How does one patch KDE2 under FreeBSD?
The question “How does one patch KDE2 under FreeBSD?” is an internet meme in the Russian Internet culture (Runet).
Origins
The phrase was originally posted on the #anime channel of the RusNet IRC network on May 8, 2004. Its text can be translated as follows:
-- Hello, is this an anime channel? -- Yes. -- How do I patch KDE2 under FreeBSD?
The phrase was meant to satirize the disproportionate amount of technical "geeky" conversations often occurring on that channel, having nothing to do with anime.
Appearance in online conferences with politicians
The phenomenon got most attention of the general public in 2006 when the same question was asked by many people during the online conference with the Russian president Vladimir Putin, but conference hosts didn't ask him on that.
In 2007 it was revived to be the number one most-frequently asked question in a similar conference with the president of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev. Nazarbayev answered the question seriously by describing the developments in the IT industry of Kazakhstan and the possible use of Open-source software in it.
In December 2007 the question has become the most popular question prior to the Internet conference of Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko. He gave answer, saying the programmers at his secretariat are able to help with the problem under different OSes. He also advised to use newer software (probably referring to the existence of KDE3 by the time).
In the meantime, in fall 2007 Russian authorities sponsored pilot usage of Linux (open source OS, like FreeBSD) in a cluster of Russian schools.
Online references
- IRC log with the original phrase
- Original question for Vladimir Putin, 2006-07-03, Yandex
- Kazakhs shower president with cryptic questions, 2007-06-01, Reuters
- LiveJournal community
ru:Как пропатчить KDE2 под FreeBSD?