Plasma Active's Grand Master Plan

On this page, you learn about concepts behind Plasma Active.

Synopsis

Plasma Active aims at creating a cross-device user experience for emerging devices such as tablet computers, media centers, smartphones, and more. Plasma Active's mission statement is

Create a desirable user experience encompassing a spectrum of devices

Plasma Active runs on the proven Linux desktop stack, including the Linux kernel, Qt and KDE's Plasma Framework. The user interface is designed using Plasma Quick, a declarative markup language allowing for organic user interface design based on Qt Quick. Plasma Active uses existing Free desktop technology and brings it to a spectrum of devices through a device-specific user interface. Classical Plasma Widgets can be used on Plasma Active as well as newly created ones. The key driver for the development of Plasma Active is the user experience. Collaboration is made easy through high-level development tools and a well defined process.

The first release of Plasma Active fully focuses on tablet computers. Plasma Active Tablet's user experience is designed around the web, social networks and multimedia content.

Project Vision

The vision behind Plasma Active is "Create a desirable user experience, encompassing a spectrum of devices."

Or, more specifically: Create a user experience that...

offers access to the web, social networks, multimedia and other applications
deeply integrates concepts of sharing, connecting and uploading various artifacts of the user's digital environment
is easy to expand and inviting to participate in
provides a great user experience by offering information and interaction
replaces a centralized app-store model with a peer-to-peer-based web of trust of creators and consumers

Audience

Plasma Active is interesting for the following audiences:

Free software contributors: Improve the Active device user experiences, default applications and other areas around the Plasma Active as part of the Plasma Active team
App developers: Use QML and JavaScript to create your own Active Apps to the world
Hardware makers: Integrate Active and its Apps as user experience into your product and bring something unique to the market
End users: Find out more about Plasma Active user experience, install it on your tablet or other device, find out how you can get more out of your gadget

Status

Plasma Active is in full development right now. The basic workspace shell is working. Essential parts of the user experience are either missing or still being worked on. Hardware options are being researched, and the user experience is being polished. Plasma Active is not suitable for end-users at this point, but a fine testing and evaluation and development base. In other words: It's the perfect time to get involved and help shaping Plasma Active.

The Plasma/Active/Tasks section included with some items gives pointers where you can help to make Plasma Active rock.

Contour is part of Plasma Active

The Contour project is part of Plasma Active and will contribute a new usage paradigm using adaptive activities and intelligent recommendations.

The aim is to create a context-sensitive user interface that adapts to current context, current activities and behavioral patterns of the user.
The overall goal is to create a data-centric user interface which is not concerned with applications but rather offers intelligently combined data through a context-sensitive recommendation manager.
Read more about Contour and how you can contribute to that vision at Plasma/Active/Contour