Dear Developers,
as mentioned a while ago [1], I've been working a little bit on
streamlining the process of having Debian development meetings (AKA
"sprints"), with the dual goal of having more sprints and of attracting
donations from people or entities interested in funding Debian sprints.
[1] http://lists.debian.org/debian-devel-announce/2010/08/msg00002.html
This mail is both an announcement of the "Debian Sprint Program" and a
Request For Comments about it. All details can be found at [2,3]:
[2] http://wiki.debian.org/Sprints
[3] http://wiki.debian.org/Sprints/HowTo
The documentation is also attached below (in wiki syntax) and linked
from <http://wiki.debian.org/Teams/DPL> .
The main principles of the program are that: (1) sprints are good to
both get work done and strengthen our community; and (2) there are
responsibilities of transparency towards the rest of the Project, so we
need to communicate before, during, and after a sprint about what is
happening.
If you are in a Debian team---no matter its size, topic, etc.---who
thinks they could benefit from a sprint to hack on a specific work
agenda, please *check the guidelines* and then contact me about that.
Within the limits of available resources, I'll do my best to enable as
much sprints as possible.
Cheers
PS mail-followup-to set to -project
Acknowledgements
----------------
Thanks to KDE e.V. and in particular to Cornelius Schumacher and
Alexandra Leisse for sharing their experience (and documentation!) on
their amazing sprint program; thanks to Michael Prokop for putting me in
touch with them.
--
Stefano Zacchiroli -o- PhD in Computer Science \ PostDoc @ Univ. Paris 7
zack@{upsilon.cc,pps.jussieu.fr,debian.org} -<>- http://upsilon.cc/zack/
Quando anche i santi ti voltano le spalle, | . |. I've fans everywhere
ti resta John Fante -- V. Caposella .......| ..: |.......... -- C. Adams
= Debian Sprints = "Sprints" are developer meetings to work on specific parts of Debian and having fun doing so. Volunteers contribute their own free time, enthusiasm, and work; Debian tries hard to support sprints financially, although that is possible only thank to generous [[http://www.debian.org/donations|donations]] to Debian from people and other entities who care about Debian. == Documentation == * check the [[Sprints/HowTo|sprint HOWTO]] for information on how to organize a sprint * frequently used / "Debian-friendly" [[Sprints/Venues|venues]] (e.g. venues who have in the past offered for free or discount venues to hold Debian sprints) <<Anchor(list)>> == Sprint list == === 2010 === Note: before this mark, information about past sprints have been collected here in an ad-hoc manner by the [[DPL]], while the best practices detailed above were being drafted. * [[FAI]] sprint: [[http://michael-prokop.at/blog/2010/07/08/report-from-fai-developer-workshop-072010/|report]] * [[Teams/DSA|DSA]] sprint: [[http://lists.debian.org/debian-project/2010/08/msg00000.html|announce/agenda]], [[http://lists.debian.org/debian-project/2010/09/msg00027.html|report]] * [[Teams/FTPMaster|FTP master]] sprint: [[http://lists.debian.org/debian-project/2010/08/msg00314.html|announce/agenda]], [[http://lists.debian.org/debian-project/2010/09/msg00139.html|report]] * [[Teams/ReleaseTeam|Release Team]] sprint: [[http://lists.debian.org/debian-project/2010/09/msg00132.html|announce/agenda]], [[http://lists.debian.org/debian-devel-announce/2010/10/msg00002.html|report]] * [[Teams/DebianKernel|Kernel]] sprint: [[http://lists.debian.org/debian-kernel/2010/09/msg00351.html|announce]] == Contact == Please contact the [[DPL]] at <<MailTo(leader@debian.org)>> for comments about the sprint program. == Acknowledgements == Thanks to [[http://ev.kde.org|KDE e.V.]] and in particular to Cornelius Schumacher and Alexandra Leisse for sharing their experience (and documentation!) on the [[http://community.kde.org/KDE_e.V./Sprints|KDE e.V. sprint program]]. ---- CategoryDpl
