KDE Eko

Hautu berdea: KDE Eko-ren Software Jasangarri proiektu berria

Wed, 29 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Inspired by the successes of the "Blauer Engel Für FOSS" (BE4FOSS) project and KDE's ongoing Sustainable Software goal, KDE Eco has begun a new initiative: "Opt Green: Sustainable Software For Sustainable Hardware" (German: Nachhaltige Software Für Nachhaltige Hardware).

Hautu berdea: Software jasangarria hardware jasangarrirako

By design, Free Software guarantees transparency and user autonomy. This gives you, the user, control of your hardware by removing unnecessary vendor dependencies. With Free Software, you're able to use your devices how you want, for as long as you want. There's no bloatware and you can block unwanted data use and ads from driving up energy demands and slowing down your device—while shutting the door to uninvited snooping in your private life as well. With software made for your needs and not the vendors', you can choose applications designed for the hardware you already own. Say goodbye to premature hardware obsolescence: lean, efficient Free Software runs on devices which are decades old!

Independent and sustainable Free Software is good for the users, and good for the environment.

"Think Global, Act Local" campaign urged people to consider global health while taking action in their local communities. This new project urges people to do the same, but with computing. (Image from Karanjot Singh published under a CC-BY-4.0 license.)" src="https://eco.kde.org/blog/images/2024-05-24_ThinkGlobalComputeLocal.png" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto" />

Over the next two years, the "Opt Green" initiative will bring what KDE Eco has been doing for sustainable software directly to end users. A particular target group for the project is those whose consumer behavior is driven by principles related to the environment, and not just price or convenience: the "eco-consumers".

Through online and offline campaigns as well as installation workshops, we will demonstrate the power of Free Software to drive down resource and energy consumption, and keep devices in use for the lifespan of the hardware, not the software.

Gure leloa:Ingurumenarekiko gailu lagunkoiena jada daukazun gailua da.

The topic of software-driven sustainability is relevant for all Free Software applications and developers. We'd love to have you join us and become partners in combatting the issue of software-driven environmental harm. Check out the project's Invent repository or the contact page to get involved today!

Softwarearen ingurumen-kaltea

On 14 October 2025, the end of support for Windows 10 is estimated to make e-waste out of 240 million computers ineligible for the upgrade to Windows 11. Moreover, macOS support for Intel-based Apple computers—the last of which were sold in 2020—is predicted to end (at the earliest) one year later in 2026, rendering even more millions upon millions of functioning devices obsolete. When users have no control over the software they rely on, they are left at a security risk when software support ends ... unless, of course, they purchase a new computer. (By comparison, consider that only in 2022 did Linus Torvalds first suggest ending Linux kernel support for Intel 486 processors from 1989. That's 33 years of support!)

Vendors frequently require buying a new device to support software updates. All too often, this is driven by economic imperatives rather than technological requirements. Moreover, while new hardware has become more and more powerful, new software offering similar or identical functionality has frequently become less efficient and more energy-intensive, which has rendered older, less powerful devices useless.

Already in 2015 Achim Steiner, former Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), warned of the "tsunami of electronic waste rolling out over the world".

In 2016, 44.7 million tonnes of e-waste were generated, estimated to be equivalent to 4500 Eiffel Towers. If you were to stack those Eiffel Towers on top of each other, the result would be 17 times higher than Mount Everest.

By 2017, United Nations University determined e-waste to be the fastest growing waste stream in the world.

2022an, e-hondakinen kopurua 59,4 milioi tonara iritsi zen, 2016tik %33ko igoera.

Egun, e-hondakinen kopuruak gora egiten jarraitzen du.

CC-BY-SA-4.0 lizentzia pean argitaratua. Anita Sengupta-ren diseinua.)" src="https://eco.kde.org/blog/images/mountain.png" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto" />

Software is a frequently unacknowledged yet significant factor for sustainability. Software determines a hardware's energy consumption and minimum system requirements. It determines how long a device can remain safely in use. With software running on everyday devices, from coffee machines to smartphones, from trains to drones, the role of software in keeping functioning hardware in use and out of the landfill grows more critical every day.

For consumers, the environmental harm may be out-of-sight and out-of-mind. Yet the environment is registering its effects, from the CO2 pumped into the atmosphere to the landfills that receive our discarded devices at their end of life, and the air, soil, and waters around them—not to mention the people and animals.

correlation between proximity to e-waste burn sites and childhood lymphoma. (Image by Muntaka Chasant, published under a CC-BY-SA-4.0 license.)" src="https://eco.kde.org/blog/images/sec1_800px-Agbogbloshie_Ghana_September_2019.webp" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto" />

It is particularly devastating when you consider the environmental and social harm caused by e-waste, especially when e-waste is generated earlier than necessary because of premature obsolescence. The production and transportation of a device accounts for 50–80+% of its carbon footprint over its lifecycle. A German Environment Report estimates you’d need to use a computer for over 30 years before efficiency gains in newly-produced devices justify their purchase.

