Let's get serious about Edubuntu's future

[Scott Balneaves]

On Tue, May 19, 2009 at 09:54:28PM +0200, Sven-Hendrik Haase wrote:

<snip>

> I think Edubuntu's fate is now entirely in our capable hands.

Oooohhh, boy.  Read on...

> I suggest
> we either have a live meeting on IRC at some point in the near future or
> just keep discussing in this thread what is going to happen to Edubuntu.

I've been busy as heck for the last 6 months, and haven't had a lot of time to
devote to Edubuntu.  However, if a meeting is planned, I'll show up.

<snip>

> 1) Direction. I think Edubuntu has been without actual vision for some
> time now.

Well, IMHO, this is incorrect.  The problem we've got is that there's a HUGE
AMOUNT of vision.  There's diddly-squat all people actually turning vision into
code/bugfixes/docs. etc.

<snip>

> 2) Documentation. Currently, if you want to deploy LTSP clients and you
> want to be informed about LTSP 5 (assuming you even know what that is,
> imagine you are teacher trying out Edubuntu!), you will have to search
> the official LTSP documentation, the Ubuntu LTSP documentation, the
> Edubuntu cookbook, the Edubuntu handbook, the Edubuntu wiki.

I spent an ENORMOUS amount of time 2-3 releases ago
organizing/colating/documenting the Edubuntu handbook, with LOTS of people
telling me they were going to contribute a lot of information.

Amount contributed: next to none.

Most of the existing XML Docbook info on LTSP 5 was contributed by me.  The
upstream docs were pulled out of, and updated from, the edubuntu handbook, with
the intention that they could be *included* from the upstream sources into the
edubuntu handbook which could then focus on documenting some of the higher
level aspects of running edubuntu (documenting some of the education programs,
more "why"'s instead of "how"'s etc.

> You WILL
> find conflicting material and most of the stuff you find doesn't even
> apply anymore (LTSP 4.2 anyone?). The user wants ONE definitive resource
> for looking up things, to get going, for tips, to look for help. So
> *many* scattered and contradicting resources are not very reassuring for
> a school's IT admin to say it mildly.

Agreed.  So, I have been working on the LTSP part of the docs, who's going to
start a branch on the rest of the docs?  I'll be happy to coordinate with
whoever.

> 3) Split distribution. It seems that the Edubuntu-Addon itself is a
> major problem for people wanting to try out Edubuntu. People want to TRY
> Edubuntu. Most schools are completely Windows dependent and teachers are
> afraid of installing anything they would not be able to get rid of
> themselves. Edubuntu NEEDS to be able to showcase all its features from
> a live system or many people will be afraid of even trying it out in a
> running infrastructure (for a good reason). This will probably mean that
> a LTSP environment will have to fit the live medium, which will make it
> grow beyond CD size at any rate which on the other hand wouldn't matter
> all that much judging by how popular DVD/USB is nowadays. Edubuntu
> should NOT be restricted to fit onto a CD, that would be totally
> unnecessary.

Lots of people want to try Edubuntu in Brazil and Africa, neither of which has
got a lot of DVD penetration yet.  So, you need to support both.

As well, producing a bootable CD or DVD's a HUGE undertaking (just ask ogra).
Someone's got to step forward and be willing to DO this.  It means code.  It
means hours and hours of work.

> Those are my main three gripes. There are some minor ones but I won't go
> over those now because it would probably make this mail lose direction.

Another one that I'm still committed to working on, is getting sabayon to work
correctly, as we need a management tool for desktops.  Again, my work life
intrudes.

> I suggest

Here is the core problem.

And I'm not meaning to take this out on you: there's been many, MANY people
who've *suggested* things about edubuntu/ltsp/ubuntu/linux/Open Source in
general.  What people never seem to get is the following:

Edubuntu doesn't need more suggestions.
Edubuntu needs more people sitting at more keyboards looking at more bug
reports coding more patches that fix more problems.  That's the bit we're
lacking.

> completely revising Edubuntu and maybe even consider changing
> the name. I thought about forking Ubuntu to Schoolbuntu but I'd rather
> continue working under 'Edubuntu'. In case Canonical has other plans
> with that name, though, I see nothing wrong with starting a separate
> project forked from Ubuntu itself.

Don't change the name
Don't fork the project
Don't revise edubuntu

DO fix bugs
DO write documentation
DO write new pieces of software to fill in gaps

> What we need is a dedicated bunch of a few people that are willing and
> knowledgeable enough to help out to get things rolling. This would
> require a great deal of spare time which I have but I assume others do not.

8 months or so ago we announced a bug day.  I *booked a day off work at my
expense* with the understanding that people from the mailing list were going to
show up and help me:

1) Identify the top bugs that were bothering us.
2) Test *exactly* what triggered the bug.
3) Help me to trace though the code to find the problem, and come up with a
   solution
4) Test solutions.

This idea of a bug day was implemented as a result of mailings on this list.
Everyone saw it, everyone knew about it.

Number of people who showed up for the 16+ hours I worked on bugs (Besides
LaserJock): 0.

About a month after bug day, work started getting heavy, and I admit I've kind
of drifted away from Edubuntu.  I'd love to come back.  I'd love to get in
there and work.  But it's supposed to be a *community*.  Not just me and a
couple of other people slaving away, with the "users" at large going "meh, why
don't things get fixed fast enough.... this sucks... etc."

If people aren't going to get involved helping to fix their own problems, why
should I?  I'm perfectly capable of solving my own problems all by my lonesome.

Name a day and time, I'll show up for the IRC meeting.

Cheers,
Scott

-- 
Scott L. Balneaves | He that breaks a thing to find out what it is
Systems Department | has left the path of wisdom.
Legal Aid Manitoba |     -- J.R.R. Tolkien