news 28 Posted February 7, 2010 Welcome to the Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter, Issue #179 for the week January 31st - February 6th, 2010. In this issue we cover: Open source industry veteran Matt Asay joins Canonical as COO, Lucid Translations now open, Ubuntu Developer Week Re-Cap, Ubuntu 8.04.4 LTS Maintenance release, Lucid Ubuntu Global Jam Announced, Project Awesome Opportunity, New Ubuntu Review Team: Reviewing bug with patches, Jane Silber Interview, Dustin Kirkland Interview: Encryption in Ubuntu, Nicaraguan LoCo Team's Third Anniversary, Report on Launchpad down-time of 4th Feb 2010, January Team Meeting Reports, and much, much more! == UWN Translations == * Note to translators and our readers: We are trying a new way of linking to our translations pages. Please follow the link below for the information you need. https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuWeeklyNewsletter/Translations == In This Issue == * Open source industry veteran Matt Asay joins Canonical as COO * Lucid Translations now open * Ubuntu Developer Week Re-Cap * Ubuntu 8.04.4 LTS Maintenance release * Lucid Ubuntu Global Jam Announced * Project Awesome Opportunity * New Ubuntu Review Team: Reviewing bug with patches * Jane Silber Interview * Dustin Kirkland Interview: Encryption in Ubuntu * Ubuntu Stats * Nicaraguan LoCo Team's Third Anniversary * Report on Launchpad down-time of 4th Feb 2010 * The Planet * In the Press & Blogosphere * January Team Meeting Reports * Upcoming Meetings & Events * Updates & Security == General Community News == === Open source industry veteran Matt Asay joins Canonical as COO === Canonical Ltd. announced this week that open source industry veteran Matt Asay has joined the company as chief operating officer (COO) -- responsible for aligning strategic goals and operational activities, the optimization of day-to-day operations, and leadership of Canonical marketing and back-office functions. Most recently VP, Business Development for Alfresco, Asay has been involved with open source since 1998, and is one of the industry's leading open source business strategists. “As more companies and people are embracing Ubuntu for their day-to-day computing, we felt it critical to bring in a person who knew not just open source, but has a long experience in making Linux relevant to businesses and users alike,†said Jane Silber, current COO and upcoming CEO, Canonical. “We think Matt brings to Canonical the perfect blend of industry, executive and community savvy.†http://www.ubuntu.com/news/matt-asay-coo-canonical === Lucid Translations now open === We are pleased to announce that Lucid translations are now open. You can now go to: http://translations.launchpad.net/ubuntu and start doing your rocking job to translate your favorite distro as usual. There are some further notes listed in the announcement concerning Priorities, OpenOffice.org, Language packs, and Firefox. Please visit the link below for information on these added notes. https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-translators/2010-February/003240.html === Ubuntu Developer Week Re-Cap === Here is a recap of the very successful Ubuntu Developer Week that just ended. Logs of each presentation are available at the links below so that you can catch up on any session you missed. Thanks to all who participated and a special thanks to all the presenters for a fantastic job! Monday 1. Getting Started with Ubuntu Development: we had a great start in the first session, between 300 and 400 people attended it and we were able to resolve lots and lots of questions around the initial steps of developing Ubuntu. Check out the log if you want to start your journey too. https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MeetingLogs/devweek1001/GetStarted 1. Fixing small Ubuntu bugs: I simply love these sessions. Nothing is as powerful as the realisation that you can really fix a bug and really get it fixed for millions of users. One of the small bugs we discussed yesterday was fixed in Ubuntu Lucid today. https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MeetingLogs/devweek1001/FixSmallBugs 1. Django: Dave Walker gave an excellent session about Django. If you ever think “I need some kind of websiteâ€, make sure you read the session log and try it out yourself. Judging by the really sharp questions that Dave got we can expect more Django sites coming up soon. https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MeetingLogs/devweek1001/Django 1. Working on the Bleeding Edge: I’m very glad that Kees Cook gave this session because one of the most frequent questions of new Ubuntu Developers is “Do I need to run the current development release? Won’t that break my system?