Kubuntu Product Backlog

Scott Kitterman ubuntu at kitterman.com
Fri Oct 29 14:51:32 BST 2010


On Friday, October 29, 2010 09:30:22 am Roman Shtylman wrote:
fixed top posting.
> On Fri, Oct 29, 2010 at 2:47 AM, Scott Kitterman <ubuntu at kitterman.com> 
wrote:
> > "Alessandro Ghersi" <alessandro-ghersi at kubuntu.org> wrote:
> >>2010/10/29 Roman Shtylman <shtylman at gmail.com>
> >>
> >>> In agile software development land
> >>
> >>this type of page can be referred to as a product backlog.
> >>
> >>This is basically a giant TODO list that is independent of any release
> >>and
> >>
> >>> contains items that are decided by the product owner (Riddell I
> >>> suppose :p ).
> >>
> >>Since you wrote "suppose" I'd like to explain :)
> >>Riddell is a developer payed by Canonical.
> >>Canonical is the commercial sponsor for Kubuntu.
> >>Kubuntu and Canonical are registered trademarks of Canonical Ltd
> >>
> >>More important, Kubuntu is a community developed project.
> >>Who make decisions is the Kubuntu Council.
> >>
> >>Someone correct me if I wrong.
> >>
> > This is correct. I would like to make clear though that being a Canonical
> > employee doesn't exclude someone from being part of the community.
> > 
> > Scott K

> I was always under the impression that the Council just decided on
> membership and other non-technical details (but that is probly due to
> my limited knowledge of how it works). The point I am really trying to
> get across is that Kubuntu is a product, a product that ships to
> users. And although all of the contributors of Kubuntu have vested
> interest and want to make it better, there still is generally a point
> of coordination and guidance on what the important things for each
> cycle are. Generally this guidance comes from the product "owner" who
> sees the global picture (user feedback, bug reports, developer
> comments) from all facets of the product. I am not saying this is a
> dictatorship role, it is mostly a role used in the planning
> stages..etc. And from what I have seen in the past Jonathan has been
> at all UDS events and been a heavy part of Kubuntu planning so that is
> why I said what I did. If operations run a different way, I am sorry I
> misspoke, I just wanted to stress the idea that at some point, someone
> has to make a decision that speaks for the product :)
> 
> /rant

I think it hasn't always been clear that the Kubuntu Council is the final 
control point for definition of the product as it's been a while since we had a 
major issue to resolve.  The only recent example I can think of is the font 
change at the bitter end of Maverick.  That was decided based on a vote of the 
council. 

We also have all the specs from UDS reviewed and approved by the Kubuntu 
Council before they are considered final.  I don't recall a case where the KC 
pushed a change from what the developers worked out at UDS.

Scott K



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