannot make use of those freedoms. When fewer than 0.5% of the world’s population can code, the chance of someone being able to modify their own desktop, or pay someone to do so, is vanishingly small. It is our responsibility, as technologists, a community, and a foundation, to provide to put the user first. Software must be built for everyone, and that’s what we are doing.
It is not enough for software to be free of charge, or even available under an open source license, if your data is being sent to third parties in attempts at monetization. It’s not enough if it is still necessary to have a fast, expensive internet connection to get the latest upgrades or access to files. It’s not enough if you need accessibility features that are under developed or unavailable. We see these situations as unacceptable and are working to change them.
Over the last year, we’ve grown from two full time, and one part time, employees to seven. Two more will be joining us shortly. This is to provide the support to enable the GNOME desktop to be what we need it to be. We will be launching a renewed focus on accessibility. We’re introducing out Coding Education Challenge – to make it easier for people to contribute to GNOME and free and open source software, regardless of background. We will do all of this while driving innovation and continuing to update our software based on solid user testing.
To do this, we need your help. We rely on individual donors to help support us. Help us bring the user freedoms to millions more people by joining Friends of GNOME today.
We recommend a donation of $25/month ($5/month for students). These donations support our staff, programs, and the ongoing development of the GNOME desktop environment and other software in the GNOME ecosystem.
With your help and support we’ll continue to develop world class free software and bring user freedom into the hands of every user.
Sincerely,
Neil McGovern
Executive Director
GNOME Foundation
The GNOME Project is built by a vibrant community and supported by the GNOME Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit charity registered in California (USA). The GNOME community has spent more than 20 years creating a desktop environment designed for the user. We‘re asking you to become Friend of GNOME, with a recommended donation of $25/month ($5/month for students). We’re working to have 100 new Friends of GNOME join by January 6, 2020.
GNOME is about so much more than a desktop environment. In addition to the eponymous GNOME desktop, we work on projects like GStreamer, GTK, and Flatpak. We have a mostly complete list of technologies you can read on our web site. While the Foundation largely works on support, we also do development and outreach for GTK and GNOME core application development platform.
In addition to routine, and some not so routine, fixes, Emmanuele Bassi, GTK Core Developer, led development initiatives across the GNOME ecosystem. A far from complete list of work includes:
reliability and usability of continuous integration (CI) for Glib and GTK;
completed constraints layout work for GTK4;
progress on the animation framework API for GTK, a necessary step for the GTK 4 release; and
reviewing contributions and closing of numerous bugs.
Emmanuele mentored Ravgeet Dhillon in Google Summer of Code working on updates to the GTK web site. Additionally, Xiang Fan worked on GTK 4 Rust bindings.
Additionally, Emmanuele worked on the migration of the various GTK mailing lists to the new Discourse support forum.
We are already working on projects for 2020. Notably, there will be a hackfest in Brussels before FOSDEM, focused on GTK4, serving as a checkpoint for the 2020 release and accessibility (a11y).
A11y work is very important to us at the GNOME Foundation. We believe software needs to be for everyone, which means it needs to work for people who have physical disabilities, including those who are blind. In general, we plan to do a major a11y overhaul in 2020, focusing on developing our Accessibility Tool Kit (ATK). We are auditing what exists right now, and are currently seeking expert help with this. We hope to partner with other projects, to come together to create a11y support that rivals that of proprietary options.
In order to push these projects forward, we need your help. Please consider becoming a Friend of GNOME in order to support our work on new accessibility development, community building around a11y, and getting GTK 4 out the door.
