FOSDEM 2012 Devroom request submitted

[Lars Sonchocky-Helldorf]

Hi,

I've submitted the following Devroom request for FOSDEM:

- devroom name:

        World of GNUstep - a collaboration of open Objective-C based projects


- devroom description:

        participating projects:
        
        - GNUstep
        
                GNUstep is a free, object-oriented, cross-platform framework 
and development environment which aims at Cocoa (formerly OpenStep) API 
compatibility and is written in Objective-C. 
                GNUstep provides a robust implementation of the AppKit and 
Foundation libraries as well as the development tools available on Cocoa, 
including Gorm (the InterfaceBuilder) and ProjectCenter (ProjectBuilder/Xcode). 
GNUstep currently supports Unix (GNU/Linux and GNU/HURD, Solaris, NetBSD, 
OpenBSD, FreeBSD, Darwin) and Windows.
        
        - Étoilé
        
                Étoilé is an innovative GNUstep based user environment designed 
from the ground up around the things people do with computers: create, 
collaborate, and learn. 
                Without implementation details like files and operating-system 
processes polluting the computer's UI, Étoilé users will be able to:
        
                * have revision history for all objects in the system
                * collaborate with other people on any type of document (text, 
drawing, code, etc.)
                * shape their own workflow by combining the provided Services
                * use a system that is closer to their mental model of how 
computers should work
        
        - GAP - the GNUstep Application Project
        
                The GNUstep Application Project provides a comprehensive set of 
administration and user level tools to make using GNUstep based environments a 
very pleasant experience. Part of the charter of this project is not only to 
write new tools, but also to port existing NeXTSTEP/OPENSTEP/Cocoa applications 
to GNUstep as well.
        
        - QuantumSTEP / mySTEP
        
                QuantumSTEP is a Mac-like Application Platform that can be 
installed on existing mobile Linux devices (several Openmoko devices, Zaurus, 
Letux, ...) aiming at highest level of useage, data and application source code 
compatibility (to the Macintosh platform) prepared for perfect data exchange 
and sync.
        
        
        goals:
        
        - teach interested developers how to write cross platform applications 
or port Cocoa applications to Linux BSD and Windows using GNUstep
        - share news about the latest development and plans on GNUstep
        - improve collaboration between the several GNUstep related projects
        - using GNUstep to write applications for mobile devices ((e.g. the new 
Openmoko GTA04, older Openmoko devices, Beagleboard)
        - code sprints, hacking, discussing


- devroom related URLs:

        http://gnustep.org/
        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNUstep
        
        http://etoileos.com/
        
        http://gap.nongnu.org/
        
        http://www.quantum-step.com/wiki.php?page=About
        http://projects.goldelico.com/p/mySTEP/
        http://projects.goldelico.com/p/gta04-main/


- name of the responsible:

        Lars Sonchocky-Helldorf

- email:

        lars.sonchocky-helldorf@hamburg.de

- relation to the topic:

        Lars Sonchocky-Helldorf is a community manager for GNUstep


- preferred day:

        [x] Saturday from 12:00 to 18:00


- comments/remarks:

        With the ongoing success of Apple's iOS devices interest in programming 
for those has grown huge. To a part this is reflected by how Objective-C, the 
principal language of GNUstep, has become one of the fastest growing 
programming languages according to 
http://www.tiobe.com/index.php/content/paperinfo/tpci/index.html
        
        What currently still is missing is an free and open source 
implementation of all of iOS' APIs. Here GNUstep comes into the game.
        
        GNUstep here has the pivotal role of offering a free implementation of 
the Objective-C de-facto standard frameworks "Foundation" (part of Apple's 
Cocoa and iOS' APIs) and "AppKit" (part of Apple's Cocoa). It enables thereby 
free and open source application and framework development while maintaining 
compatibility to recognized industrial solutions.
        
        GNUstep continues to support modern Cocoa features, including 
Objective-C 2.0 with the aid of the GNUstep Objective-C runtime, which supports 
a number of features not found in the Apple implementation.
        
        GNUstep is a good match for FOSDEM since the target audience of GNUstep 
is developers who want to develop cross platform (Unix, Windows, Mac) GUI or 
server side applications or command line tools using state of the art object 
oriented Frameworks.



cheers,

        Lars