Re: Facilitating contributions by newcomers
Hi there,
I think this is a worthwhile idea, but would like to suggest that if
you're going to go down the approach of badges/accomplishments then it
would be good to consider how to encourage existing DDs to become
active in mentoring.
My experience is that making the package is the easy bit - the tricky
bit is getting someone to take notice, provide feedback and eventually
upload the package.
Regards,
Roger
On Sun, Nov 9, 2014 at 7:20 PM, Christian Kastner <debian@kvr.at> wrote:
> The first steps in contributing to Debian are usually the hardest.
> Normally, new contributors are pointed to the standard docs [eg:
> 1,2,3,4,5], but processing such an amount of information is often a
> daunting task, and not a very fun one either.
>
> On the other hand, we have quite a few mentors who would like to help,
> but often do not have the bandwidth to walk a mentee through the entire
> process of, say, packaging a new software, or to mentor someone
> responding to a RFH.
>
> The WNPP list in itself is useful, but when looking at it again
> recently, I distinctly recalled how foreign most of the packages were to
> me when I first started contributing -- not a great motivator into
> getting involved with something. And I recognized a number of RFHs that
> have received numerous replies over the time, but couldn't be followed
> up upon with because RFHs are frequently the result of a lack of time in
> the first place (openldap anyone?).
>
>
> With the recent gamification of just-about-everything, I was wondering
> whether following such an achievement-oriented approach, with
> opportunities for contribution formulated as a list of specific tasks,
> instead of general avenues, would be helpful in overcoming this initial
> difficulty. (This would be in addition to mentors.debian.net and other
> established avenues for entry to Debian, not a replacement).
>
>
> Tasks
> =====
>
> I see a task having, at least, the following properties:
>
> * A specific objective (bug fix, enhancement, debugging, cleanup,
> documentation, translation, ...). This should probably be tied to a
> Debian bug number.
>
> * A description of the required skills (packaging, debugging, C, ...)
>
> * A difficulty rating (1:low to 5:very high)
>
> * An estimation for the amount of work to be done (hours, days)
>
> * An urgency (influenced by severity, popcon, ...)
>
> * A list of one or more mentors will to help.
>
>
> Benefits for Mentees
> ====================
>
> For mentees, this would:
>
> * Provide a much simpler entry point into contributing to Debian.
> Mentees would be able to start with smallish tasks fitting their
> skill and interest profile. They could start contributing without
> becoming overwhelmed with dozens of pages of dense documentation.
>
> * I expect that would to eventually lead to a better understanding
> of Debian technically, and to closer personal contacts to the
> community.
>
> * Later on, they could progress to the more difficult tasks, in
> preparation towards eventual DM or DD status.
>
>
> Benefits for Mentors
> ====================
>
> For mentors, I believe the benefits are even greater:
>
> * Mentors willing to help but lacking time for full mentorship could
> still help with smaller tasks. Every little bit counts.
>
> * A new avenue for getting things fixed in Debian (QA). Instead of
> having ancient O, RFA, and RFH bugs, some of which have been
> proven to be insurmountable, the relevant packages can be improved
> step-by-step.
>
> * In a similar vein, regular Maintainers could off-load some of
> their work to mentees. I've seen enough bugs in packages where the
> only blocker seems to be "lack of time".
>
> * Mentors could get another perspective on the history of a mentee's
> work within Debian.
>
>
> Costs
> =====
>
> All in all, I think the additional cost to mentors wouldn't be that
> great. It should be easy to write up the tasks: that does not require
> time, only a lot of experience.
>
>
> I'd appreciate feedback on the idea; and if this turns out to be
> worthwhile I'll look into an implementation.
>
> Christian
>
>
> [1] https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/
> [2] https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/maint-guide/
> [3] https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/developers-reference/
> [4] http://mentors.debian.net/
> [5] Package how-can-i-help
>
>
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