<<TableOfContents(2)>> ~- see [[Sprints]] for a general overview of Debian sprints -~ = How to organize a Debian development sprint = '''Sprints''', or developer gatherings, have proven to be very effective in get important work done and strengthen the Debian community. While [[DebCamp|DebCamps]] held during [[DebConf|DebConfs]] are the primary example of that, several [[Sprints#list|other Debian sprints]] are held on a regular basis. Via generous [[http://www.debian.org/donations|donations]] by people who care about the Project, Debian can support sprints financially. Sprints should be something like 2-3 days meetings of 10 developers or less, in an environment where they can focus on getting work done and having fun doing so. The sprints should include '''core people''' of some time, but possibly also '''new people''' to get fresh developers into the team and help them to find their way around. It is encouraged to invite 1-2 new people at each sprint. Debian, within the limit of available resources, tries hard to cover '''travel and accommodation costs''' for those who have no other means to cover the costs. Participating in developer sprints should be no personal financial burden to any of the participants. Usually, participants are expected to cover food costs by themselves, although exceptions might be considered. For all expenses the motivation should be to provide a productive and fun environment, rather than giving any special benefits. All sprints need to have a person who acts as '''responsible organizer''' and contact person. If possible this person should be supported by one or two co-organizers. The responsibility of the organizer is to: coordinate the sprint, find a suitable place and time to hold the sprint, take care of invitee lists and agenda, and interact with Debian for communication and financial support (usually via the [[Teams/DPL|DPL]]). It is recommended to partner with other organizations or companies to conduct the sprints. '''Additional per-sprint sponsorship''' or support is very welcome. This can for example happen through providing rooms, sending people, taking over costs, or similar means. Direct financial support should go through Debian, though, since this is usually more efficient than each sprint dealing with sponsoring separately. After the sprints, a '''report''' should be written and send to the most relevant mailing list and possibly [[PlanetDebian]]. If you want to '''help''' organize a developer sprint please get in touch with the [[Teams/DPL]]. Together, we will then sort out what needs to be done, what information is required and how to make the meeting happen. <<Anchor(checklist)>> = Checklist = == Before the sprint == 1. decide on a topic and the goal of the sprint 2. get a date (usually a weekend) 3. get a list of participants (usually 10 or less) 4. get a location (check past sprints for Debian-friendly venues) 5. estimate travel costs 6. send the data to the [[DPL]] via <<MailTo(leader AT debian DOT org)>> for approval 7. when it's approved, tell people to book their travel tickets ASAP as prices usually increase over time 8. prepare a wiki page named `wiki.d.o/Sprints/YYYY/Name` (e.g. `wiki.d.o/Sprints/2010/RockingTeam`, you might want to start from [[SprintTemplate]]) 9. announce the sprint and tentative agenda to the relevant mailing list, soliciting inputs from those who can't participate == During the sprint == 1. hack, have fun 2. blog/microblog about the sprint, if you are into it 3. keep minutes, prepare reports == After the sprint == 1. send the sprint report to the relevant mailing list, including the following information: * date / venue * participants * summary of what has been achieved 2. complete the wiki page with a link to the report 3. prepare paperwork for reimbursements and request reimbursements to Debian = Contact = Please contact the [[DPL]] at <<MailTo(leader@debian.org)>> for comments about the [[Sprints|sprint program]]. = References = * general Debian [[Teams/DPL/SponsoringGuidelines|Sponsoring Guidelines]] = Acknowledgements = Thanks to [[http://ev.kde.org|KDE e.V.]] and in particular to Cornelius Schumacher and Alexandra Leisse for sharing their experience (and documentation!) on the [[http://community.kde.org/KDE_e.V./Sprints|KDE e.V. sprint program]]. ---- CategoryDpl
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