# Matthias Ettrich

> German programmer, founder of the KDE project

**Wikidata**: [Q76780](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q76780)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthias_Ettrich)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/matthias-ettrich

## Summary
Matthias Ettrich is a German computer scientist, programmer, and software engineer. He is best known as the founder of the KDE project, a major international free software community.

## Biography
- **Born**: 1972-06-14, Bietigheim-Bissingen
- **Nationality**: Germany
- **Education**: University of Tübingen
- **Known for**: Founding the KDE project
- **Employer(s)**: Nokia
- **Field(s)**: Computer science, software engineering, programming

## Contributions
Matthias Ettrich's primary contribution to the software world is his founding of the KDE project. As a programmer and computer scientist, he initiated this major open-source endeavor, which grew into a large, international free software community. While the provided source material does not detail specific software products he personally wrote, his role as the founder establishes him as the catalyst for the entire KDE ecosystem. His work provided the foundational vision and leadership that enabled countless other developers to collaborate on a wide range of software. This act of initiating and organizing a large-scale, community-driven software project represents his most significant and concrete outcome in the field.

## FAQs
### Q: What is Matthias Ettrich most famous for?
A: Matthias Ettrich is most famous for founding the KDE project, an influential international free software community.

### Q: What awards has Matthias Ettrich received?
A: In 2009, he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.

### Q: What is Matthias Ettrich's profession?
A: He is a computer scientist, software engineer, and programmer. He has been employed by Nokia.

## Why They Matter
Matthias Ettrich's significance lies in his role as a founder in the open-source software movement. By initiating the KDE project, he created a framework and community that has since produced a vast ecosystem of free software. His work demonstrates the power of community-driven development and has had a lasting impact on the availability of high-quality, free software alternatives for users worldwide. Without his initiative, one of the most prominent free software communities might not exist, altering the landscape of open-source desktop environments and applications. His contribution is not just a single piece of code, but the creation of a sustainable, collaborative environment for software development that has influenced numerous developers and projects.

## Notable For
- **Founder of the KDE Project**: He initiated one of the largest and most well-known free software communities.
- **German Federal Merit Award**: Received the Medal of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 2009 in recognition of his contributions.
- **Industry Professional**: Worked as a software engineer and computer scientist, including a role at Nokia.
- **Open Source Advocate**: His work is central to the history and development of the open-source software movement.

## Body
### Personal Life and Education
- **Full Name**: Matthias Frank Ettrich
- **Given Name**: Matthias
- **Family Name**: Ettrich
- **Date of Birth**: 1972-06-14
- **Place of Birth**: Bietigheim-Bissingen
- **Citizenship**: Germany
- **Gender**: Male
- **Education**: Attended the University of Tübingen.
- **Languages**: Speaks German.

### Career and Professional Life
- **Occupations**: Matthias Ettrich is a computer scientist, programmer, and software engineer.
- **Employer**: He has been employed by Nokia.
- **Primary Contribution**: He is the founder of the KDE project.

### Awards and Recognition
- In 2009, Ettrich was awarded the Medal of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.

### Digital Identifiers
- **ISNI**: 0000000112030766
- **GND ID**: 1092673156
- **VIAF ID**: 163089261
- **Freebase ID**: /m/0123n4
- **DBLP Author ID**: 02/1738
- **Prabook ID**: 2058830
- **NUKAT ID**: n2006106228
- **WorldCat Entities ID**: E39PBJtX8YHRvQ4r7fcCDwYVmd

## References

1. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013