â€. Kees gave very good advice to stay sane and avoid problems on the “bleeding edgeâ€. He also uploaded a presentation about the topic. https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MeetingLogs/devweek1001/BleedingEdge 1. Server oriented packages: Mathias Gug was up next and talked about the specifics of server packages: firewall rules, apparmor profiles, init scripts, etc. If you like servers, read the log and talk to the Server Team. https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MeetingLogs/devweek1001/ServerPkgs Tuesday 1. Java libraries packaging: in four easy to understand examples Thierry Carrez explained how to deal with java libraries and how to make them build in the Ubuntu way. He managed to give a good overview of the current state of Java packaging, so let’s hope we see an increase in good quality java packages in the near future! https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MeetingLogs/devweek1001/JavaLibs 1. Adding support for Ubuntu One to your applications: the wonderful Stuart Langridge was up next and showcased how simple and easy it is today to work with DesktopCouch as a data backend. His talk was full of nice examples so it should be easy for you to hook up your application with Ubuntu One. If you weren’t in the session, make sure you read the log. https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MeetingLogs/devweek1001/AddUbuntuOne 1. Internationalizing your application with quickly and Launchpad]: David Planella and Didier Roche are experts in their respective fields: Didier put a lot of work into Quickly and David knows almost everything about internationalisation and translations. Together they delivered a great show of how to easily make translated apps happen. https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MeetingLogs/devweek1001/I18NYourApp 1. Getting your applications in the panel: Ted Gould did a great job of explaining why the panel currently can get a bit crowded, what’s the plan in lucid and what you can do to make applications fit into the new scheme. It’s pretty easy to work with the new application indicators, so have a look at the log and talk to the Ayatana people about it! https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MeetingLogs/devweek1001/AppsOnThePannel 1. Automated server testing: Last of the day was Søren Hansen who talked to us about automated server testing, test suites and server-specific testing. Be sure to read the log to understand how this amazing technology works and what it has to do with the number of your favourite pizza guy. https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MeetingLogs/devweek1001/AutoServerTests Wednesday 1. Writing good test-cases: this was a top-notch talk by John Arbash Meinel. Not only did he give a fantastic overview of today’s state of the art of proactively testing software, but also did he dive into the theory behind it and managed to get across a good feeling for what to bear in mind when writing test-cases. https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MeetingLogs/devweek1001/WriteTests 1. Launchpad Translations under the hood: amazing work by Adi Roiban and Henning Eggers. The talk covered quite well how translations work, which tools are used and how Launchpad makes use of all of this to become this fantastic translations platform. https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MeetingLogs/devweek1001/LPTranslate 1. Getting Started with EC2: this great talk by Scott Moser was well-researched and full of information about the Cloud, how it works, its importance and why to try it out. If you didn’t attend the session be sure to check out the log. https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MeetingLogs/devweek1001/EC2 1. Developing and Testing in KVM: Dustin Kirkland was next and talked about one of the key players in virtualisation land. He covered what KVM is about, how it works and how to use it. Check out the “KVM hacks†section! https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MeetingLogs/devweek1001/KVM 1. Python Applications Packaging: Luca Falavigna did the last talk of the day and even spent a bit more than the regular hour to talk the audience through the prodecude of packaging Python applications. Seems like we need to add SABPDFT to the glossary from now on… https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MeetingLogs/devweek1001/PyAppsPkgs Thursday 1. Adopt-an-Upstream: Jorge and I had a great time giving this talk. It’s incredibly important for Ubuntu to have good and healthy relationships to other projects. During the session we gave an overview over adopting an upstream, what to bear in mind, why to do it and how it fits into the bigger picture of Ubuntu development. https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MeetingLogs/devweek1001/AdoptUpstream https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Upstream/Adopt 1. Kernel patches: Next up was Leann Ogasawara who rocked the house talking about patching the kernel, how the Kernel team works, how to get involved and how to get help. There was loads of questions and lots of interst. Let’s see how many new kernel hackers we’ll have soon! https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MeetingLogs/devweek1001/KernelPatches 