Furthermore, the extraction of rare earth metals in production consumes copious amounts of energy and takes place under miserable social conditions, often in the Global South. For disposal, devices are typically returned to the Global South for end-of-life treatment, where they pollute the environment as toxic waste and cause enormous damage to workers' health or even death.

CC-BY-SA-4.0 license. Design by Anita Sengupta.)" src="https://eco.kde.org/blog/images/apple-report.png" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto" />

Kontsumitzaileei nahi dutena ematea

Globally, interest in environmental harm and sustainable goods has been rising steadily from 2015 to 2021. In Europe, a 2020 Eurobarometer poll found that 50% of consumers indicate that two reasons they purchase new devices are performance issues and non-functioning software, and 8 in 10 consumers believe manufacturers should be required to make it easier to repair digital devices.

Free Software already gives consumers what they want, but most don't know it yet. Transparency in code makes lightweight, highly performative software possible, even on much older devices, while user autonomy ensures the right to repair when applications stop functioning.

CC-BY-4.0 license.)" src="https://eco.kde.org/blog/images/sec2_okular-BE-logo.png" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto" />

In fact, the Blue Angel criteria for desktop software are at the forefront in recognizing the critical role of transparency and user autonomy in sustainable software design. From 2021-2023, the KDE Eco project "Blauer Engel Für FOSS" (BE4FOSS) had the goal of collecting and spreading information about the Blue Angel ecolabel among developer communities. In 2022, KDE’s popular PDF and universal document reader Okular became the first ever Blue Angel eco-certified software! The BE4FOSS project culminated with the KDE Eco handbook "Applying The Blue Angel Criteria To Free Software", which you can read here. KDE's Sustainable Software goal has continued this work by developing emulation tools like KdeEcoTest and Selenium AT-SPI to measure software's energy consumption in KDE's KEcoLab.

Now we want to take what we have achieved and bring it directly to eco-consumers.

Through educational campaigns and workshops, the "Opt Green" project aims to combat e-waste by keeping hardware in use with Free Software. Although the problem of software-driven e-waste is relevant for an increasing number of digital devices, the focus will be on desktop PCs, laptops, and, when possible, smartphones and tablets. We are planning to set up info-stands at fair-trade, organic, and artisanal markets as well as sustainability festivals such as the Umweltfestival in Berlin. We will distribute leaflets to consumers, and demo vendor-abandoned devices which are not only usable, but also a joy to use thanks to the tireless work of inspiring Free Software communities. Installation workshops will give users the know-how to keep their devices in use for as long as they want.

Consumers don’t need a new computer to get secure, cutting-edge software; they just need the right software. Free Software already gives consumers what they want today, and we will be working hard to make sure they know that.

Ready To Join Us?

Consumers want sustainable and repairable digital devices. We believe that providing users the software to keep devices in use and out of the landfill will drive demand for Free Software products and enable long-term hardware use.

Do you want to join us in this movement to combat e-waste with Free Software? See our contact info to get involved.

We need volunteers like you to bring the "Opt Green" campaign to towns and cities around the world. We need volunteers like you to design engaging guides and beautiful materials for global distribution. We need volunteers like you to report on the project in magazines and newspapers. Let's work together to bring sustainable software to your community!

Maybe you are interested in contributing to the development of measurement tools like KdeEcoTest and Selenium AT-SPI or improving KEcoLab automation? Or using such tools to measure your software application's energy consumption? Let's collaborate to make energy transparency a part of Free Software development today!

Or maybe you actively contribute to a Free Software project that will keep hardware in use for longer. Please be in touch! We want to promote the amazing work you do directly with consumers.

Additional ideas are more than welcome. Part of the project will be figuring out what works and engagement by people like you will make this project a success. We would love to have you join us. Learn more: https://eco.kde.org/get-involved/

Oharra: Posta hau 2024ko ekainaren 17an, astelehena, eguneratu zen.

Funding Notice

This project is funded by the Federal Environment Agency and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV¹). The funds are made available by resolution of the German Bundestag.

Argitaratzailea da argitalpen honetako edukiaren arduraduna.

Blue Angel Award Ceremony At EnviroInfo Conference: Okular Officially Receives Eco-Label, First Ever For Software Product

Wed, 28 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Note: This post was updated on Friday, 7 October 2022. See Section "Update: Celebrating At Akademy 2022 (1 October)".

On Wednesday 28 September 2022 Okular, a Free and Open Source advanced document reader that allows you to read, sign, and annotate PDFs, ePubs, MarkDowns, and many other types of documents, was officially celebrated for becoming the first software product to receive the Blue Angel eco-label.

