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General questions about
openDesktop.org:
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Site specific questions for accurate handling of site's features:
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What is openDesktop.org?
openDesktop.org is a network of portals and community websites for open source
and free software projects - it is a meeting point for both free software users
and developers. Everyone can upload and download artwork, applications,
documents and other files.
Our main focus is on user generated content therefore providing our users social
networking functionality is very important for us. Becoming friends with other
free software users or developers, creating groups with lots of discussions
inside, message and microblogging functions are just some of possible use cases.
openDesktop.org is the umbrella page and summarizes the content of all network
sites.
You can find a complete list of sites here.
Where do I get more information about you?
Here you can find more details about us and our motivation to maintain this network.
Is the membership for free?
Yes, the membership is totally for free, we are open to every new user and
welcome them! Short notice: once created your account you can use it on all
sites of the openDesktop.org network.
How can I become a member?
Just click on the register button to become a member of the openDesktop.org
family. A detailed description below:
- click register
- choose your login name
- fill in your first name, last name, valid email address and password
(password needs to be repeated once)
- type in the characters on the picture as a spam protection
- you'll get a email with a confirmation link
- follow the link to activate your account
- now you can complete your profile with interests, photos and more
After that you are a member of our community and you can upload stuff,
post comments, join groups or add friends.
I want to remove my account, how can I do
this?
Please use the contact form to
remove your account.
Why is advertising placed on openDesktop.org?
openDesktop.org is very successful and generates a lot of traffic. So we need
several big and expensive servers to run the sites. Moreover we also want to
provide all functionalities for free for all our users. So advertising is the
only possibility for us to pay the running costs. We hope you understand that.
You support us by supporting our advertising partners.
Furthermore we've started a sponsoring programm for our network. If you know a
company which wants to support us please have a view on our sponsoring page.
It's also profitable for you
since you receive a commission fee.
Great site! How can I support you?
You can help us to find a sponsor. More here.
I have an idea for a similar website, what should I
do?
New ideas especially for open-source based websites are welcome by us. We are
open for your ideas, please submit them. Please send us a message via the
contact form or start a
discussion group.
If you want to create your own site we advise you to implement the OCS API for
interoperability. openDesktop.org uses the Online Collaboration Services API
(OCS API) which was designed by us and defined as a open standard by the
freedesktop.org project. We invite you to add OCS API to your website so that
things such as the 'Social Desktop Plasmoid' or 'Get Hot New Stuff' will work
flawlessly with your site. More Information concerning OCS API can be found
here.
What is OCS? How can I use it on my own
site?
Aim of the Open Collaboration Services API (OCS API) is the integration of web
communities and web bases services into desktop and mobile applications. It's
free, open, scalable, secure, privacy protected and vendor independent. It was
designed by openDesktop.org and was defined as a standard by freedesktop.org. We
encourage you to integrate OCS API on your website! If you have questions
concerning OCS feel free to contact
us.
More information how to implement the API in your website and general
specifications can be observed
on this page.
Who is responsible for this site?
openDesktop.org is maintained by h i v e 01 GmbH which is located in Germany.
More information can be obtained
on our homepage.
Which websites are part of the openDesktop.org
network?
Artwork
Linux Distributions
Applications
Documents
How can I upload files?
First of all you need an account. After having created it and being logged in
you can upload your created stuff. To upload your content you have to:
- push the button add content
- name the entry and select the content type
- choose whether you would like to upload a file (we have a file size limit)
or if you would like to link a file from somewhere else in the web.
- please fill in a description and other additional data
- confirm that you have the permission to distribute this content and that you
don't post illegal data (every user is responsible for his content)
- press the save button
Afterwards the content will be uploaded and can be seen and downloaded by other
users. You can browse your stuff by clicking on 'my content'. Remember: uploads
with illegal content or copyright violations will be deleted immediately.
How does the rating system work?
Every user is allowed to rate content. Uploaded stuff can have a score between
0% and 100%. 0% means the lowest and 100% the best value. The value determines
the ratio of good and bad votes.
To protect you from voting abuse we use a highly advanced system. We won't
describe all preventing mechanism here but be sure that they are very safe. And
don't forget the simplest one: user have to be logged to vote, Google robots can
not influence the rating!
If the score drops below 20% the content is automatically deleted. You can use
the content filter on the homepage to configure your personal content quality
treshold. For example if you set the content filter to 60% you will never see
content with score below 60%.
How do the privacy settings work?
All personal data from our users are safe and will not be disclosed or given to
third parties.
You also have the opportunity to configure in your privacy settings whether your
profile and your friends network is visible or invisible to other users. Please
go to the privacy settings when you're logged in to configure your privacy.
We work hard to protect you from spam. Your email addresses is never visible.
The sending of personal messages is protected by captchas.
How can I invite friends?
You can invite other users as friends on the openDesktop.org network.
If you want to add another user as a friend click on the add as friend button
on the profile page of the user. The user has to confirm the friendship. You
will get a email notification it the user confirmes or declines your
invitation.
What are groups?
Any registered user can create groups where specific topics can be discussed.
The founder of a group can decide
- whether the group is publicly readable or private
- whether anyone can join the group or if he needs permission of the
group founder to join the group
To create a group click on create new group.
- you have to choose a category and a name of the group
- you have to define if the content of the group is readable by everyone or
only by group members
After that you can decide if other users can join the group with or without your
permission.
Groups can be displayed by date and popularity.
What is the job board?
We have arranged a free job board for open source and IT developers and
companies. Everyone whether developer, designer, freelancer can post job offers,
projects and CVs at no charge. Companies and open source projects are welcome,
too.
Our job board is specialized for IT professionals and open source experts. We
see the main difference to other job boards that the board is deeply integrated
into on of the biggest open source communities thus it reaches lots of
interesting and interested people.
What is the news feed on the homepage
about?
It informs you about news which might be interesting for you such as
- what your friends are doing right now
- if a content you like is being updated
- if you have received s new email or
- if another user has visited your profile page.
I have spotted an illegal content, what should I
do?
Illegal content should be reported as soon as possible! We try to remove illegal
content as fast as possible. If you find any illegal content please contact us to that we can remove
the content.
I forgot my password, what can I do?
No problem! There are two ways to recover your password. One way is to use the
mail password form to receive a new password which will be sent immediatly to
your email account. If your email account is no longer working and you can't
remember your password please contact us via the
contact form and we'll send you a new password.
Can I change my login name?
Sadly no, it is not possible to change your login name. In special cases you
can ask us via the contact form.
Does content moderation exist?
Yes. But the content moderation is not done by a site admin or some other
authority. As we believe in the power of the community the content moderation is
done by YOU.
You can decide whether the content is being kept on the site or is being deleted
by voting 'good' or 'bad'. If the score of a content drops below 20% it is
automatically deleted.
What means fan?
If you are interested in a specific artwork or like an application you can
become a fan of this software. Other users can get in contact with you if they
use the same application. So user can help other users. Becoming a fan is very
easy. Just click on the 'become fan' link on the fan page. On each profile site
you can see of which entries a user is fan of.
What means event?
Every user is free to register new events e.g. a Linux conference in London, a developer meeting in Berlin or just a little barbecue in a backyard. Your event will be listed in the events database and other users can 'join' the event.
New participants can be invited to take part in events, friends get automatically informed via the friend newsfeed that some of their friends go to an event. The date, a short description and a location is enough to start a new event. Locations get directly displayed via an OpenStreetMap applet provided by the free wiki world map on each event page.
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