1. Getting more detailed bug reports: QA mastermind Brian Murray shed more light on one of his favourite tools: apport. What’s great about reporting bugs with apport is that it will get a lot of useful information from your system like the version number of the package, which kernel modules were loaded, etc. This eliminates a lot of bug question ping-pong. The best thing about it is though that it is easily extendable. Read the session log to find out how you can get more specific information for packages you’re interested in! https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MeetingLogs/devweek1001/DetailingBugs 1. Bazaar and packaging: Jelmer Vernooij did a fantastic talk about Bazaar, Launchpad and Ubuntu/Debian packaging and why they go so good together. In a couple of easily understandable examples he showcased very well how to use them and why they make working with packages so much easier. Awesome! https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MeetingLogs/devweek1001/BzrAndPkgs 1. How to get started hacking Launchpad: Ever wanted to fix a bug in Launchpad or improve it somehow? Be sure to check out the log of Karl Fogel’s session. It’s much much easier than you think to get from Getting Launchpad to Having contributed to it. Thanks Karl https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MeetingLogs/devweek1001/HackLP https://dev.launchpad.net/Getting https://dev.launchpad.net/Contributions Friday 1. Writing Beautiful Code: this session unfortunately had to be canceled as Paul Hummer couldn’t make it. We’ll definitely repeat the session soon and I’ll let you all know about it. 1. Doing merges right: an excellent session by Colin Watson. How changes make it from Debian to Ubuntu, how to get the most out of using Bazaar for the merging, how to deal with merge conflicts, etc. It all gets so much clearer after attending the session. https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MeetingLogs/devweek1001/MergingCode 1. Meet launchpadlib: if you have a project that needs data from Launchpad, check out Jonathan Lange’s session about launchpadlib. He uses a nice little example to explain how best to go about gripping into Launchpad’s brain and extracting data from it. In the most cases you should be done really quickly and launchpadlib incantations mostly just add a few lines of code to your project. https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MeetingLogs/devweek1001/LaunchpadLib 1. KDE/Kubuntu Junior Jobs/Papercuts: Mackenzie Morgan and Lydia Pintscher replaced Celest Lyn Paul in this session and they gave a fantastic overview how to get started helping out with KDE and Kubuntu. Read the log and start helping out! https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MeetingLogs/devweek1001/KDEPaperCuts 1. Interpreting stacktraces: the last session of the day and of UDW was led by Emmet Hikory. He talked about reading stacktraces, tips and tricks how to use gdb, and covered enough background to help you figure out why a particular crash happens when you investigate it the next time. https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MeetingLogs/devweek1001/Stacktracing https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuDeveloperWeek === Ubuntu 8.04.4 LTS Maintenance release === The Ubuntu team is proud to announce the release of Ubuntu 8.04.4 LTS, the fourth maintenance update to Ubuntu's 8.04 LTS release. This release includes updated server, desktop, and alternate installation CDs for the i386 and amd64 architectures. Ubuntu 8.04 LTS continues to be maintained through 2011 for desktops and 2013 for servers through online updates, but this is the final maintenance release of 8.04 LTS. In all, some 70 updates have been integrated, and updated installation media has been provided so that fewer updates will need to be downloaded after installation. These include security updates and corrections for other high-impact bugs, with a focus on maintaining stability and compatibility with Ubuntu 8.04 LTS. To download Ubuntu 8.04.4 LTS, or obtain CDs, visit: http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download We recommend that all users read the release notes, which document caveats and workarounds for known issues. They are available at: http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/releasenotes/804 === Lucid Ubuntu Global Jam Announced === Announcing Ubuntu Global Jam! March 26th – 28th, 2010 In the last few cycles we have organized and run an event called the Ubuntu Global Jam. The idea was simple: encourage our awesome global Ubuntu community to get together in the same room to work on bugs, translations, documentation, testing and more. And they did, all over the world, as can be seen here. To make the event as simple and accessible as possible, we have picked five topic areas and we are encouraging you lovely people to organize an event with one or more of them: * Bugs – finding, triaging and fixing bugs. * Testing – testing the new release and reporting your