Re: Advice

[Seth <setheck@yahoo.com>]

Thanks for the information,
It sounds like I have quite a bit of reading and research to do. I still feel like I don't know which direction to go in, but I am assuming everyone starting out felt the same way. I am going to just keep up and correct some bugs, then maybe down the line I can decide to try to join a team.
Thanks,


--- On Sun, 8/24/08, Serafeim Zanikolas <serzan@hellug.gr> wrote:

> From: Serafeim Zanikolas <serzan@hellug.gr>
> Subject: Re: Advice
> To: debian-mentors@lists.debian.org
> Date: Sunday, August 24, 2008, 6:40 PM
> Hi Seth,
> 
> [Don't be discouraged by terms/programs mentioned below
> you might be
> unfamiliar with; it just means that you have to read the
> debian policy/devel
> docs. Also, I assume that you're interested in
> technical/packaging work.]
> 
> On Sun, Aug 24, 2008 at 07:12:45AM -0700, Setheck wrote:
> > Hello!
> > I am new to debiam devolpment and Im afraid I need
> some help getting started. I'm not new to development
> and I'm hoping with a list of what I hope to gain
> someone can point me in the right direction. 
> > 
> > Overall I am looking to gain a better understanding of
> functional use of C,C++, or another similar language. 
> > I would also like to contribute to the community and
> from what I have read it sounds like maintaining an orphaned
> package may be the way to go. 
> > I would very much like for someone to take me under
> their wing and guide me through the various ins and outs of
> Linux development. 
> > In generall I hope to become a competent and valueble
> asset to the Linux community. 
> > I chose debian because I am an avid user of ubuntu and
> debian proper. 
> 
> As a relatively new package maintainer myself, I would
> suggest that you
> familiarise yourself with the debian processes (read the
> policy and
> maintainer/developer guides) and get practical experience
> of applying that
> knowledge. I found that creating an actual
> debian-policy-compliant package
> from scratch was far more educational than merely reading
> any number of guides
> about dpatch/make/VCS/etc.
> 
> Having said that, owing a package is a major commitment,
> based on which you
> will be judged. You should pick a program that you have a
> personal interest
> in, and ideally are in a position to understand its
> internals (for instance,
> to judge the applicability of a patch or even write one
> yourself, if
> required).
> 
> If you're serious about debian you should sign up at
> least in d-announce,
> d-devel (at least skim through it), and d-mentors. d-devel
> is useful, amongst
> others, for getting a feel of the consensus (or variety of
> approaches) on
> issues that are not precisely mandated by policy.
> 
> Now some advice to make your work more likely to attract
> sponsorship and
> feedback from DDs:
> 
> * avoid basic mistakes by reading the policy and new maint
> docs, and checking
>   your package with lintian and debuild (or similar tools)
> 
> * ideally ITA instead of ITP: given the large number of
> orphaned packages,
>   adopting one is often more appreciated than packaging a
> new program (this is
>   not to say that there aren't new programs that are
> worth adding to the
>   archive)
> 
> * prepare QA uploads: this refers to shaping up packages
> that have been
>   orphaned [1, 2] (ie, packages with maintainer set to
> Debian QA group); QA
>   work is a great way to contribute because you can gain
> experience without
>   committing to a package, and you are more likely to get
> sponsorship.
>   Certain QA uploads are trivial, but only after one has
> knowledge of policy
>   and practical packaging experience. Consider inspecting
> QA uploads that get
>   sponsored in d-mentors and consult [4].
> 
> Careful though not to waste any time with QA work on
> packages that should be
> considered for removal from the archive [3].
> 
> > With that said I would like to put out a formal
> request for a mentor and/or general help in starting and
> continuing to contribute to the community. 
> 
> I understand the need for a personal mentor but
> unfortunately debian doesn't
> have such a provision. Instead there's the mentors
> mailing list and irc
> channel, where people are fairly helpful and polite. Plus
> you will be getting
> feedback on a case-by-case basis when your work is
> sponsored by a DD.
> 
> Finally, as a new maintainer I was given an excellent piece
> of advice which I
> happily pass on: not to rush to apply for NM status, but
> instead postpone it
> until ones reaches a point of significant and systematic
> contribution.  This
> may at first feel frustrating, especially with the need to
> get sponsorship,
> but it's for good reasons: to maintain the quality of
> debian and let new
> contributors demonstrate that they are up for a long-term
> commitment.
> 
> Cheers,
> Serafeim
> 
> [1] http://qa.debian.org/orphaned.html
> [2]
> http://qa.debian.org/developer.php?login=packages@qa.debian.org
> [3] http://wiki.debian.org/qa.debian.org/removals
> [4] /usr/share/doc/debian-policy/upgrading-checklist.txt.gz
> 
> 
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