diff --git a/content/post/kde-applications-on-windows/images/kate-on-windows.png b/content/post/kde-applications-on-windows/images/kate-on-windows.png new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7c069f Binary files /dev/null and b/content/post/kde-applications-on-windows/images/kate-on-windows.png differ diff --git a/content/post/kde-applications-on-windows/images/kstars-on-windows.png b/content/post/kde-applications-on-windows/images/kstars-on-windows.png new file mode 100644 index 0000000..f9c3651 Binary files /dev/null and b/content/post/kde-applications-on-windows/images/kstars-on-windows.png differ diff --git a/content/post/kde-applications-on-windows/images/okular-on-windows.png b/content/post/kde-applications-on-windows/images/okular-on-windows.png new file mode 100644 index 0000000..10fc97e Binary files /dev/null and b/content/post/kde-applications-on-windows/images/okular-on-windows.png differ diff --git a/content/post/kde-applications-on-windows/index.md b/content/post/kde-applications-on-windows/index.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..da5a4f1 --- /dev/null +++ b/content/post/kde-applications-on-windows/index.md @@ -0,0 +1,89 @@ +--- +title: "KDE applications on Windows" +date: 2019-09-21T22:47:00+02:00 +draft: false +categories: [kde, development] +tags: [kde] +url: /posts/kde-applications-on-windows/ +author: "Christoph Cullmann" +--- + +#### KDE applications on Windows? + +One of the new [goals of KDE](https://dot.kde.org/2019/09/07/kde-decides-three-new-challenges-wayland-consistency-and-apps) is to spread the use of the applications created by the KDE community. +This doesn't only include the use of them on Linux & other Unix-like operating systems, but Windows, too. + +#### The Successes :) + +The KDE community has some successfully cross-platform applications out there, like [Krita](https://krita.org/) and [GCompris](https://gcompris.net/). +The teams behind these applications did some great job to both develop & market them for all operating systems, including Windows. + +#### The Remaining Stuff :( + +Wheres many KDE application can already be built on Windows since years, they have not found a wide spread use there. + +For example [Kate](https://kate-editor.org), the text editor I maintain, is there mostly unknown. +Actually most of the applications we ship with the [KDE Applications releases](https://kde.org/announcements/announce-applications-19.08.1.php) are not widely known on Windows (nor used). + +#### The Plan! + +Already last year we came up with [the task](https://phabricator.kde.org/T9575) to bring more of our applications to the official [Microsoft Store](https://store.microsoft.com) to increase their visibility for the average Windows user. + +#### The Building Blocks + +Hannah von Reth & Kevin Funk provided the means to achieve this: + +* [Craft](https://community.kde.org/Craft) - a meta build system / package manager that can be used on Windows for our stuff +* [KDE Binary Factory](https://binary-factory.kde.org/) - a CI that actually even creates fully signed installers and packages for the store! + +Without their work, nothing would have happened for the "we publish stuff in the store" task. + +More details about that can be found in the wiki and older blog posts: + +* [Using Craft on Windows](https://community.kde.org/Guidelines_and_HOWTOs/Build_from_source/Windows) +* [Tips for streamlining KDE applications for deployment on Microsoft Windows](http://kfunk.org/2017/12/20/tips-streamlining-kde-application-for-deployment-microsoft-windows/) +* [CI for Windows installer and macOS bundle generation: KDE Binary Factory](http://kfunk.org/2017/11/17/kde-binary-factory/) + +#### Our Progress :=) + +Based on that work, some applications got now published with the [KDE e.V.](https://ev.kde.org/) account to the Microsoft Store. +The first was [KStars](https://kde.org/applications/education/org.kde.kstars) and after a long gap [Kate](https://kate-editor.org) & [Okular](https://okular.kde.org) followed. + +Direct links to the store entries can be found below (the screenshots are in German, made in a Win10 VM, yes, i18n works on Windows just fine): + +* [Okular - more than a reader](https://www.microsoft.com/store/apps/9N41MSQ1WNM8) + +
+ +* [Kate - Advanced Text Editor](https://www.microsoft.com/store/apps/9NWMW7BB59HW) + +
+ +* [KStars - Astronomy Software](https://www.microsoft.com/store/apps/9PPRZ2QHLXTG) + +
+ +#### Help Wanted! + +At the moment, this is the effort of only a few people and it will only be sustainable if we gain more support. + +Therefore, if you are interested in bringing more of our applications to Windows and helping to maintain them, join in at [this Phabricator task](https://phabricator.kde.org/T9575). + +The tooling might still be a bit rough to use in some places and the documentation is not perfect, but this can be improved! + +#### Why all that? + +I think there is a large user base on Windows that might benefit from our applications and we will benefit from potential more contributors, too. + +Some might say: "Why shall we provide our applications on a proprietary operating system? People shall use fully open systems!" + +I say: "Why shall we ignore all the people that are stuck with a proprietary operating system out of whatever reason?" + +#### P.S. + +And no, the idea is not to publish the stuff exclusively in the Microsoft Store. + +The [KDE Binary Factory](https://binary-factory.kde.org/) outputs normal installers and portable archives, too. + +The Microsoft Store is just a good way to advertise our applications to a broader scope of potential users. +The KDE e.V. published applications are there available for free but you can use any other means to install them.