feedback. * Documentation – writing documentation about how to use Ubuntu and how to join the community. * Translations – translating Ubuntu and helping to make it available in everyone’s local language. * Packaging – packaging software for Ubuntu users to install with a clock. With five primary methods of getting involved, there is something for everyone in this rocking global event. In this event we are also adding an Upgrade theme too: upgrading to Lucid from Hardy or Karmic and reporting your upgrade experience. One thing that we are keen on everyone remembering is: you don’t have to be an official developer, packager or programmer to take part in the Ubuntu Global Jam. Also, lets not forget that Ubuntu Global Jam events are a fantastic place to learn and improve your skills: you can sit next to someone who can show you how to do something or explain something in more detail. If this is all sounding right up your alley, and you fancy organizing an event, visit the following two links on the wiki. * Jams: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Jams * Global Jam Events: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuGlobalJam/Events Rock and roll: let’s make this one to remember. Start your engines, folks… UPDATE: We have scheduled some regular meetings every two weeks in #ubuntu-meeting on Freenode to discuss the Ubuntu Global Jam, provide a place to ask questions and get together as a community to make the most out of the event and awareness of it. These meetings are on the Fridge Calendar: http://fridge.ubuntu.com/calendar http://www.jonobacon.org/2010/02/01/lucid-ubuntu-global-jam-announced/ === Project Awesome Opportunity === In the continued interests of making Ubuntu a rocking platform for opportunistic developers, today we formulated the plan for Project Awesome Opportunity. The goal is simple: build an opportunistic development workflow into Ubuntu. You will install one package from Universe and your Ubuntu will be hot-rodded for opportunistic application development, making development more fun and more accessible for a glorious itch scratching smackdown. At the heart of the project is Ground Control by Martin Owens and Quickly by Rick Spencer and Didier Roche. Jono has been thinking about the challenges of how we build a great first incarnation of a platform optimized for opportunistic developers, and it struck him that we should divide the first set of tasks into three broad areas: * Creating a Project – we need to help opportunistic developers ramp up as quickly as possible: they feel the itch and they are ready to scratch right away. * Collaborating on a project – it should be really simple grab code, create a contribution and submit it to the project. * Fixing a Bug – bugs are at the heart of software projects, and we should optimize the bug fixing process making it a doddle for opportunistic bug fixing developers to grab some code and make it work. A key part of this workflow which Jono designed this week is the "Fixing a Bug" component, and this is something he is really passionate about the team trying to deliver in the Lucid time frame. This is not a formal project that his team is working on, this is something that he is focused on in his spare time and coordinating with Ground Control author and rock star, Martin Owens. For this feature to flourish and for us to rock the socks off opportunistic developers everywhere, we are going to need your help, particularly with testing and where possible bug fixes. Here are the main ways in which you can help: * Fixing Bugs – Martin is largely a one man band on this project and he needs help fixing Ground Control Bugs. If you are interesting in helping, see the bug list and get involved. He will love you and Jono will sing your praises. * Testing – Testing is critical to this project. We have a tight timeframe on this, so we need you to help. How do you test? Simple, grab the daily PPA of Ground Control set up by the awesome Nathan Handler, test it and report bugs. * Moral Support – Martin Owens is doctormo on Freenode. Ping him and tell him he is awesome. He and I hang out in #ubuntu-community-team: buy him a virtual beer. So that is the goal. Let’s see if we can rock it and fire up more opportunistic developers. Get all the information at the link below. http://www.jonobacon.org/2010/02/04/project-awesome-opportunity/ === New Ubuntu Review Team: Reviewing bug with patches === * Ubuntu Review Team Wiki: http://launchpad.net/~ubuntu-reviewers The Ubuntu Review Team has been created in an effort to address the volume of unfixed bugs with patches. Brian Murray has written a launchpadlib script that will subscribe the new team to any bugs with patches where the patch has been added after Feb. 1st. Depending on the throughput of that queue and the success of it, the team will then start subscribing to older patches. You can look over the bugs the team is currently subscribed to here: https://bugs.launchpad.net/~ubuntu-reviewers/+subscribedbugs Share this post Link to post
