To get a local version of kardboard up and running suitable for developing against, you can follow this quickstart guide.
# Install python, virtualenv and mongodb using your favorite system package manager here.
# aptitude install gcc python2.6 python2.6-dev python-virtualenv redis mongodb-10gen
# Get the source, using your own fork most likely
git clone git@github.com:cmheisel/kardboard.git
# Make a virtualenv
cd kardboard
virtualenv .kve
# Turn it on
source ./.kve/bin/activate
# Install the requirements
pip install -r requirements.txt
# Start mongo and drop it into the background
mkdir var
mongod --fork --logpath=./var/mongo.log --dbpath=./var/
# Start the celery process
python kardboard/manage.py celeryd -B
# Start the server
python kardboard/runserver.py