As announced in March (read more here), Okular has been recognized for sustainable software design as reflected in the recent Blue Angel award criteria for software eco-certification. Introduced in 1978, the Blue Angel is the world’s earliest eco-label and the official environmental label awarded by the German government. With this award, Okular is the first and currently only eco-certified computer program within the 30 organizations of the Global Ecolabelling Network, which represents over 50 countries.

KDE's Okular receiving the Blue Angel eco-certification from the German Environment Agency ('Umweltbundesamt'). From left to right: Mathias Bornschein from the German Environment Agency with Joseph P. De Veaugh-Geiss, Alexander Lohnau, and Harri Porten from the KDE community.

The award ceremony took place at the 36th edition of the EnviroInfo conference in Hamburg, Germany. Three KDE community members -- Joseph P. De Veaugh-Geiss, Alexander Lohnau, and Harri Porten -- were on stage to receive the award on behalf of Okular and the KDE community.

EnviroInfo is an international and interdisciplinary conference with a focus on environmental issues in information and communication technologies. Researchers and attendees at the event are, quoting the website, "[c]ombining and shaping national and international activities in the field of applied informatics and environmental informatics in making the world a better place for living." The KDE community is honored to have celebrated Okular's achievement at the event together with the German Environment Agency ('Umweltbundesamt'), the Environmental Campus Birkenfeld ('Umwelt Campus Birkenfeld'), and the larger EnviroInfo community.

Congratulations to Okular and KDE for official recognition of the outstanding work you are doing!

Update: Celebrating At Akademy 2022 (1 October)

On Saturday 1 October, immediately following the KDE Eco panel discussion, Akademy 2022 attendees gathered to celebrate Okular's achievement in the outdoor gardens at Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya.

It was a beautiful day. Even more beautiful was seeing Okular contributors and the wider KDE community coming together, smiling, and enjoying the delicious, sugar-free KDE Eco cake made especially for the occasion.

See the toot about the celebration and follow us at our BE4FOSS Mastodon account.

2022ko Akademy-n, KDE Eko tartarekin, Okular eta Blue Angel ospatzen!

Inoiz eko-ziurtatu den leheneko programa informatikoa: KDEren «Okular» PDF irakurle ezaguna

Wed, 16 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Plataforma-anitzeko software aske eta sorburu-irekiko produktua, orain, software diseinu jasangarriagatik, ofizialki aitortua da

Okularren ikonoa

Okular, KDE's popular multi-platform PDF reader and universal document viewer, has officially been recognized for sustainable software design as reflected in the recent award criteria for software eco-certification. In February 2022 Okular was awarded the Blue Angel ecolabel, the official environmental label awarded by the German government. Introduced in 1978, Blue Angel is the world's earliest established environmental label, and Okular is the first software product to be certified with its seal. What is more, Okular is the first ️ever eco-certified computer program within the 30 organizations of the Global Ecolabelling Network! This network, of which Blue Angel is a member, represents over 50 countries.

KDE is a world-wide community of software engineers, artists, writers, translators, and creators who are committed to Free Software development. With KDE's long-standing mission and guiding vision, as well as the talent and capabilities of its community members, it is no surprise that KDE is a pioneer among the group of people and organizations in driving a discussion on sustainable software. This group includes the Blue Angel itself and researchers behind it, supporters such as the Free Software Foundation Europe, other Free Software projects, and a growing number of others. Now, with the first ever eco-certified software product, the KDE community is celebrating the achievement together with the wider Free Software community, as well as with the computer science department at Umwelt Campus Birkenfeld, where researchers measured the resource and energy-consumption of Okular and other KDE software.

KDE was founded in 1996 and maintains numerous Free and Open-Source Software products, including the Plasma desktop environment; the design app for painters and graphic artists, Krita; the GCompris suite of educational activities for children; Kdenlive, a professional video-editing software product; and, of course, Okular, an essential computer program that lets you view all sorts of documents, including PDFs, comics, scientific and academic papers, and technical drawings. Okular also lets you check digital signatures and sign documents yourself, as well as include annotated text and comments directly embedded into the document.

The Blue Angel award criteria for software, with its focus on transparency in resource and energy-efficiency, hardware operating life, and user autonomy, provide an excellent benchmark to begin a discussion on software sustainability and push development in this area forward. And so, in 2021 KDE started KDE Eco, a project with the goal of putting KDE and Free Software at the forefront of sustainable software design. Sustainability is not a new goal for Free and Open-Source Software (FOSS). The four freedoms have always put Free Software at the forefront of sustainable software design. What is new is that FOSS values are now recognized as being directly related to sustainability by organizations such as the German Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt), who developed the award criteria.

