diff --git a/.gitpod.yml b/.gitpod.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..150ee848b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitpod.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,115 @@
+
+# X11 default option to be able to test th result in the browser
+image: gitpod/workspace-full-vnc
+ports:
+  - port: 5900
+    onOpen: ignore
+  - port: 6080
+    onOpen: open-preview
+
+# build tasks, run in order but waiting on sync-points
+# last one is seen first
+tasks:
+
+- name: setup coding environment on Ubuntu 20.04
+  before: |
+    # note: sadly we need this to be done every time as only /workspace is kept, but linked
+    #       against those dependencies; and also we do want to recompile after adjustments
+    #       this can all be dropped as soon as we can use a prepared docker
+    sudo add-apt-repository ppa:beineri/opt-qt-5.15.4-focal -y
+    sudo add-apt-repository ppa:kubuntu-ppa/backports -y
+    sudo apt-get update
+    sudo apt-get -y upgrade
+    sudo apt-get install -y qt515base qt515svg qt515x11extras cmake libdwarf-dev mesa-common-dev \
+        libboost-iostreams-dev libboost-program-options-dev libboost-system-dev libboost-filesystem-dev \
+        build-essential curl git wget autotools-dev autoconf libtool liblzma-dev libz-dev gettext cmake \
+        libzstd-dev ninja-build libdw-dev libelf-dev extra-cmake-modules \
+        libkf5archive-dev libkf5threadweaver-dev libkf5i18n-dev libkf5configwidgets-dev \
+        libkf5coreaddons-dev libkf5itemviews-dev libkf5itemmodels-dev libkf5kio-dev libkf5parts-dev \
+        libkf5solid-dev libkf5windowsystem-dev libkf5notifications-dev libkf5iconthemes-dev \
+        libqt5svg5-dev libqcustomplot-dev libkf5syntaxhighlighting-dev \
+        libqt5x11extras5-dev   # this one is optional for Hotspot, but required for KDDockWidgets
+    gp sync-done system-prepare
+
+- name: manual addition of KDDockWidgets (once)
+  env:
+    KDDW_VER: 1.6.0
+  before: |
+    gp sync-await system-prepare
+  init: |
+    cd /workspace
+    wget https://github.com/KDAB/KDDockWidgets/releases/download/v$KDDW_VER/kddockwidgets-$KDDW_VER.tar.gz
+    tar -xf kddockwidgets-$KDDW_VER.tar.gz
+    cd kddockwidgets-$KDDW_VER
+    export PATH="/opt/bin:/opt/qt515/bin:${PATH}"
+    export PKG_CONFIG_PATH="/opt/qt515/lib/pkgconfig:${PKG_CONFIG_PATH}"
+    export LD_LIBRARY_PATH="/opt/qt515/lib:/opt/qt515/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu"
+    cmake -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/opt/KDAB .
+  command: |
+    gp sync-done kddw-prepared
+
+- name: manual addition of KDDockWidgets (install)
+  env:
+    KDDW_VER: 1.6.0
+  command: |
+    gp sync-await kddw-prepared
+    cd /workspace/kddockwidgets-$KDDW_VER
+    make -j $(nproc) && sudo make install
+    gp sync-done kddw-installed
+
+- name: manual addition of perf
+  env:
+    PERF_VER: perf-tools-for-v5.15-2021-09-11
+    # KERNEL_REPO: git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/acme/linux.git   not full featured git server, so mirror
+    KERNEL_REPO: https://github.com/torvalds/linux.git
+  before: |
+    gp sync-await system-prepare
+    sudo apt install -y linux-tools-generic libpython2.7  # to have the general perf and depedencies setup
+  init: |
+    gp sync-await system-prepare
+    sudo apt install -y bison flex libelf-dev libnewt-dev libdw-dev libaudit-dev libiberty-dev libunwind-dev \
+        libcap-dev libzstd-dev liblzma-dev libnuma-dev libssl-dev systemtap-sdt-dev libbabeltrace-ctf-dev \
+        libperl-dev \
+        binutils-dev gcc-multilib \
+        python2-dev
+    #   python3-dev python3-setuptools - python3 only with newer versions
+    #   libgtk2.0-dev            still not found
+    #   asciidoc                 optional, only for manpages, depdencies are huge
+    cd /workspace
+    git clone --depth 1 --filter=blob:none --sparse $KERNEL_REPO
+    cd linux
+    git sparse-checkout set tools scripts arch
+    git fetch --depth 1 origin $PERF_VER
+    #  hack for newer binutils which dropped bfd_get_section_*
+    make -C tools/perf CC="gcc -Dbfd_get_section_size=bfd_section_size -Dbfd_get_section_flags\(h,s\)=bfd_section_flags\(s\) -Dbfd_get_section_vma\(h,s\)=bfd_section_vma\(s\)"
+  command: |
+    gp sync-done perf-prepared
+    PERF_EXEC_PATH=/workspace/linux/tools/perf PATH=/workspace/linux/tools/perf:${PATH} perf --version
+
+- name: aditional checking tools
+  before: |
+    gem install mdl
+
+- name: actual building and running of hotspot
+  before: |   # necessary when re-running the workspace
+    export PATH="/opt/bin:/opt/qt515/bin:${PATH}"
+    export PKG_CONFIG_PATH="/opt/qt515/lib/pkgconfig:${PKG_CONFIG_PATH}"
+    export LD_LIBRARY_PATH="/opt/qt515/lib:/opt/qt515/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu"
+    export PERF_EXEC_PATH="/workspace/linux/tools/perf"
+    export PATH"=/workspace/linux/tools/perf:${PATH}"
+  init: |
+    mkdir -p build
+    cd build
+    gp sync-await kddw-installed
+    cmake -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/opt/KDAB ..
+    make -j $(nproc)
+  command: |
+    gp sync-await kddw-installed
+    gp sync-await perf-prepared
+    $GITPOD_REPO_ROOTS/build/bin/hotspot $GITPOD_REPO_ROOTS/tests/integrationtests/custom_cost_aggregation_testfiles/custom_cost_aggregation.perfparser
+
+# some config to ease working in the browser
+vscode:
+  extensions:
+    - llvm-vs-code-extensions.vscode-clangd
+    - twxs.cmake