The Blue Angel is awarded to a range of products and services, from paper products to construction materials to printers. In 2020 the German Environment Agency extended the award criteria to include software products, which was the first in the world of environmental certifications to link transparency and user autonomy with sustainability. In order to obtain the ecolabel, a software product must demonstrate that it meets a list of stringent requirements considered critical for the environment over the product's life cycle. These include providing transparency in the energy consumption when using the software -- for example, in the case of Okular, while reading or annotating a PDF -- and the ability to run the application on hardware at least five years old. The Blue Angel award criteria also include a list of user autonomy requirements which reduce the environmental impact of software.

Blue Angel Eko-labela

All of these criteria reflect KDE's values and those of the larger FOSS movement seamlessly. With Free and Open-Source Software, transparency is guaranteed and control is handed over to the users, instead of being held back by vendors or service providers. This allows users to decide what they want from the software they use and, all too often overlooked, the hardware as well. For instance, users may drive down the energy consumption of their programs with no loss in functionality as they can install only what they need, no more and no less; and avoid advertising and data-mining options, which would run unnecessary processes in the background driving up the consumption of resources. As for FOSS developers, they typically continue to support hardware that the industry would be eager to obsolete, providing users with up-to-date and secure software for devices that might otherwise be discarded as e-waste and end up polluting landfills. In short, as a consequence of the user freedoms and transparency guaranteed by a Free Software license, users and communities are able to influence the factors determining the resource consumption of their software!

Released under the GPLv2+ license, Okular is Free and Open-Source Software, and so was also already fulfilling many of the user autonomy criteria necessary to obtain the Blue Angel seal of approval. Further work was carried out to make Okular fully compliant with all of the Blue Angel criteria, and become officially recognized as providing transparency in energy and resource consumption, extending the potential hardware operating life of devices, and enabling user autonomy.

KDE and the Free Software community would like to send a heartfelt thank you to the Okular developers for making environmentally-friendly software for all of us!

Okular works on Linux, Windows, Android and Plasma Mobile, and is available to download for all GNU/Linux distributions, as a standalone package from Flathub and the Snap Store, through the KDE F-Droid release repository for Android, as well as from the Microsoft Store. Being FOSS, the source code is also readily available at Okular's GitLab repository for all to use, study, share, and improve.

Today, sustainability must be considered holistically: freedom and openness in software, user autonomy and control over one's digital life, and transparency in our digital infrastructure's resource consumption are all a part of that. Join us at KDE Eco. Let us make digital sustainability and resource-efficient Free and Open-Source Software part of our future so we can live up to our responsibility for this and future generations!

Ospatu energiaren kontserbazio eguna KDE Eko-rekin

Sat, 05 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Of the challenges humanity faces in its struggle to power modern-day civilization, energy conservation is one of the more difficult to achieve. But it is also the most worthy of pursuing, as ultimately many of the current sources of energy we depend on are finite.

That is why reducing the amount of energy we consume is a priority for KDE Eco. All KDE projects are Free Software, and Free Software entails transparency and user autonomy. The first has always provided users the opportunity to inspect and learn from how software runs; today, this transparency has been extended to include software's energy consumption when in use. The second allows Free Software users to install what they need on the devices they want, bypassing unnecessary and battery-draining spyware and bloatware while extending the lifespan of their hardware. Both combined give KDE Eco and Free Software developers the means to develop energy-saving improvements for applications and frameworks, to continue support for otherwise unsupported devices, and deploy exactly what people want and need.

Germany has declared 5 March Energy Conservation Day. Today we are inviting you to join us at KDE Eco! (Image: CC0)

Clearly, energy conservation for a small number of software products is not going to make any noticeable difference. But imagine if we start a trend; imagine conserving even small amounts of energy on every app, game, and framework; on hundreds of thousands of programs, running across millions of devices with continuous support. Users will enjoy longer battery lives and lower electricity bills. They can keep using still-functioning hardware, with greater personal savings yet reduced global C02 emissions by avoiding the unnecessary production and shipment of new devices. Most importantly, as a species we will use fewer shared resources while keeping humanity's digital civilization running.

Horren parte izan daitezke.

Germany has declared 5 March Energy Conservation Day, and today we are inviting you to join us. Whether you are a user concerned with the carbon footprint of your computing usage, or a project looking to improve the efficiency of your software, visit our website to find out how to participate in KDE Eco and join us in our chat room to talk live to other members of the project.

Energiaren kontserbazio egunean elkar ikusiko dugu!

Funding Notice

The BE4FOSS project was funded by the Federal Environment Agency and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV¹), who organize the Tag des Energiesparens (Energy Conservation Day). The funds are made available by resolution of the German Bundestag.

Argitaratzailea da argitalpen honetako edukiaren arduraduna.

¹ Official BMUV and UBA-Logos are sent only by request at: verbaendefoerderung@uba.de